Abraham Finch (abt. 1610 - 1637)

Born about 1610 in Yorkshire, England

Died 10 Oct 1637 at about age 27 in Wethersfield, Hartford, Connecticut Colony

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Biography

Abraham Finch (Daniel)

Origin

Abraham Finch immigrated to New England as a child during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640).

Abraham was born "say" 1610, probably in England, possibly a son of Daniel Finch and his first wife, name unknown.^[1] This was demonstrated by Jacobus in his article published in Families of Old Fairfiled, Vol 1, Pages 718-20.^[1]

Birth date is estimated, based on other known dates, such as his marriage in 1637. York or Yorkshire, England is often given as an origin for this family, however proof is lacking.

Note: Anderson directs us to see Jacobus, Families of Old Fairfiled 1:718-20 for discussion of Abraham's placement as son of Daniel.^[1] (As a Puritan Great Migration project profile, we defer to Anderson.)

Immigration

Abraham is assumed to have immigrated with his family in about 1630, although the name of their ship has not been found. Abraham's family initially settled at Watertown, Massachusetts.^[1] They presumably had some land, including a houselot there, but removed before the beginning of recorded land grants in 1636.^[1] On 26 April 1636, his father, Daniel Finch, was appointed Constable at Wethersfield, Connecticut.^[1]

Marriage

Abraham married by 1637 to Dorothy Moulton, daughter of Robert Moulton of Charlestown and Salem.^[2][3] After Abraham's death, Dorothy married as her 2nd, to John Edwards, and as her 3rd, to Richard Tousley.^[1]

1636, Wethersfield

By 1636, Abraham was living at Wethersfield, Connecticut. A description of the Wethersfield land of Abraham Finch, dated 26 April 1641, refers to his "father's adventure land" and "one of the boundaries is that house lot of the late Dan[iel] Fince's [TAG 19:52 citing WetLR 1:188].^[1]

Death and Legacy

Abraham, the son of Daniel, was killed during the Pequot War in 1637 [Manwaring 1:11].^[1] During the General Court session of New Haven on 29 October 1639, the Indian Nepaupack testified that he killed Abraham Finch and also three men in a boat on the Connecticut River and also took Mr. Swaine's daughter.^[4]

On September 3, 1640, Abraham's estate was inventoried at a value of £137, leaving a widow and a son whose grandfather, Abraham Finch, on December 3, 1640, offered to educate him at his own expense.^[5]

A very good account of the trial of Nepaupuck, the native american who 'murdered' Abraham Finch is presented in Edward Atwater's "History of the Colony of New Haven to its Absorption into Connecticut" printed 1881, pages 328-329 (before and after) available at archive dot org.

Child

No children of Abraham and Dorothy are reported by Anderson. However, Mary Ferris reports a son, adopted and raised by his "grandfather, Abraham" (see Research Notes below). This may have been a posthumous son of this Abraham who was raised by his grandfather, Daniel Finch.

Research Notes

Anderson reports that "Jacobus described the Finches as 'perhaps the most difficult family he has studied.' and proceeded to expend much effort on them" (See FOOF and TAG articles by Jacobus).

Mary Ferris identifies Abraham Finch, who married Dorothy Moulton, as the son of an Abraham Finch (who never existed - please see that profile). She also identifies a son of Abraham and Dorothy Moulton, named Abraham.^[5] The "grandfather," Abraham Finch, offered to educate the boy at his own expense (and possibly adopted him).^[5] (Anderson does not mention this son and reports that there was no "grandfather," Abraham Finch either. All this confusion was caused by an error in which the name Abraham was substituted for the name Daniel. See profile for Abraham Finch)^[1]

Spencer P. Mead, in his Ye Historie of Ye Town of Greenwich, completely confounds the early generations of the Finch family.^[6]

Footnote - "More than one researcher has named the man whose surname was Finch and who died at Wethersfield as John Finch. It has been quite well demonstrated that it was actually Abraham Finch "JR" who died in this conflict. Never-the-less, in Benjamin Trumbull's "A complete history of Connecticut - Civil and Ecclesiastical, from the Emigration of its First Planters, from England, in the year 1630, to the year 1764 ; and to the close of the Indian wars..& etc" (available at HathiTrust) and published in 1818, Mr. Trumbull names John Finch as the man who died at an island near Wethersfield".

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9} Anderson, Robert Charles, (1995) "Daniel Finch," Featured name. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III. NEHGS AmericanAncestors (Volumes I-III, Pages 667-69).
2. ↑ Anderson, Robert C., (1995) "Robert Moulton," Featured name. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633. AmericanAncestors.org NEHGS (Volumes I-III, Pages 1304-06).
3. ↑ Harris, Gale Ion, (1991) "John Edwards of Wethersfield, Connecticut." NEHGR AmericanAncestors.org (Vol 145, Pages 317-41).
4. ↑ Anderson, Robert C., (1995) "William Swain," Featured name. Great Migration 1634-1635, R-S. AmericanAncestors.org NEHGS (Volume VI, R-S, Pages 620-21).
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Ferris, Mary W., (1943) Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines: A Memorial Volume Containing the American Ancestry of Rufus R. Dawes, Volume 1. [Milwaukee]: Priv. print, HathiTrust.org (Vol 1, Page 455) Contains errors, useless as a source.
6. ↑ Mead, Spencer Percival, (1911) Ye Historie of Ye Town of Greenwich. Greenwich, CT: Knickerbocker Press, Archive.org (Pages 545-46) Contains errors, useless as a source.

See also:

• Jacobus, Families of Old Fairfield. 1:200-04, 1:718-20
• Prindle, Paul, Ancestry of Elizabeth Barrett Gillespie. Pages 138-51
• TAG 19:50-61, 118-25, 188-92, 249-56, 20:60-63, 188-89, 240, 21:158-60.
• Anderson's Great Migration Begins.
• The Finch DNA Project "Genetic Genealogy and Family History" http://finchdna.micbarnette.com/category/greenwich-ct/
• Abraham Finch on Find A Grave: Memorial #54710295
• Inventory, debts, and the source for "Grandfather Abraham" can be found here: https://books.google.com/books?id=ST0OAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA445