Thirty Fathers in Thirty Days: Rev. William Fincher and his Quaker Roots

 

Silas Jordan Fincher, son of William

I've created posts on my fifth Great Grandfather, Rev. William Fincher, before, so there will be a little repetition and this post will be brief, as I will reference two of my earlier posts and not have much else to add. 

The link below is my first post concerning Rev. William Fincher.

Seventy Dollars and a Horse

While I was working on my original 30 Days Posts, involving the 'Mothers' in my family tree, when I was out of work on medical leave one time, I also posted on his daughter, Sarah Fincher Starnes, called 'Sally', which included mention of him. Link below.

30 Mothers in 30 Days: Sally

The stern looking gentleman at the top of the page, is not Rev. William Fincher, but his son, Rev. Silas Jordan Fincher. At least two sons, John and Silas, followed their father into the ministry. I included this picture, because a son might bear a resemblance to the father, so we can get an idea of what he may have been similar to. 

Rev. William Fincher was born on March 30, 1765, in Rowan County, NC to Benjamin Fincher (1730-1795) and wife Shirley Marie Wilcox. (1734-1795), which sounds more like a woman born in 1934 than 1734 to me, but she was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, as was I, and she died in Orange County, North Carolina, the daughter of John Wilcox and Sarah John Boone Wilcox. Her parents originated in Connecticut. Benjamin Fincher was the son of Jonathan Fincher and Deborah Dicks or Dix. Jonathan was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, as well, and his parents, John and Martha, were  immigrants who migrated from England to Pennsylvania, his father from Wolverly, Wire Forest District, Worcestershire, England, and his mother from Clatterwick, Little Leigh, Great Budworth, Cheshire, England. While his in-laws, Peter and Esther Maddock Dix were from Chester, Cheshire West, Cheshire, England. So, Rev. William Fincher was solidly British and primarily from Cheshire. They were Quakers.

Since I've posted so much on Rev. William Fincher already, this post will focus a little more on his Quaker predecessors. 

The surname, Fincher is an English occupational name, referring to someone who caught, bred and sold the little birds, called finches. Such a simple and unexpected origin.

Marriage Record of Francis Fincher III and second wife, Mary Achelly, in Worcestershire, England

Francis Fincher was christened on October 1, 1626, in Himbleton, Worcester, England. He had married a lady named Elizabeth, sometime before 1660, as she is seen in records as having died on "the 15th day of the 7th month of 1676". They had one known child, a son named John, who was christened on May 15th of the year prior, 1675, in Wolverly, Worchestershire. 

As seen in the above document, Francis remarried to Mary Achelly on June 3, 1678.

Francis is a Colonial Dames ancestor, as he arrived at Pennsylvania around 1683, with his wife, Mary and his four children: John, Mary, Francis IV and Samuel. The younger three were born between 1679 and 1682.

The above Getty Image is of a Quaker Meeting House in Chester County, PA.

Francis was a Quaker and like the rest, had left England for America for religious persecution purposes. He arrived aboard the Ship, Bristol Comfort, on July 28th, 1783, with his young family and servants. His profession was given as that of a glover, or someone who made gloves of leather and other materials. In an ancient book by "Besse" called "The Collection of The Suffering of the People Called Quakers", there are several mentions of Francis's name. 

The book recounts an event that took place on January 12, 1662, in Worcester, when Francis was among a group of Quakers who met at the house of Robert Smith. A group of 18 men, called Musketeers, or 'muquetiers', led by a Marshall, and arrested the men at the meeting, forcefully, and without a warrant, and led them through the streets to the house of their Captain, who ordered the soldiers to take them to the Marshall's house instead. They were treated in a criminal and hostile manner. They were kept for three days and nights, against their will, during the time a General Sessions of Court was taking place. They were never called to appear, or were able to speak for themselves, nor a representative. Yet, an Indictment was found against them, from the testimony of only one person, a discreditable man who had already been arraigned for murder and later found to be insane. They were later removed from the Marshalls residence and taken to the town jail, or 'gaol'. Francis Fincher was in the list. With his other detainees, he eventually faced trial, was convicted of being at a meeting, was fined 5 pounds and three months in prison at the 'House of Correction'.

