Richard Chism Finley (1814 - 1882)

Born 5 May 1814 in Jackson, Tennessee, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Ann (Kirk) Finley — married 18 Dec 1841 in Platte, Missouri

Descendants

Died 5 Aug 1882 at age 68 in Crawfordsville, Linn, Oregon, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Margaret Summitt [send private message]

Biography

Biography of Richard Chism Finley by his son George Finley, typed by the mother of Blanche Summers and sent to me via email entitled "Re: Robe and Kirk Families" 3 Feb 2002:

Richard Chism Finley by George Finley (son of Richard)

My father, Richard Chism Finley, was born in the Cumberland Mountain District of Tennessee, May 15, 1814. He was of Scotish Irish ancestry. His ancestors on his father’s side came from the North of Ireland to Virginia in early Colonial times and his ancestors on his mother’s side came from Scotland about the same time.

His grandfathers took part in the Revolutionary War, one of them being in Washington’s army at the siege of Georgetown, and witnessed the surrender of Cornwallis. His father was an early pioneer of Tennessee. Father was the youngest child of a large family of children, and the family endured the usual hardships of pioneer life.

His father and the unmarried children moved to Missouri in the year 1832. At intervals during his stay in Missouri he worked in the lead mines, where he met with a severe accident, falling into a deep shaft, which left him a cripple for life. He “entered” lands on what was known as the Platt Purchase near the location of Platt City, Mo. In the next year 1841, he was married to Polly Ann Kirk, daughter of Alexander Kirk, and they lived on their farm in Missouri, where the two oldest girls were born.

In the year 1845, arrangements were commenced for a trip across the plains to the Oregon country, a neighbor Jonathan Keeney having made a trip to Oregon and return, giving a glowing report of the Oregon country. Early in the spring of 1846 the Finley family, consisting of father and mother and two daughters, Sarah Ann & Elizabeth (now Mrs. W.G. Rivelin of Halsey OR and Mrs. Elizabeth Crawford of Lapoway, Idaho) started across the plains. In that company were Hugh L. Brown, James Blakely, Jonathan Keeney, Alexander Kirk and W.R. Kirk and their families. Jonathan Keeney, owing to his previous experience in crossing the plains was made captain of this company of immigrants.

The Kirks and Finley’s spent most of the winter of 1846-7 somewhere on the West side of the Willamette River, the Browns and Blakeleys having selected their Donation Land Claims in what is now the neighborhood of Brownsville OR. The Kirks and the Finleys, desiring to be near old acquaintances moved to that locality early in the year of 1847. My father first staked out the land that W.R. Kirk afterwards selected. The immigrants then settling in that part of the country were desirous of having a flour mill near them, the mill at Oregon City being the nearest one, making it a long trip to go to the mill with an ox team. After consulting among themselves it was agreed that father should build a flour mill, and after looking around for the best site obtainable, the site of the present McKercher mill was selected.

A man by the name of MacAlaster (note by Margaret Summitt: his name was not MacAlaster but John R. Courtney )had announced the fall before that he had selected a Donation Claim which embraced the mill site but had gone away without making any improvements. It was agreed that if father would change his location and select this Donation Claim at that point and erect a flour mill, they would all stand by him and try to satisfy MacAlaster if he returned.

Shortly after father had built his cabin, MacAlaster returned. He found father chopping down a tree which was felled across the Calapooia for a foot bridge. He ordered father to leave, and threatened him. Father had an axe and threatened to use it on him, the result of the controversy being that MacAlaster was referred to Mr. James Blakeley who informed him that the settlers had guaranteed protection to father. Mr. Blakeley suggested that practically the whole country was open for settlement, and that if he would be wise he would make no further trouble about the matter. He left the country and I think was never heard of again.

The arrangements for constructing the mill were actively begun in the summer of 1847, the settlers volunteering, under the leadership of Mr. Blakeley, to get out the timbers for the mill. Father and T.S. Riggs, who had settled on adjoining land, sawed out the lumber. (Father was the first settler in that neighborhood, T.A. Riggs the second.

When everything was ready for raising the mill, father and T.A. Riggs prepared to butcher an ox, which father had driven across the plains the year before, which had fattened on the grass and was to supply the meat for the mill raising. When they were ready to butcher, the ox was missing and they found the trail of a band of Indians and followed to about two miles north of Crawfordsville where they found the Indians feasting on the ox. Some shots were fired and meat recovered, but it was unfit for a white man to eat, and such a great disappointment. At that early date provisions for such an occasion were scarce. This was, so far as I know, the only Indian battle in that neighborhood, and I think the only shots were fired by Mr. Riggs and father to scare the Indians away.

It necessarily took some time to get the mill ready for grinding. Very little iron or steel was used and that cost 35 cents per pound. The first burs were quarried out of granite rock somewhere between Brownsville and Lebanon, and it was tedious to furrow them out and prepare them for grinding, tools for such work being scarce in those days. All the wheels, including the water wheel, were made of wood, cogs and all. Also elevator cups were made of wood.

During the time that father owned and operated the mill, he always kept some seasoned oak for “cog timber” and lumber suitable for making elevator cups. Mr. P.V. Crawford would spend a few days every year making repairs to the machinery. Father always depended upon him to do his “millwrighting”.

Before the mill was completed news had come about the discovery of gold in California, and as soon as the mill was completed and father saw it run, having become badly in debt building it, he started on horseback for the mines in California. My sisters tell me that he would send the gold dust to mother in canvas bags, and she would weigh it out and distribute it to those to whom he was indebted. His partner in the mines was Mr. Bellinger of Marion County, father of the late Judge C.B. Bellinger. He mined in California until he liquidated his debts.

