John Finley (1759 - 1846)

Born 2 Jun 1759 in Rising Sun, Cecil, Maryland

Husband of Margaret (Rowland) Finley — married 12 Mar 1787 in Cecil, Maryland, United States

Descendants

Died 25 Mar 1846 at age 86 in Bethel Park, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States

Biography

Soldier John Finley served with Flying Camp, Maryland Militia during the American Revolution.

John Finley is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A040834.

John Finley was b. 1759 in Rising Sun, Cecil County, Maryland to Robert Finley and Jean (Boyd) Finley.

He married Margaret Rowland in 1787, and in 1788, purchased a land grant known as "Mount Pleasant" from his brother-in-law John Barclay which became the site of Finleyville, Pa., which was named in his honor. Children believed to include:

1. William
2. Robert
3. John
4. Jane
5. Sarah
6. Levi
7. Margaret
8. Isabella
9. James
10. Susan

John Finley passed away in 1846 and is buried in Finley Cemetery, Bethel Park, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. ^[1]

From his Find A Grave: Memorial #189292054:

John Finley served during the Revolutionary War in Captain James Maxwell's company raised in Cecil County, Maryland, as part of the Flying Camp. He saw duty at Ft. Lee during the Army's defeat at the battle of New York and was part of the defensive retreat of Washington's troops through the Jerseys to Philadelphia. He gave the following testimony to support the pension application of a member of his company, Thomas Kent:

“...That he entered the service of the United States as volunteer on or about the first day of July in the year 1776 one thousand and seven hundred and seventy six under Captain James Maxwell, first Lieut. Jonathan Hartshorn, 2d. Lieut. Wm. Johnson, Ensign [Adam] Glassgo [Glasgow] at a place called Battle Swamp above Haver degrass [Havre de Grace, Harford Co., MD] on the Susquehanna river, and from there the said company marchd to Philadelphia. There they went on board a small vessel to Trenton then to Brunswick & to Heckinsack & finally[?] joined Washingtons army at Fort Lee two days before the surrender of troops[?] at Fort Washington. That he accompanied the army in its retreat through the Jerseys that he served in the army until the expiration of the six months for which he volunteered was fully ended which was about the first of January 1777 when he was discharged [from] the service near Philadelphia....”

The above record corrects erroneous military service information given in D.A.R. applications, stating he served under Capt. Jesse Cosden. No record has been found confirming his rank as a drummer but that could be a fact passed down orally within the family.

Gravesite Details: Grave covered by an inscribed full-length stone slab and two bronze plaque memorials placed by the U. S. Army and the Daughter of the Revolution to honor his service as a drummer in the Maryland Troops during the Revolutionary War.

Daughters of the American Revolution ^[2]

FINLEY, JOHN Ancestor #: A040834

Service: MARYLAND Rank(s): SOLDIER

Birth: 6-2-1759 SCOTLAND

Death: 3-25-1846 ALLEGHENY CO PENNSYLVANIA

Service Source: ARCH OF MD, VOL 18, PP 29, 64

Service Description: 1) LT JESSE COSDEN, FLYING CAMP

Residence: County: CECIL CO - State: MARYLAND

Spouse: MARGARET ROLAND

Children lines include:

• Jane, married Joseph Curry
• Levi Finely, born 02 Jan 1798, married Rachel Neal 31 Jan 1822
• Margaret Finley, born 30 Mar 1800, married James Perry Baldwin 02 Mar 1820

Sources

• DAR North America Family Histories, v43, p90: YOB, YOD, County of death.
• Pennsylvania, US, Veterans Burial Cards database for Series I, French and Indian War to WW2. Indicates DOB and DOD.

1. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #189292054
2. ↑ Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed June 20, 2022), "Record of John Finley", Ancestor # A040834.

See also:

• "Descendants of James Rowland (According to the Pollock Archives)" by J Gritzner, 2002.
• Fleming, George T. History of Pittsburgh and Environs (The American Historical Society, New York and Chicago, 1922, Vol. 4, p. 30-32)
• "Maryland County Marriages, 1658-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q283-DZSR : 29 November 2018), John Finley and Margaret Rowland, 12 Mar 1787; citing Cecil, Maryland, United States, clerk of the circuit court from various counties; FHL microfilm 13,866.
• 1787 in Maryiand, US, Compiled Marriages 1655-1850 database: Margaret Rowland married John Finley 12 Mar 1787 in Cecil County.