Altar at the church where Francis was baptized

Some years later, another event is retold, where in 1670 at a town called Grafton-Flyford, the authorities came with a warrant, this time, took all of his "goods" and fined him 20 pounds. Francis had been found on his knees in prayer. 

"having heard that he was fined 20 pounds went to Justice Packington at Bowling Green to expostulate the case with him, whether he thought Prayer to God a Breach of the Law." The Justice told him that he could pray at home, and that he had been convicted by the Oath of informers, who had ratted him out for praying outside of his home. Francis became emotional and upset and questioned the court about justice and equity. A Justice Sands heard him and told him to hold his tongue, or he would be sent to "where he would be loth to go.' Sometime afterwards, the police of the day showed up at his house with three carts, loaded up the best of all of his possessions, claimed ownership of the rest, and sold it within a few weeks. He was taken from his wife and small children, left penniless and vulnerable, and was placed in the Worcester jail, where he wasted away for months. 

He was sent to jail for a third time in 1681, again for praying in the streets, as the Constables had blocked off he Meeting House, guarding it so no one could enter and pray. 

It breaks my heart to read about the persecution these ancestors faced and suffered through. They really had no other options before them, but to escape to the New World. Records show that Francis bought 1250 acres in Pennsylvania in May of 1682, from William Penn. I don't know where he had gotten the money, with the Constables constant persecution and confiscation of his property. 

Francis was considered a First Purchaser; this entitled him to land both in the country and within the town of Philadelphia. The location of his land in town is found in the book called, The Welsh Settlements of Pennsylvania by Charles Browning, on page 438. It was on the Schuylkill River and bordered a road that led to the ferry. He also had 35 acres on the upper side of Market Street and across the street from the Haverford Friends Burying Ground, or cemetery. 

Francis Fincher was very busy that first year he arrived in America.  He was elected as a Philadelphia member of the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1684. At the session held in New Castle, on March 10, 1684, he was elected as Speaker of the Assembly but declined to accept. His suffering was turning into blessings, and he was probably looking ahead toward a glorious future for himself, his family and his fellow Quakers. 

"Francis Fincher, a member of the House, being chosen Speaker by major votes of the House, he in modest manner was pleased to refuse that Choice, with the humble acknowledgement of his own insufficiency for so great an undertaking" Pennsylvania Archives. Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives of Provence of Philadelphia, page 46, Vol. One. 

Francis died in June of 1684, only one year of arriving in America. He was drowned while trying to cross the river in on ferry. He was 58 years old. Francis Fincher was a skinner and glover who lived in the village of Kingston in Worcester and had grown up in a Puritan family who lived in Shell and Himbleton. He was born on an estate called "Tomes" in Himbleton. His father, also a Francis, died in 1649 and his mother was Alice, maybe Hart. 

What a cruel fate for a man so humble and faithful in his beliefs, who had suffered so much, to finally be free of persecution and to die so quickly after. He had secured a future for his children and future generations, however.

John

The above paragraph is labeled Francis Fincher, but it primarily describes his son John, the next one in line. With Rev. William Fincher being my 5th Great Grandfather, his father, Benjamin, would be my 6th, his father, Jonathan, my 7th, John my 8th and Francis III, my 9th Great Grandfather.

John Fincherwas baptized in 1675 in Tomes, Himbleton, Worcestershire. He was the firstborn child and would have been just five years old when the Bristol Comfort arrived in Pennsylvania. He grew up in Chester County, PA. As is revealed in the news clipping above, source unknown, John married at age 21 to Martha Taylor. She was the daughter of Robert Taylor, originally of Springfield, who lived in Newton. John and Martha had seven children; Elizabeth Fincher Cox, Jonathan Fincher, John Fincher, Jr., Rebecca Fincher Bennett, Sarah Fincher Swayne, Mary Fincher and Francis Fincher IV.

