William Finley (1765 - 1819)

Born 11 Apr 1765 in Lincoln County, North Carolina

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 6 Jun 1819 at age 54 in Dandridge, Jefferson, Tennessee

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Biography

Birth and Parents

William was born in 1765. He was the son of John Caldwell Finley and Ann Miller.

DAR records indicate that the William Finley who married Jean Kennedy and was father of Polly, who married David Crockett, was born 11 April 1764 in Virginia, a resident of Washington County, Virginia at the time of the Revolution, and died before June 1819 in Jefferson County, Tennessee.^[1] WikiTree has a profile for a William Finley (born in Virginia in 1764 & died in Tennessee in 1819), but is attached to a different wife and different parents. See William Finley (1764-1819).

DAR records show that the John Finley who married Ann Miller is the son of John Finley, but has a flag on the record noting a conflict with John's wives and stating that proof of Mary Caldwell is needed. The record lists Thankful X as his 2nd wife.^[2]

Marriage

He married Jean.

DAR records also indicate that the William who married Jean Kennedy is the son of John Finley and his wife Ann Miller.^[3]

Death

He passed away in 1829.^[4]

A will exists for William Finley, dated 3 April 1818, proved in Jefferson County, June Session 1819. In his will he provides for "my daughter Mary Crocket's three Children, John, William and Polly." ^[5]

A picture of the grave of William Finley, father-in-law of Davy rockett is carried on the cover of a Jefferson Countgy emetery booklewt with the subtitle Soutgh of the French Broad River and Dumplin Valley Sections. ^[5]

Children

1. Mary Finley. "Davy" Crockett met Polly Finley and her mother Jean at a harvest festival. ^[6] Note -- "Polly" was a commn name for Mary. Crockett obtained a marriage license on August 12, 1806, and married Polly at the family home on August 16, 1806. ^[7] David and Mary settled on land near her parents. Their first child, John Wesley Crockett, was born July 10, 1807. ^[8] Their second child, William Finley Crockett, was born November 25, 1808. ^[8] Their third Child, Margaret "Polly" Finley Crockett was born November 25, 1812. The Crocketts then moved to Franklin County in 1813, and his wife died in March 1815. ^[9][10]

Research Notes

Reliability of Sources

Note: DAR records are not considered reliable sources for pre-1700 profiles, and the US Southern Colonies Project does not consider DAR an appropriate source for pre-1776 profiles. See the project's Reliable Sources page. Also note that DAR records only include children with a descendant who has joined the DAR; most colonial families were larger than indicated by DAR records.

Sources

1. ↑ William Finley, DAR Patriot Ancestor #A041165 (accessed 5 November 2021).
2. ↑ John Finley, Jr. (1724-1791), DAR Patriot Ancestor #A041282 (accessed 5 November 2021). See the record for details on multiple flags on the record.
3. ↑ John Finley, Jr. (1742-1812), DAR Patriot Ancestor #A041015 (accessed 5 November 2021). Note: The record is flagged, but the disputed information concerns another son of John.
4. ↑ A source for this information is needed.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Carmen Finley, John Finleys of Augusta County, p. 276
6. ↑ Wallis, 2011, pp. 72-73. Wallis, Michael (2011). David Crockett: The Lion of the West. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-06758-3. Cited at Wikipedia
7. ↑ Wallis, 2011, pp. 76-77
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Wallis, 2011, p. 81
9. ↑ Wallis, 2011, 131.
10. ↑ Wikipedia:Davy Crockett, accessed 14 July 2022

Bibliography of Frequently Cited Works

• Finley, Carmen J. Ph. D., C. G.The John Finleys of Augusta County, Virginia Reprinted from "Finley Findings International," vol. 9, no. 2, September/October, 1995, published by Timothy Kessler, Wynne, Arkansas. Accessed 4 July 2022 jhd

• Finley, Carmen J. CG, Ph. D. The John Finleys of Augusta County, Virginia: Correcting the Record. Virginia Genealogist, Volume 46 (2003). Available for download from [AmericanAncestors.org American Ancestors] (requires account.)

• France, Albert Finley. The Clan Finley Annapolis, Maryland, 1942. John Finley (1688-1760), Robert Finely (1681-1741), and Michael Finley (1683-1750), sons of Robert and Margaret Lauder Finley of the Parish of Mulloughbrec, County Armagh, Ireland, immigrated to America in 1732-1734 with their families and settled in Chester Pennsylvania. Descendants listed lived in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and elsewhere.

• Stout, Herald F. The Clan Finley, Second Edition. Revised and Corrected, 1956. Volume I. Dover OH: The Eagle Press, 1956. Accessed 4 July 2022 jhd. Alternatively Stout, Herald Franklin. The Clan Finley Revised Version, 2 volumes, Volume I. Dover, Ohio: The Eagle Press, 1956. Accessed 6 July 2022 jhd

See also:

• Global, Find A Grave Index for Burials at Sea and other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current: William Finley, son of John Finley, born 11 04 1765 - Lincoln County, North Carolina, USA; died 6 06 1819 - Dandridge, Jefferson County, Tennessee, USA
• U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current: William Finley, son of John Finley, born 11 04 1765 - Lincoln County, North Carolina, USA; died 6 06 1819 - Dandridge, Jefferson County, Tennessee, USA
• U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900: William Finley, married 1783 Jean Kennedy born 1765
• 1790 United States Federal Census for Burke, North Carolina: Wm Finley
• Tennessee, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1891 Census & Voter Lists: William Finley, 1805, "No Township Listed," Greene County, TN
• England, Select Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991, Wm. Finley, son of John Finley, died 1818