BACK TO BOOK INTRODUCTION
BACK TO CHAPTER 5 JAMES AND JOHN FINNEY: FINDING KENTUCKY 1770-1780
January 1781 Those Virginia
militia men and companies who lent support to the American army in the
Carolinas were home for a reason, they had been called back to Virginia to
defend its inhabitants from the American traitor Benedict Arnold. Arnold had arrived at Hampton Roads,
Virginia in late December and by January 1781, with a combined party of British
and Tories sixteen hundred strong, plundered across the countryside to caused
panic and fear among Virginia citizens.
Virginia was ordered to select
3,000 men for General George Washington’s Continental Army to defend against
this new British maneuver. Culpeper
County was to contribute 106 men to be included in this total. They decided to split their county militia
into 106 lists or classes, each composed of about 13 men from the same area of
the county. One man was drawn from each
list or one could volunteer. James
Finney was on list number 85 as a Lieutenant in the Culpeper County militia
(Appendix 32). Finney was a land owner
in Culpeper County and had also served as a sergeant in the Battle of Point
Pleasant. Most of the men on his list
were close neighbors and friends of the Finneys. George Copher’s name was drawn from list 85
and would join Washington’s army. James
brother, William, was on list number 101 and was also, like his older brother, not chosen. (see Appendix 32
for details of James Finney’s class 85)
Noticeably absent from the
Culpeper County classes was John Finney.
Finney’s absence could be contributed to either current army service or
his allegiance was held by another county.
John Finney could have been a part of the Western Corp fighting on the
western front against the British in Detroit and their Indian alliances.[i] There was no list of these soldiers. Finney is also known to have been in the
western counties before and early in the war.
In addition to the new Virginia
contribution of men, two events occurred to aid in the defense of
Virginia. First, General George
Washington detached and sent 1200 troops from New England and New Jersey to
Virginia. He held the remaining troops
at his own location in New England, still unsure as to the intended target of
the British leader Lord Cornwallis’ and his next big move. Second, Virginians
became motivated by Arnold’s lack of humanity and the atrocities he committed
as he worked way through Virginia.
Virginia men began to volunteer for militia duty at epic
proportion. They volunteered as
patriots, fighting for a principle, but also fought to protect their family,
their land, and all they had worked so hard for. They would guard their homes at all costs
(see Appendix 33 for a detailed description of Virginia militia movements in
1781).
March 1781 A James Finney
enlisted (technically he was drafted) into the 9th Virginia Regiment. This James
Finney stated he was 26 years of age and born in Culpeper County. He enrolled for a year and a half. This was likely James Finnell as the record
also states he was previously a member of the 1st Light Dragoons. This man’s
service was really with the 7th Virginia Regiment as the 9th Virginia Regiment
had been renamed a month before in February (Appendix 34).
March 1781 By mid-March,
General Lafayette arrived in Yorktown, Virginia via barge transport. His march south from New York was anticipated
by representatives of the Virginia colony.
Culpeper County raised militia companies that were to join Lafayette’s
army for the protection against a British invasion sweeping up the James River. Those companies known to have been active at
this time were under the leadership of captains Fisher Rice, Rucker, Mark
Finks, Robert Pollard, John Waugh, Ambrose Bohannon, Elijah Kirtley, James
Browning, Benjamin Lillard, William Rice, Lewis Yancey, Gabriel Green, and
Edmund Covington.[ii] They were marched by Major Henry Hill through
Fredericksburg and Bowling Green before encamping at Sandy Point on the James
River near Richmond. Here, the Culpeper
companies joined Colonel James Slaughter’s regiment which was a part of General
Peter Muhlenburg’s militia brigade, one of two brigades, the other led by
General Nelson.
21 March 1781 Further west,
the Greenbrier County, Virginia Court in Lewisburg ordered James Mayze to
compensate John Finney for his role in Mayze’s court case. The compensation amounted to 650 pounds of tobacco
because John Finney had traveled 150 miles to court and then departed and
amassed 150 additional miles returning home.
Also interesting to note – George Blackburn was ordered to serve as a
jury member for a court case. This
serves as roof that his home at this time was Greenbrier County.
14 April 1781 Letters from
the Virginia government were sent to the western Virginia counties requesting
more militia companies to be formed to defend against a rapidly growing and
more dangerous British threat. Western
counties issued protests, stating that they already had more men in service
than they could afford. Though the
excuse was issued, the counties continued to implore for men to join and form
militia companies to defend their homes.
25 April 1781 About 2300
British troops defeated about 1000 Virginia militia who were fighting under
direct orders of the Baron von Steuben and General Muhlenburg fought the
British in the Battle of Petersburg in southeast Virginia. The Virginia militia companies fought with
bravery but eventually were chased away from Petersburg and on the 27 April,
the Virginia militia, including those from Culpeper County, was at Chesterfield
Courthouse. General Lafayette had
attempted to march his troops to assist but arrived in Richmond on April 29,
his army including only a small portion of Virginia militia.
May 1781 In the first days
of May (and even possibly in late April), new Culpeper County militia companies
rendezvoused at the Culpeper Courthouse.
This muster was a direct result of the call for militia from April
14. Men were asked to volunteer for a
three month tour of duty to protect Virginia after the recent defeat at
Petersburg. Elijah Kirtley was the
captain of one of these companies and was assisted by lieutenants Simeon
Buford, James Finney, and Reuben Moore.[iii] Kirtley had a militia company that had been
active but many were reassigned after Petersburg and others were leaving after
two month enlistments had expired and therefore needed reinforcement. Other companies in action at this time from
Culpeper County were led by Captain Ambrose Bohannon, Captain Robert Pollard,
Captain William Green, Captain Francis Nalle, Captain Henry Towles, Captain
Joseph Woods, Captain Duncan, Captain William Stanton, and Captain Joel
Early. The men that formed these
companies marched with Colonel Thornton and Colonel Robert Alcock and joined
General Lafayette’s army east of Richmond at Bottom’s Bridge. The militia companies were placed under the
immediate supervision of Colonel Dick and Major Boyce. At their time of arrival, Lafayette’s
burgeoning army was just beginning their retreat from an aggressive British
push led by Lord Cornwallis.
27 May 1781 With an army of
3000 (about 1000 regulars and two brigades of militia totaling about 2000
volunteers), mostly made up of Virginia militia, Lafayette abandoned Richmond
and marched to the north, followed by Cornwallis and his army of over 7000
troops. A week later, Lafayette’s army
reaches the Rapidan River and crosses Ely’s Ford into Culpeper County where the
army camped at Culpeper Courthouse. Two
days later they re-crossed the Rapidan at Raccoon Ford and were soon joined by
General Anthony Wayne marching from the north with nearly 1000 troops. The army’s appearance in Culpeper County
encouraged even more local young men to volunteer and join the militia under
Lafayette.
14 June 1781 Culpeper
militia men marched valiantly in Lafayette’s army during what many referred to
as the “marching tour.” Volunteers under
Captain Elijah Kirtley were also led by Lieutenant James Finney and Sergeant
Reuben Twyman.[iv] Julius Gibbs was a private in Kirtley’s
company. Cornwallis began to withdraw
from a strengthened American army under Lafayette. In their pursuit of the British back towards
the south, Lafayette camped at Colonel Dandridge’s house and fields for several
days and then moved to New Kent Courthouse where they camped until the first of
July. All during this time, new Virginia
militia volunteers were arriving to defend their homes while others left after
their tours had ended. Many of the
captains serving from Culpeper County merely stayed and accepted the new troops
as replacements. Captains such as Elijah
Kirtley, Mark Finks, William Johnson, Fisher Rice, George Johnson, and Lewis Yancey
were among those accepting new troops.
Meanwhile, Cornwallis’ army had retreated to Williamsburg.
June 1781 During this month,
25 pounds of beef was taken from John Finney to be used by the Revolutionary
soldiers. The beef was taken by J.
Strother[v], a
Culpeper County farmer doing impressment of goods and services for the
government. John received a receipt from
Mr. Strother that he could use to claim a reimbursement for the beef after the
war. Beef had actually been taken from
John back in January but no record exists.
Although no actual battles took place in Culpeper County, the citizens
were affected by the war in more than just combat. Throughout much of the war, there was a
constant need for supplies for the men serving.
The General Assembly of Virginia required citizens or county governments
to act as procurement agencies who were charged with taking, or impressing,
needed supplies from county citizens for the malnourished soldiers. These supplies included food, arms, wagons
and livestock.
What is even more interesting
about this impressment record is that the item was taken from John Finney in
Culpeper County. All evidence prior to this record indicates that John Finney
had not been in Culpeper County for some time.
Now, it seems that John Finney had returned. Since James Finney was serving in the militia
in Lafayette’s army, John Finney would have been needed on the farm during key
planting times. John Finney may have
also returned home for a reason. Several
years later, he would marry for a second time after having at least two
children from a first marriage. That
would make 1781 a possible time frame for his first marriage. So, planning to raise his new family would
have been good cause for returning to Culpeper County to start things off.
July 1781 The American army
under Lafayette crept forward and reached Williamsburg while Cornwallis had
continued the British retreat to Portsmouth.
By mid-July, Lafayette stationed the main body of his army (2200 troops)
at Malvern Hill between Richmond and Williamsburg while General Wayne was sent
with a force of Virginia recruits and riflemen to shadow Cornwallis’ movements.
Men from Culpeper County
continued to send a steady stream of volunteers marching southeast to join
Lafayette’s army. Militia companies received reinforcements (e.g., Captains
Elijah Kirtley, Henry Towles, Ambrose Bohannon, and William Green) while new
companies were marched by new captains; Joseph Early, Benjamin Lillard, Gordon,
Cadwallader Slaughter, Fisher Rice, and Jonathan Cowherd.[vi] These men volunteered for three month tours
and therefore, the expected to return in early October. Most of the Virginia militia was stationed at
Malvern Hill between Richmond and Williamsburg.
1 August 1781 At this time, Culpeper County volunteers were coming
and going almost continuously, as were militia troops from all Virginia
colonists. Many of the militia men’s
tours were expiring and though many elected to stay and volunteer for an
additional tour, many also returned to their homes. Cornwallis arrived at Yorktown where the
British army began preparations to build a port for the British navy.