After Martha Taylor Fincher passed away in 1713, John married a widow, Elinor Norman Cook, on July 27, 1714. Elinor was the widow of Peter Cook, who had died at sea during their voyage to America. Elinor brought with her 9 children of her own, which gave the couple a total of 16 combined. They were married in Goshen, Chester County, PA and John was now 39. 

He would outlive a second wife and on October 4, 1735, he married Susanna Watson Parks in Kennett Square. He was now 60 years old. The couple spent their final years in London Grove, Chester County, PA.

300-year-old London Grove Meeting House.

John Fincher died on November 24, 1747 at the age of 69 in London Grove, Chester County, Pennsylvania.

The Will of John Fincher was written in a scrolling, magnificently refined script.  Above, after 'Fourthly' he wrote, ' I give & bequeath to my eldest son Jonathan Fincher the sum of Five Shillings to be paid to him his heirs'.

Jonathan is my line.

He seemed to be particularly concerned with his younger sons, John II and Francis IV.

The Will was witnessed by Moses Pyle and Joseph Pennock Jr.


The next one in line is my 7th Great Grandfather, Jonathan Fincher, son of John, Sr. Jonathan was born around 1704 in Newton, Chester County, Pennsylvania. At the age of 21, he married 20-year -old Deborah Dick or Dix. Deborah was the daughter of Peter Dicks Sr. and wife, Esther Maddock. They were married on April 29, 1726, in Chester County. I don't have any sign of them being related to my ancestor, Jarvis Dix/Dicks, from Viginia.

Jonathan and Deborah had five known children:

Joshua (1728-1767)

Jonathan (1730-1795)

Mary (1732-1757)

Hannah (1738-unknown)

and Benjamin (1740-1808) - my line

After the death of Deborah, Jonathan remarried Jane Busby and had a sixth child;

Richard (1735-1810)

Jonathan was the one who brought the Fincher family to North Carolina from Pennsylvania. He did not live long after the trip, however, and passed away in March of 1757, in Orange County, NC.  His will is found in Orange County North Carolina Will Extracts Book A Page 7.

Indian Attack

As an aside, before moving on to the next generation, a tragic event happened in 1763 that involved the family of Jonathan's brother, John Fincher Jr. Trouble had been brewing for a number of years, at least as far back as the Penn Creek Massacre in 1752, in which a band of the Delaware tribe attack settlers along Penn Creek, a tributary of the Susquahanna River. Out of 26 settlers, 14 were killed, one escaped and the rest were taken hostage. Five survived to make it back to the Colony.

The Call

Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania • Fri, Sep 1, 1950Page 9

John Jr. had received a warrant from the Penn family for around 250 acres in 1750, on the Schuylkill River north of the Blue Mountains in Berks County, before Schuylkill County was founded. He built a small home and barn along the river and started a small community known as "Fincher's Ford". Pennsylvania was filling up with Quaker, Dutch and German settlers, who with their growing families were pushing ever westward, into the territories of the Indigenous tribes. By this time, many of John's children were adults, and not in the home. He and his wife, Jane McNabb an Irish girl, daughter of William and Dorothy, had eight children. John III was already an adult and would administer his father's estate. Sarah had married Thomas Starr and Rebecca had married a Bennett. There were also a Benjamin, Jesse, Margaret, Jonathan, Betty and Rachel. On September 8, 1763, eight Delaware/Lenape warriors attacked the family farm, killing John, Jane and two sons who were at home, taking Rachel, a teenager, captive. She was held for almost a year but was recovered during a prisoner exchange by Col. Henry Bouquet.

