James Whitfield Finley (1836-1924) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree

James Whitfield (Whit) Finley

Born 27 Sep 1836 in Kentucky, United States

Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]

[sibling(s) unknown]

Husband of Dorthea E (Breadan) Finley — married [date unknown] [location unknown]

Descendants

Father of Kate Finley, Edward H. Finley, Frank Finley, Ira Sheldon Finley and James Albert Finley I

Died Dec 1924 at age 88 in Mound City, Pulaski, Illinois, USA

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Profile last modified 17 Jun 2023 | Created 9 Feb 2011

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1 Biography
2 Research Notes
3 Sources
4 Acknowledgements

Biography

James Whitfield Finley (JWF) is my paternal great grandfather. I summarize the little I know of him. [#] refer to numbered notes below. These should be formatted as inline references.

JWF was born KY in 1837. I know nothing of his parents or origins. The name suggests he was of Scots-Irish heritage. Sometime before 1862 he moves to Memphis TN and by 1880 he is in Mound City IL [Note 1].

JWF marries Dorthea Breadan about 1860. Their first child Is Kate Finley, my grandmother, born in 1861. There are four sons, Edward H., Frank, Ira Sheldon, and James Albert, born between 1864 and 1873 [Note 1]. No descendants of any of them are known to me. I recall my father telling me that Frank, Ira and James never married.

Apparently. JWF works as a carpenter in Mound City IL all his adult life. I recall my father saying he was a "cabinet maker". The "brace and bits" among my tools may have belonged to him. There is no evidence of military service [Note 2].

JWF dies in 1924 in Mound City IL [Note 1] Sneed-20 17:46, 7 October 2011 (EDT) :07/23/08 .

Research Notes

Sneed, Kate Nursing Home Record, Author: Tommy Jounston/ Masonic Charity Foundation of OK, Publication: e-mail to Joe Sneed

Dear Joe:

Good news!

We did find a file on Mrs. Sneed after much searching.

The following information should be of interest to you:

The name listed on the application she made to enter the Masonic Home in Guthrie is Kate Sneed. (DOB 3/22/1861 in Memphis, TN) She was a former school teacher. She was also a member of the Presbyterian Church in Henryetta, Oklahoma.

At the time of the application she was living in St. Louis, MO with her brother Frank Finley.

We show the name listed for your Grandfather as Joseph H. Sneed. (he was deceased at that time)

She entered the Masonic Home on August 12, 1932 and was released from the Home on February 21, 1933. She was removed to the sanitarium in Norman because her mental status was not good from the time she entered the Home, although the medical staff repeatedly tried to care for her while she was there. We do not know when or where she died.

Her Father is listed as James W. Finley (DOB 9/27/1836 in Kentucky) (DOD 12/??/1924 in Mound City, ILL)

Her Mother is listed as Dorthea Breaden (DOB 9/2/1836 in Alabama) (DOD 8/??/1908 in Mound City, ILL)

Her brothers were listed as:

Frank Finley - 6621 Hoffman Ave., St. Louis, MO

Ira S. Finley - 290 Garden Road, Columbus, OH

James A. Finley - Mound City, ILL

This is all the pertinent information we could find, so I hope it helps you in your geneology search.

Sincerely,

Tommy Johnston Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma

Note 1

1880 U. S. Census has:

Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace James W. FINLEY Self M Male W 43 KY Carpenter --- --- Dority FINLEY Wife M Female W 43 TN Housekeeper IRE VA Katie FINLEY Dau S Female W 19 TN Schoolteacher KY TN Edward H. FINLEY Son S Male W 16 IL Laborer KY TN Frank FINLEY Son S Male W 12 IL KY TN Shelton FINLEY Son S Male W 9 IL KY TN Albert FINLEY Son S Male W 7 IL KY TN ^{[citation needed]}

The names of the sons differ somewhat from those appearing in the nursing home records. I make the following identifications:

nursing home - census

Frank = Frank Ira S. = Sheldon James A. = Albert

Adult preferences for names may account for the changes.

Apparently, Edward H, has died by the time the nursing home data was recorded.

Aside from the 1880, 1910 Census, the nursing home records prove the only data about JWF and his family,

Sneed-20 :07/23/08

Note 2

In the U.S. NPS Civil War Soldiers and Sailors data there are six James Finley's from IL in Union service, one James Finley from KY and four from TN in Confederate service. None of these can be identified as JWF. ^{[citation needed]}

Sneed-20 07/23/08

Note 3

Pulaski County, Illinois, 1987 By Pulaski County Board of Comm, Pulaski County History Book Committee p. 156

JAMES WHITFIELD FINLEY

James Whitfield Finley was born in 1833 somewhere in eastern Ky. He was a short, red-haired, spunky man of pioneer stock. The story goes that he was living in Memphis Tn., working as a ship carpenter when the Civil War started. When Memphis fell to the Yankees he was captured and brought to Mound City to help build the "Iron Clads" for the Federal Navy at the Marine Ways.

As soon as circumstances permitted, he sent for his family, deciding to make Mound City his hometown. The original trunk used in the moving is in the possession of his great-grandson, James A. Finley III.

"Whit" as he was called, later purchased one of the original plots of ground laid by the Emporium City Company, the founders of what later became Mound City.

He and his wife Dorthea, a tall, dark-haired lady, said to be Cherokee Indian, had five children: Kate, born in 1861, a school teacher; Ed, born in 1864, who died in his teens; Frank, born in 1868, a carpenter, and James A. Finley, born in 1873, manager of a lumberyard and cabinet maker.

Whit remained in Mound City and after his wife's death, he lived with his son, James and family at 309 Poplar Street.

He died in 1924 at the age of 89 and worked making window frames the day before he passed away. His stories told to his grandsons after the dinner hour have long been remembered and passed on to the generations that follow. Submitted by James A. Finley Jr.

The above does not mention the son Ira. DWS was apparently in error in thinking that James never married. Whether Frank married is not evident.

The Cherokee ancestry if his wife is consistent with available DNA evidence.

Sneed-20 12/3/17

Sneed-20 01/18/09