11 August 1781 James Finney, if he had indeed enlisted in Kirtley’s
company for a three month tour in early May, would have arrived home in the
first few weeks of August. He may have
been just in time to witness the birth of his newest child, the fourth child
that had been born to James and Elizabeth Finney. Having just returned from militia service and
having witnessed Elijah Kirtley in action, James Finney elected to name his
child Elijah. Elijah was not only a
welcome sight to James and Elizabeth, but to his big sister Nancy, who was now
nearing two and a half years old and could walk and talk.
August 1781 By the end of
August, it was estimated that nearly all young men in Virginia, and certainly
those in Culpeper County, were either serving in Lafayette’s army or are just
returning home from service. New
recruits were arriving to serve under the captains that were stationed between
New Kent Courthouse and Malvern Hill along the James River. Culpeper County sent replacement troops to
captains already in Lafayette’s army while others arrived following new
captains: Armistead White, William Triplett, Thomas Covington, Edmond Covington,
James Clarke, Francis Coleman, William Watts, and Hankeson Reed.[vii]
August 1781 Lafayette’s army
observed the happy landing of a French fleet that added 7000 troops to the
rebel army. The militia companies were
relatively free of combat except for a few reported “skirmishes” during their
time at and around Malvern Hill.
September 1781 General Washington arrived at Williamsburg on
September 14 followed a week later by the American troops marching from New
York. By this time, the combined
American army included 5700 continental troops and 3100 militia. With over 7000 French troops recently added
to the ground force, the British were looking at nearly 16000 strong.
October 1781 John Finney was
again called upon to give to the government. This time he and his horse were
called upon to aid Washington’s army by impressing goods and services in
Culpeper County. He was to serve 105
days in this position, or about three and a half months. John Finney would join other Culpeper County
men, such as Reuben Beale, Birkett Davenport, and J. Strother, to impress goods
such as livestock from farmers and other county citizens in Culpeper County to
feed troops and prisoners of war.[viii]
October 1781 Many militiamen
from Culpeper County left the army at the end of their three month tour, which
for some had began in July to join a large army that had been amassed for
General Lafayette. Shortly after these
troops tour had ended and they had departed, the siege of Yorktown began as
American cannon directed at British troops in Yorktown commenced. Before the siege, the Culpeper militia men
had helped to construct the breastwork around the outskirts of Yorktown that
would defend against British cannon. And
then during the siege, militia companies conducted fatigue duty, provided
provisions, and were assigned to assist in the artillery barrage. The men in Captain Elijah Kirtley’s company
were involved with helping the artillery man the cannons.
On October 19, the British surrendered
to the Americans and after the terms were negotiated, the American force lined
the roads from Yorktown as the British marched out. Along the right side of the road and standing
at attention behind the continental regulars were the Virginia militia and all
the volunteers from Culpeper County.
Across from them on the left side of the road were the French allied
troops. After the British marched out of
Yorktown between the line of victorious troops, the British had officially
surrendered. The militia troops were
assigned to escort the British prisoners to barracks. Some of the prisoners were escorted to the
barracks at Frederick County, Maryland and others to Winchester, Virginia at
Albemarle Barracks. Those militia men
who had enlisted for three months after July were kept on duty and primarily
spent their time guarding prisoners.
28 November 1781 James and
John Finney were once again in Williamsburg to buy treasury warrants. They were joined in the treasury warrant
office by fellow Culpeper County resident Joseph Hensley. James bought the first warrant for 7,000
acres, paying 11,200 pounds. Hensley
bought the next warrant for 500 acres followed by John Finney’s purchase. John paid 31,200 pounds for 19,500
acres. Together James and John Finney
spent over 40,000 pounds at the treasury office (Appendix 35).[ix] This gives a pretty good idea of how well the
Finney farm was producing.[x] It should be remembered that these two men
were only about 30 years old. And, it
must have been quite a risk moving about the countryside with that type of
currency. In the treasury warrant log
book, future president James Madison and his brother Ambrose bought the next
few warrants, though it appears those transactions occurred on the following
day.
January/February 1782 Even
though the ground war was over, there were still many troops away from home and
on active duty. John Finney was doing
impressment work for Culpeper County but finally returned home from his
service. He was specifically impressing
supplies for troops that remained active and to maintain prisoners at Albemarle
Barracks in Winchester, Virginia. Upon completing his duties, the Culpeper
County court began processing claims of county citizens for goods they had
impressed from them during the war.
There were many Finney men that
participated in the Revolutionary War.
Though no clear relationship can be made to any of these men, Appendix
36 gives a review of these men and their service.
1 March 1782 John Finney was
compensated by the Culpeper County court for beef taken from him back in
January 1781 by an impressment agent in the army. Later, on 20 March, John was again
compensated by the county court for his assistance in impressing goods for the
county in late 1781. John Finney and his
neighbors brought written claims or certificate receipts before the Culpeper
County war claims board for provisions either voluntarily given or, possibly, forcibly
impressed to support the war effort.