Benjamin Fincher

Benjamin Fincher, the next in line, my 6th Great Grandfather, was born about 1740. He and several of his brothers joined a group of Quakers who left Orange County and moved west in North Carolina, joining groups of Quakers in the Back Creek Settlement and Deep River Settlement. He is shown in the 1800 census of Randolph County, North Carolina along with James, Joseph, William, John and Jonathan Fincher, brothers and cousins. The group was an industrious one, opposing slavery and influencing social norms in Randolph and surrounding counties. 

Benjamin had still been in Orange County as late as 1767, when he witnessed a transaction for a neighbor.

And gave witness to the signature with his Oath.

In 1783, he entered 50 acres east of his own Plantation on the waters of Caraway, on the west side of his improvements. 

1789, William King was appointed Overseer of a road from Hoovers Mill to Caraway Creek in the "Room" of Benjamin Fincher. 

In 1793, he entered 40 acres lying west of Benjamin Mil (Millikin), a line running down Millikin's Branch. He would later enter 50 more "on the mountain forth of Caraway Mountain".  They had settled in the Uwharries. 

In 1795, he had even moved into Montgomery County, North Carolina, with an odd-looking grant on Little River, bordering the lands of Joseph Taylor and Richard Braswell. Chain Carriers were Reuben Hall and Henry Humble.

Benjamin Fincher died intestate, but his estate was probate in August of 1808, with his son, John, as the administrator. 

The file lists an Inventory of his estate, several pages worth, revealing the trappings of a typical early 19th century farm where the family made nearly all of their own implements and tools, clothing and grew or raised their own food. 

His list of items included a Bible and a Dictionary, guns and powder. Although pacifists, they hunter for food, and were well educated. 

The Controvery

Some researchers believe Rev. William Fincher was the son of Jonathan Jr., instead of his brother, Benjamin, because Jonathan Jr. did move to Mecklenburg County, NC. Jonathan is found in a 1765 tax list of Rowan County, and then later in the 1790 census of Mecklenburg. The fact is that they both named a son William, and the fact of the repetition of these common names could be very confusing. 

Another conundrum is who married who? Some have Jonathan marring Shirley Wilcox, instead of Benjamin, and Benjamin marrying Louisa Greer from Chester County, PA. Or vice versa. 

I have, as the children of Jonathan, who died in 1795 in Mecklenburg County, and Louisa Greer or McQueen:

James Neal Fincher

Benjamin Fincher

Mary Fincher McLendon

Jonathan Calhoun Fincher

Sarah Fincher Roper

Joseph Travis Fincher and 

William Emsley Fincher, who was born in 1775, and married Susannah Sheets Friend.

I have for Benjamin Fincher (son of Jonathan Sr.), who married Shirley Marie Wilcox:

Jean Fincher Ridge born 1761-1850

Rev. William Fincher, born 1764/65 -1845

Hannah Fincher Graves, born 1769-1856

Sarah Fincher Brookshire, born 1774-1825

John Fincher 1775-1818

Dorcas 1777- unknown

Sophia 1782- unknown

Benjamin Fincher seems to have made some enemies amongst the 'Friends' during the turbulent Revolutionary War era. Although there is no record of him serving in a militia, or participating in any battle, he was solidly on the side of the Patriots and may have even picked up his rifle a time or two. 

Benjamin and some of his family were among a handful of Finchers who fell out of favor with the Quakers and were separated from the local meeting houses for marrying outside the group, or joining other congregations. In this way, the Quaker roots of William Fincher led to his joining the Methodist Church.

Rev. William Fincher

We have now made our way back to Rev. William Fincher, my 5th Great Grandfather. He married Mary Jane Grace, daughter of James Grace and wife, Sarah Deare, in Salisbury, Rowan County, in 1783. She was from Everleigh, Wiltshire, England. If ever there was a Preacher's wife perfectly named! Together, they had ten children. Mary Grace Fincher died in 1815 in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

There are normal records in Olde Mecklenburg of the existence there of William Fincher. In 1798, he served on a Grand Jury. 