The first miller employed, and the first miller in Linn, County for that matter, was a man by the name of Andrew Lacey. And the second man to run the mill for father was Robert Johns, who afterwards was a prominent farmer and capitalist of the Halsey neighborhood. The third miller was Cyrus Vawter, who married my oldest sister, now Mrs. Sarah A. Rivelin of Halsey. After Mr. Vawter’s death my father ran the mill as long as he was physically able to do so, which was about until the year 1880.

After the country began to settle up a company was organized and a mill built at Brownsville. About this time father, in partnership with T.B. Crawford and Aleck Brandon, built the mill known as the Boston mill. Soon after completion of the first Boston mill it was destroyed by fire. Father and Aleck Brandon rebuilt the mill and father retained a half interest in that property until it was purchased by the father of the present owner. During all the time that he owned and operated the mill, father never locked the doors. In fact, he never owned a key or padlock for the mill. He trusted everybody and during the first twenty years that the mill was run he never lost but one account, which shows the high character of the early pioneers.

Mr. Samuel Glass told me that the first time he ever met father he came from Jackson County, where he and his brother Robert were mining, with pack ponies to purchase flour. Father told him that he could not sell him flour, for he must keep his flour to sell to the poor immigrants who were settling in the country without money. That is, Mr. Glass had gold dust and he would have to go to Oregon City to buy his flour. Mr. Glass said he started on in disgust, but found some wheat near Lebanon-where Lebanon is now-for which he paid eight dollars per bushels, took it back and had father grind it and returned to the mines. This was characteristic of the early pioneers.

My father and mother had been Methodists in Missouri. A Methodist church was soon organized in the neighborhood of their new home. Owing to the fact that the customers for father’s mill came a long distance by ox team, many of them from Southern Oregon, he ran his mill nights and Sundays in order to let them return to their homes as soon as possible. Some of the Methodists concluded he should be disciplined for running the mill on Sunday and charges were preferred. When the case came to trail he and mother withdrew from the Church and soon after united with the Christian church, which Uncle Johnny Powell had organized in that neighborhood.

An incident not generally known, which had a vital effect on Linn County should be mentioned here: Father was returning from Oregon City, on horseback, a day or so before the territorial legislature was to convene which would establish the boundary of Linn County. Mr. John Dunlap had been elected to represent that section of the country in the legislature but, owing to sickness in his family he had not yet gone to the session. While washing in the washroom at a hotel in Salem, where he expected to stay for the night, he overheard some members discussing a scheme for fixing the North line just a few miles north of Brownsville. I don’t know whether this was to divide the country already created or to fix the boundary when the county was first created. Anyway, father lingered in the washroom long enough to hear the whole scheme arranged, and as soon as he had finished his supper he got on his horse and made an all-night ride, arriving at Mr. Dunlap’s house early next morning. Mr. Dunlap, after father had related what he had heard, started that day to take his seat in the session, and by being posted as to the scheme, was able to prevent it being carried out. I have heard Mr. Dunlap and father talk of this more than once, and the Dunlap boys will verify what I have just written.

Father had a strong affection for his old pioneer neighbors. While he was a Democrat in politics he never attended primaries or conventions in Oregon but once and that was at the request of Hugh L. Brown, who asked him to attend a convention in his interest.

Of the early pioneers, father’s most intimate friends were Mr. Brown, Mr. Blakeley, P.B. Crawford, T.A. Riggs, James McHargue and Jesse Barr. He knew Jesse Barr in Missouri. Mrs. Barr and my mother were double cousins. Father died August 5, 1892. His funeral was preached by his old-time friend, Father Robe. My mother died in 1866, having borne eleven children, eight of whom are still living.

The present mill, known as the McKercher mill, is not the original mill built in 1847. The present mill was built in 1858. The old, original mill house was carried away by the flood of 1861-2. I have often heard my father lament the loss of sixty fat hogs that were in the basement of the old mill and were lost in that flood.

Sources

• Oregon Hist. Soc. catalog gives death date as 1894. Mss 494 is a microfilm diary, 1845-47, 1 vol. of an overland journey to Oregon from Illinois, April 25, Oct 21, 1845; Oregon City accounts, 1846; and diary of a return journey from Oregon City as far as Smiths Fork of Bear River, May 1-July 4, 1847. Both typescript and microfilm copy (37 frames). RESTRICTED. Mss 725 are 16 pieces of papers 1852-1868 A.D. contents: William & Eliza Findley [sic] to R.C. Findley [sic], Missouri, April 11, 1852. Receipts & accounts, 12 pieces. Notebooks, including accounts, 3 vols. Polly Ann Price French has death date as 3 May 1892, not 5 Aug 1882.

web page "Descendants of Richard Chism Finley" at http://www.museum.bmi.net/Picnic%20People%20A.L/Finley,%20Belle.htm book http://content.cdlib.org/xtf/view?docId=ft5z09p09z&chunk.id=d0e8378&toc.depth=100&toc.id=d0e6796&brand=eschol has an account of the land dispute and its significance between John R. Courtney and Richard C. Finley ending with Finley taking the land.

• Burial, Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 26 October 2020), memorial page for Richard Chism Finley (5 May 1814–5 Aug 1892), Find a Grave Memorial no. 23099712, citing Finley Pioneer Cemetery, Crawfordsville, Linn County, Oregon, USA ; Maintained by Indigo Falls (contributor 46887827) . [1]