There had been a provision law enacted by the Virginia legislature that
allowed items to be taken from citizens with certificates left in the item’s
place as a promise of restitution.
1782 Taxes were assessed on
property and recorded for the citizens of Culpeper County, Virginia. James Finney was taxed for 163 acres, half of
what remained from his father’s original land.
He owned two slaves, two horses and nine head of cattle. His brother John Finney was taxed on 163
acres, the other half of his father’s remaining land. John owned three slaves, three horses and
seven head of cattle. James mother,
Elizabeth, was not taxed for any land.
She was living with her children on the combined 326 acres. She owned one slave and one horse. James and his wife Elizabeth had two small
children. John was certainly living on
the Finney farm with his first wife. The
whereabouts of William Finney, brother of James and John Finney, is
unknown. He must have been at least 21
by this time and does not show up in the tax records. Also unknown is whether or not Elizabeth
Finney, sister of James and John, was still living at the Finney farm.
James and John often talked about
their land in Kentucky. At some point,
they formulated a plan to migrate with their families west to settle in the
wilderness. More than likely, their plan
did not include a specific date. They
needed to make sure that their mother was taken care of as well as the sale of
the Finney farm. The sale of their farm
would need to be advertised and could take time.
The Finneys heard news from
Kentucky that Indian raids were continued at an alarming rate. In August 1782, an Indian army of over 600
attacked Bryan’s Station north of the Kentucky River. They killed two men and after two days the
attacking party fled. A party of about
75 men gathered quickly and included Daniel Boone with many other Kentucky
officers. They followed the Indian army
and overtook them at Blue Licks on the Licking River. Here, the Kentucky army walked into an ambush
and nearly 70 men were lost. James and
John yearned to be a part of the party led by George Rogers Clark that marched
north of Kentucky into Indian territory a little over a month later to exact
revenge for the atrocities committed at the Battle of Blue Licks. They knew many of their friends were probably
in this party of over 1,000 men. The
effect of Clark’s march seemed mild when they heard that only villages were
burnt and they were not able to avenge the deaths of so many good Kentucky
men. About 860 Kentuckians had met their
death at the hands of the Indians since the start of the Revolution. This was the greatest loss relative to
population suffered by any section of the country during the war.
Who was George Rogers
Clark?
George Rogers Clark was born in 1752 in
Virginia, one of nine children. His younger brother William was one of the
leaders of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Clark grew to be six feet tall,
red-haired with dark hazel eyes, slender and strong. The preeminent American military leader on the northwestern frontier
during the American Revolutionary War, Clark rose
to the rank of general in the Revolutionary Army and
was the only general never defeated in battle.
He was hailed as the conqueror of the Northwest Territory at the apex of his fame. It has been said that Clark added three,
perhaps five, states to the Union and that if there had been no George Rogers
Clark, a vast expanse of America would, almost certainly, have been British, or
even Spanish. After the war, Clark lived
very modestly in Southern Indiana and operated a grist mill until his death in
1818, having never married.
25 May 1782 On 25 May, John
Finney entered 400 acres for Levi Lockhart at the land office that covered
Greenbrier, Augusta, and Botetourt Counties.
Though the land was claimed for Levi Lockhart, the John Finney treasury
warrant 9439 was used. This is the first
known use of this warrant, a forbearer of many entries to come as he began to
claim monthly smaller parcels of land near his original claims from as early as
1774. Some relationship existed between
Finney and Lockhart and whether they had a partnership or Finney simply sold
part of his warrant to Lockhart is unknown.
This 400 acres was described as adjoining the Little Meadow River, which
was certainly in Greenbrier County then.
A Meadow Creek in present-day Fayette County enters the New River from
the east and a Meadow River in Nicholas County enters the Gauley River from the
south.[xi] The land was likely on a branch of the Meadow
River that entered the Gauley River as one branch was within a mile of the head
of Sewell Creek, near where Finney originally settled with George Blackburn.
8 June 1782 John Finney
began to use treasury warrant 9439 to claim parcels of land in western Virginia
near his settlement dating from 1774 on the branches of Gauley River. Only two weeks after recording his first
entry, Finney entered three tracts of land at the Greenbrier County land
office. The first was for 4000 acres seven miles northeast of Stroud’s on a
branch that entered the Gauley River from its north side. Another tract was described as 2000 acres on
the middle fork of the Gauley River about 15 miles north of Stroud’s to include
John Williams hunting camp. A last entry
was made for 1000 acres about 15 miles above Stroud’s on a south branch of the
Elk River. Stroud’s may have been a reference to Stroud’s Creek, a large branch
of the Gauley River that enters the Gauley on the north near present-day
Camden-on-Gauley. Fifteen miles north of
the mouth of Stroud’s Creek is the Elk River in present-day Braxton
County. Also at the Greenbrier land
office on 8 June was Abraham Haptenstall, a man the Finney’s later negotiated
with regarding land in Kentucky.[xii]
Though John Finney paid taxes in
Culpeper County in 1782, he was physically in Greenbrier County by May and into
June. Entries would have been made only
after seeing the land and determining if it was available. And so John Finney was moving about central
Greenbrier County. Whether or not he was
living there with his first wife is unknown.
10 July 1782 Only one month
later, James Finney was in Greenbrier County and entered two tracts for land on
the Ohio River in the extreme northwest Greenbrier County. Both tracts were for 2000 acres, made using
his 7000 acre treasury warrant number 9437, and described as near the land of a
Captain West and about three miles above Letart Falls. The location of Letart Falls on the Ohio
River was very near the spot where the Battle of Point Pleasant had taken place
about eight years before. James Finney had these tracts surveyed but what
happened to them is ultimately unknown.
Also at the land office was Jacob Lockhart who entered land for an
associate John Perry on the Elk River the day before. Finney and Lockhart certainly spent one or
more days in the vicinity of the land office.[xiii]
10 August 1782 Exactly a
month after making entries for 4000 acres, James Finney entered two additional
tracts. The first was for 50 acres on
Richland Creek and the second, two days later, was on Anthony’s Creek, both
adjoining the land of William Ward.
Finney again used warrant 9437 to make these claims for land.[xiv] In all likelihood, Finney had arrived in
Greenbrier in June and had remained there through July and into August. His wife Elizabeth was probably at their farm
in Culpeper County with their three year old and newborn baby. They would have no children for several
years, possibly related to the time he was spending away from home finding land
and trying to improve the Finney status.
21 August 1782 Joseph Davis
came to the monthly Greenbrier County court bringing charges against two
men. He claimed that John Finney and
George Blackburn had at one time been trespassers on his property. The case was not found in later court
meetings and we must assume that the disagreement was settled out of
court. This trespassing charge may have
been a product of their search for land as they roamed a rough and wild
countryside with very little sign of civilization. Or, Finney and Blackburn may have been
hunting. On the same day in August,
William Gilliland, an associate of John Finney, was named as the defendant in a
case brought by George Stewart, claiming Gilliland committed assault and
battery against him.
Fall 1782 John Finney
remained a common visitor at the Greenbrier land office. On 17 October, John Finney made a claim for
400 acres on the Cherry Tree Bottom.
This tract must have adjoined or been near the land he had originally
settled as many as eight years before.
Then less than a month later on 13 November, he penned in new claims,
this time for two 600-acre tracts. One
was on Laurel Creek and the other on Little Meadow River. There were many waterways by these names but
they were surely southern branches of the Gauley River in present day Nicholas
County, West Virginia, as Finney seemed to focus on land in this area. However, a Meadow River is known to enter the
New River from the east in Fayette County just west of Nicholas County. This waterway was only a few miles west of
Sewell Creek flowing north to the Gauley.
Finney previously marked the location boundaries for each of these
current tracts by carving his initials “J. F.” into trees to mark a corner.[xv] George Blackburn joined Finney this day and
made his own entry for 600 acres on Sewell’s Creek. Blackburn’s entry was made with Finney’s
warrant 9439, probably after being purchased from Finney. Others at the land
office on this day were Thomas and William Lewis.[xvi]
14 November 1782 Though the
relationship is unknown, the Finneys were close to the Lockhart family,
particularly Jacob and Levi Lockhart.
Both Lockharts were contemporaries of John and James Finney, Jacob born
about 1745 and Levi about 1753. In 1781,
Jacob Lockhart petitioned to have a station erected at the mouth of the Elk
River to protect settlers about the mouth of the Elk River at the Great Kanawha
River. John Finney would later own land at this same location. On 14 November 1782, Jacob Lockhart, Levi
Lockhart, John Finney, William Arbuckle, and others signed a petition for a
road to be cleared in the Warm Springs, Ugly Creek, and Savannah area on the
north side of the Greenbrier River, Howard’s Creek, and Anthony’s Creek. These locales were presumably in the same
location around Elk River.
Winter 1783 James Finney was
once again in Greenbrier County and on 24 January, he entered 25 acres on
warrant 9437. The land adjoined Jacob
Lockhart near the path that led to John Stuart’s land. Many men were present at the land office this
day, including James Jordan, James Anderson, James Stephenson, William Oldham,
and William McClintock.[xvii] Ten days later, James Finney, Levi Lockhart,
and James Edmondson were back at the land office to claim more land. Finney entered five tracts, all on warrant
number 9437. Each tract (unknown amount,
500 acres, 925 acres, 500 acres, and 500 acres) was located on the Ohio River
and adjoined Captain West’s Creek and his two previous entries from July 1782. These entries also adjoined land later
claimed by Jacob Lockhart who himself entered land on West Creek adjoining
James Finney’s land to include Rich Hill.
Levi Lockhart entered 500 acres with the John Finney warrant 9439 on the
first creek that enters the New River (actually Kanawha which the New River
becomes after meeting with the Gauley River) below the mouth of the Elk River
near present-day Charleston, West Virginia.[xviii] This would have been near the location of
Jacob Lockhart’s Station.
With these entries, James Finney had entered at least 6450
acres not including the tract of unknown quantity entered in February. His entries for land on Richland and
Anthony’s Creek were lifted to make room for his interests on the Ohio River
(2000 – July 1782, 2000 – July 1782, 50 acres – August 1782 removed, 50 acres –
August 1782 removed, 25 acres – January 1783, ? acres – February 1783, 500
acres – February 1783, 925 acres – February 1783, 500 acres – February 1783,
500 acres – February 1783). These were
the last land entries the Finneys made for nearly two years.
1783 Culpeper County taxes
were assessed and recorded. During this
tax assessment, land was not listed.
James Finney was taxed on three slaves, two horses and eight head of
cattle. John was taxed on three slaves,
three horses, and seven head of cattle.
Their mother, Elizabeth was taxed for only one horse and was listed with
one male in her household over 21. This
was probably her son William Finney, who was listed in the tax assessment but
had no taxable property. Taxed citizens
were found living in districts overseen by 15 Culpeper County gentlemen. The Finney family was found in William
Walker’s district listing. Other men
from the southern Culpeper County region near the Finneys home could be found
in Robert Allcock’s district to the immediate east and Elijah Kirtley’s district
to the immediate west. See Appendix 37 for
a detailed account of Culpeper County citizens in these districts.
John Finney would not have paid
personal property tax if he were not living in Culpeper County. The absence of records placing John Finney
west of the Blue Ridge Mountains implies that Finney was not living there in
1783 and was in fact living in Culpeper County.
Therefore, we can assume that Finney was not moving his family back and
forth across the mountains during such uncivilized times. Finney’s time in western Virginia was
extensive and purposeful but not permanent. His brother James Finney had not
shown up in 1782 records as often as his brother John but we must assume he was
there with his brother much of the time from the records that do show his
presence.
25 July 1783 The Virginia
Continental army totally disbanded. The
threat of war was over and a treaty would soon be signed between the Americans and
the British. Men were returning home to
excited families. Parties were occurring
everywhere to celebrate their return and the end of the war. Unfortunately, the American leaders were
either not fully aware of the threats that remained in the west or they were
just ignoring them. There was a strong
feeling among some American leaders that an army in times of peace was
dangerous to liberties of free people and was an engine to establishing
despotism. They thought an armed
citizenry, like the militia, that could be called to service when war was near
would be the best defense of the new republic.
George Washington and Alexander Hamilton disagreed and drew up plans for
regular a Continental army of nearly 2,500 troops that would be split up and
stationed at strategic defensive positions to the west and south. The members of Congress fully ignored their
plan.
July 1783 Though a great
deal of excitement and countless festivities were occurring, county courts were
still business as usual. James Finney and
a Culpeper County neighbor Hadley Head reported to the Culpeper County court on
the slaves and personal estate of recently deceased neighbor, Edward Leavell. Head and Leavell were both neighbors of the
Finneys in Culpeper County and lived closer to James Finney’s father-in-law
John Gibbs. The Leavells had been in
Culpeper County for several decades and Hadley Head had just moved to Culpeper
County from Orange County about 1778.
James and John Finney, and maybe their
brother William, were still making plans to return to their lands in
Kentucky. They yearned for the open land
and abundant game in the beautiful western county. They may have even returned to make
improvements on their lands or to prepare it for their family’s imminent
move. They were feeling safer from the
Indians now that the British had been defeated and the British forts to the
north were no longer supporting them, or so they thought. However, a new variable was recently added
into the mix: James’ wife Elizabeth was recently determined that she was
pregnant and would be due in January or February of 1784. Their plans would have to accommodate this
happy news.
August 1783 James Finney returned
to Williamsburg, Virginia with the intent of purchasing additional Virginia
treasury warrants for Kentucky land (Appendix 38 reveals those with whom James
Finnie may have been traveling with; those who bought warrants are the same
time). He bought a 5,740-acre treasury
warrant from the Virginia land office on August 16 for $9,084.08. It seems he was with Benjamin Finney, Hadley
Head, John Campbell, and John Stogdell (Stockdell), who each bought treasury
warrants for land they intended to enter in Kentucky.[xix] The large amount of money James Finney spent
was evident of his stature as a well to do farmer, with efficient crops and
possibly a little deerskin hunting in western Virginia during the fall and winter
months.
Who was Benjamin Finney?
Benjamin Finney may have been a brother to
James and John Finney. If so, he would
have to have been born about 1764, after their father wrote his will. If not a brother, Benjamin must have had some
relation to the Finneys as they bought land warrants together. The two men would not make entries on their
treasury warrants at the same time but they were surveyed at the same time,
which means their land was very close. A
Benjamin Finney was also associated with the Forks of the Elkhorn Church in
Woodford County, Kentucky in the 1790s.
No other information has been found on Benjamin to tell us anything
about his life or his past. It is also
possible that this man was actually Benjamin Finnell and no relation to the
Finney’s. There were several Finnell
families in and around Culpeper County and a few moved to Kentucky. A Benjamin Finnell was listed in the 1783
Culpeper County tax roll. This Benjamin
Finnell was known to have lived in Culpeper County, Virginia until after 1790
and was in Scott County, Kentucky by 1793.
August 1783 Just three days
after purchasing the large treasury warrant in Williamsburg, James Finney
negotiated a deal to pay Jacob Broyles 500 pounds for his claim to a 400-acre
parcel of land entered in 1780 on the Main Licking River. Since only one receipt exists it can be
assumed that the same deal was made for the 400-acre tract of land James Finney
purchased from Michael Broyles. The
Broyles were living in Green County, North Carolina at the time and either the
meeting took place in Culpeper County or in Williamsburg.[xx] James Finney wrote the receipt that was
signed (or marked) by Jacob Broyles and witnessed by Reuben Medley and John
Bohannon. The presence of these men as
witnesses tend to imply the deed was made in Culpeper County since these men
were both Culpeper citizens. Finney
wrote that he was “James Finney of Culpeper County,” the last time he would
make such claim.
Who were the Broyles?
Jacob and Michael were sons of Jacob
Broyles, originally of Germany, and were born between 1736 and 1748, growing up
about five miles north of the Culpeper County Finney’s on White Oak Run. This area was the southernmost part of the
Germanna settlement, where Germans had come to America seeking religious
freedom. They were known members of the
county militia in Culpeper but did not fight in the Revolution. All three brothers would move to Green
County, Tennessee (claimed by descendants) between 1779 and 1780 and would
never claim the grants to their Kentucky land.
September/October 1783 James
Finney and his family packed up all they could carry themselves and on
horseback following his return to his home from Williamsburg. They were preparing for the journey they
would soon start that would end in their arrival in Kentucky. They would leave in time to avoid the
possibility of getting caught in foul wintry weather, which would seriously
increase the difficulty of their trip.
At this time the Finney family included himself, his wife Elizabeth, four
or five months pregnant with child, a four-year-old daughter Nancy, and a
two-year-old son Elijah. They would
travel with Elizabeth’s brother, Julius Gibbs, and his family. Others in their company on the trip to
Kentucky may have included the families of James Smithey, John Martin, and
Joseph Falconer.[xxi]
John Finney would stay for the
time being to plant the crops at the Finney farm in Culpeper County.[xxii] They thought it was important to have a full
crop to fall back on if Kentucky did not pay off for them. John would then come to Kentucky later this
year or the following year if all went well.[xxiii] Mrs. Finney was also still living at the
farm. They decided that she would move
to Rockingham County sometime early in the next year to live with her daughter
Mary Finney-Rice.
The Finneys were excited, but
were also regretful as they were leaving friends and relatives behind. The family had fitted bulging packs,
portmanteaus, haversacks stuffed with jerk (smoked meat) and knapsacks to
horses, livestock and men’s back, loaded churns and kettles into ox driven
carts. They packed and gave away what
they could not take. John and family
probably took care of the items they left behind.
The company with which James
Finney traveled with certainly took the Wilderness Trail as their preferred
route to Kentucky. The other option would
have been a trek to Pittsburg, followed by the building of a flatboat and then
the loading of everything they brought onto the makeshift barge for a piggyback
ride upon the Ohio River current. This second
option was out of the question in the fall since waters were much lower and
flatboats could not navigate the entire distance to Kentucky. The Ohio was only navigable in the spring
when waters were much higher from snow melt and rain. The Finneys took with them as much as they all
could handle. Fortunately, they had the
help of their slaves to load the wagons, to lead their livestock, and to carry
their fair share and more. Within the
entire traveling company, most of the men and some of the women and children
traveled on foot, while the remainder were on horseback as wagons could not
pass on the rough and tight trails leading to Kentucky. As the journey progressed, the travelers were
forced to abandon many of their items to lighten the load and increase their
speed.
Indians
commonly scalped their victims
They were very careful of potential
Indian ambushes all along the trail.
Even though official war was over and the treaty of peace signed, the
Indians were still not happy over their land being torn from under them. No treaty would keep all of the Indian tribes
from war, as they themselves usually were fighting from one tribe to another. An average of over 100 Kentucky immigrants
had died violently on the Wilderness Trail each year at the hands of the
Indians up to 1783. Despite fears and
hardships, westward immigrants displayed courage, bravery, and concern on the
trail for fellow travelers. One company
reportedly stopped for a few days in 1784 to help and console a family whose
four children had been tomahawked and scalped.
On clear nights families slept under blankets, buffalo skins, and deer
hides. On rainy nights, they erected
half-faced tents topped with bark and fresh leaves.
Once they arrived at Cumberland’s
Gap, they began to see “indolent ignorant people” who raised some corn but
lived on hunting with a little salt and whiskey, sleeping mostly in small
huts. Past the Gap and on into the Kentucky
wilderness, they saw less population with only a few huts here and there,
mostly vacant except for the occasional use by hunters. At the end of their journey and upon the rich
land of the Bluegrass, the signs of hunters were replaced by families who
planned to make Kentucky a permanent home.
September/October 1783 Word
would reach the American population that the America and England had signed an
official treaty. This treaty, known as
the Treaty of Paris, gave America its independence and England would recognize
them as the new United States of America.
The terms of the treaty had taken two long years since the end of the
war. The cause: America, France, and
England had great difficulty agreeing on issues that would make them all happy.
November 1783 Back in Virginia, John Finney was again called
on by the government to give 100 days of service. He would be impressing goods and services
from the citizens of Culpeper County. He
was chosen by Burkett Davenport, a Culpeper County farmer who was impressing
goods for the government throughout 1783, and became his assistant. There were no crops to tend to during the
winter months and food had already been gathered. William Finney and the slaves were likely
called upon to help take care of the John Finney family and Finney farm in
Culpeper County.
10 December 1783 James Finney
made an entry for 5,740 acres at the Land Office in Kentucky (Appendix 39). The land he had chosen to claim was located
on Triplett’s Creek, a branch on the north side of the Licking River. Most of the prime land in central Kentucky
had already been claimed. The Licking
River was the only location where settlers could still claim such large land
claims. James Finney knew that this land
was much too dangerous for his family to live on, nor was any of the land he
now owned safe. The tracts were too far
away from neighbors or existing stations and forts and the lack of protection from
neighbors made a move to these locations a foolish option. As one person was quoted as stating from that
time, “they (settlers) were afraid to live scattered.” The Finney family may have stayed in a fort
or station through the winter of 1783.[xxiv] The last two years James Finney claimed land
in late fall and winter. Finney was
certainly using his time wisely, searching for uninhabited land and hunting
during the prime hunting months.
Later documents from the Lockhart
family reveal interest in a tract of land located on Triplett’s Creek in the
amount of 11,875 acres. Three children of Jacob Lockhart (born about 1745 and
son of the elder Jacob Lockhart), including Charles, James, and John Lockhart,
all had claim to one-third of this land and held claims until at least
1807.
[i] John
Finney later became a colonel in the Kentucky militia. He would have either had to be a large land
owner or have had a significant service record during Indian campaigns. His colonel position could have also been
related to the extensive work he performed at the end of the revolution
impressing goods for the American army and the British prisoners.
[ii]
Analysis of pension applications by men who volunteered or were drafter into
service during this time
[iii]
William Simpson pension listed Simeon Buford and Moore as lieutenants while
Anderson Long listed John Finney as a lieutenant. War veterans attempting to remember their
service, dates, and officers often consisted of gross amounts of
guesswork. Remembering things that
happened over 50 years before and at an age normally exceeding 70, men
struggled with fact and often mixed and confused what actually had happened. In reviewing many pensions, I have seen many
instances when war veterans confused names.
I believe that Anderson Long confused John Finney for James Finney. John Finney was not on the Culpeper County
militia list in January, only a few months before, therefore, he was likely not
an eligible Culpeper citizen to be a member of a Culpeper County militia
company, much less a lieutenant.
[iv] Reuben
Twyman’s pension listed James Finney as a lieutenant and Anderson Long listed
John Finney but more than likely meant James Finney, since he had listed John
Finney once before.
[v] This
could be either John Strother or Joseph Strother. Both were from Culpeper County.
[vi]
Analysis of pension applications from men
who volunteered in Culpeper County
[vii]
Analysis of pension applications from men
who volunteered in Culpeper County
[viii]
William Rucker of Culpeper Co stated that he impressed after the war with Col
Beale and Col Finney in his pension.
Could he have named “Colonel Finney” because he was known as Colonel
Finney later in Kentucky? Rucker, like
others would have known John Finney as Colonel Finney for nearly 50 years.
[ix] No
entry has been found for this land but it likely that James and John journeyed
shortly afterwards to Greenbrier
County
[x] Actually
the farm production is a guess. The
Finney’s could have had other assets and sold them or they could have received
money from a relative in a will. Other
scenarios are sure to exist.
[xi]
Greenbrier County, VA Land Entry Book page 83
[xii]
Greenbrier County, VA Land Entry Book page 56-57
[xiii]
Greenbrier County, VA Land Entry Book page 63
[xiv]
Greenbrier County, VA Land Entry Book page 65
[xv] states
the mark was “I. F.” according to the land record transcription
[xvi]
Greenbrier County, VA Land Entry Book page 81
[xvii]
Greenbrier County, VA Land Entry Book page 90 – 91
[xviii]
Greenbrier County, VA Land Entry Book page 93-94
[xix] These
men were all found on the same page as James Finney, buying treasury
warrants. They can be placed in Culpeper
County by their inclusion in the January 1781 Culpeper County class list. Benjamin Finnell was on class 105, Hadley
Head was on class 103, John Campbell was on class 32, 62, and 69, and John
Stogdell on class 79. There may have been other but the previous pages have not
been seen.
[xx] This
meeting probably took place in Culpeper County – that was where the Broyles
were raised and the persons witnessing the receipt were from Culpeper County
and did not buy land with James Finney in Williamsburg
[xxi] The
Falconer Interview, Draper Manuscripts Collection
[xxii] As
evident from the Culpeper County tax records
[xxiii]
Again as evident from upcoming tax records and the appearance of John Finney in
Kentucky records.
[xxiv] We
know that the James Finney family was in Kentucky by this time since James did
make entry on his Licking Creek land and that his son John Finney was born in
Kentucky in February 1784. There is no
way that James’ wife Elizabeth could have made the trip in a more advanced
state of pregnancy, not to mention the effect of December through February
winter weather.
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