He wasn't always on the positive side of the law however. I'd like to know more details on the above case, where William Fincher and his compadres, John B. Peacock, Andrew Stinson, William M. Matthews, and Francis McKee all plead not guilty. While Francis McKee was found not guilty, the rest, including William Fincher were found 'guilty in a manner & form as charged in the bill of indictment and fined $5.00. However, it ended with William Fincher 'not prayed into the Custody of the Sheriff by direction of the court'. What was he a part of and why had he escaped confinement? There are many more instances of this sort. 

Rev. William Fincher died at the age of 81 on May 24, 1845, and recieved as complete an obituary as I've ever seen from that era in The Southern Christian Advocate.

It told of how he was born in Rowan County on March 30, 1765, and was converted into the Methodist Episcopal Church, and appointed classleader by the minister. He was licensed to "exhort" in 1792 and to preach the next year. The article told how he was 'instrumental' in the establishment, or 'raising' of several Carolna area churches, Liberty Chapel, Prospect, Rehobeth, Bethlehem, Pleasant Grove, New Hope, Lazarus and Buck Hill, among other. It also told of how he had visited Monticello, Georgia in 1824, the year his grandson, my Third Great Grandfather, Frederick Fincher Starnes was born, and explained how F. F. Starnes was born in Georgia. 

His children were Rev. John Fincher, Mary Grace Fincher  married cousin Josiah Fincher, Elijah Fincher, Benjamin Fincher, Jane Fincher, an unknown son who had married Nancy Winchester Fincher, Levi Nelson Fincher, William Fincher Jr., Sarah "Sallie" Fincher who married Frederick Starnes (Jr. or IV, depending on how you look at it), Rev. Silas Jordan Fincher, Hillard Judge Fincher, Leroy Burton Fincher. By a seconed late marriage to Nancy Hinson Skipper, he had one son, Wilson Fincher.  

Seventy Dollars and a Horse

A wide variety of professions are found among the branches of my family tree, with farming being the most common, which I believe speaks for most searchers of ancestors past. Second place in my case I find a little odd. There were a large number of men if the cloth in my lineage, one, I've not made much mention of, the Reverend William Fincher.

I may never have found out about Rev. Fincher had it not been for a distant cousin who found him first. This distant kin is a walking, talking Encyclopedia Britannica of history, and family history within its realm, to beat.

I had found out quite a bit of information on my second Great Grandfather, Frederick Fincher Starnes, including his roots back to Germany and his many business ventures and land purchases over 6 counties in two states, North and South Carolina. Yet, I could never figure out why he claimed to have been born in Georgia.

It was clear who his father was, as he actually lived with Finch in his older days and beside him in younger. I knew his mother's name, as he named her in his marriage license, though she was long dead before 1850. I knew his younger half siblings were the offspring of his father, Fred Jr.'s, second marriage to Elizabeth Thompson, so the origins of Finches mother, Sarah, was a mystery, until this distant cousin, who should write a book, broke down the wall. 

Sarah Fincher, daughter of Rev. William Fincher, had married Frederick Starnes, son of Frederick Starnes, son of John Starnes, son of, you guessed it, another Frederick Starnes. One, possibly two, sons, were born of this union. 

Below is the obituary for Rev. William Fincher, and explains exactly why Frederick Fincher Starnes was born in Georgia. 

                                  From The Southern Christian Advocate

In 1824, Rev. Fincher visited Monticella, Georgia, which was not his first trip to the land of Peaches. It appears most, if not all, of his large family accompanied him on the journey, including his married daughter, Sallie and son-in-law, Frederick Starnes. There was born Frederick Fincher Starnes, my third Great Grandfather, and this is why he always claimed to be born in Georgia. Finch grew up in what is now Union County, and as a young man in the 1850's, purchased land along the old Rocky River Road in the northernmost part of Lancaster County, South Carolina. His wife, Martha Louise Byram, grew up on the Union County side of the state line and they would live in Union before moving to Cabarrus County, where he would run a mill and own several large tracts of land, some of which crossed into Stanly County near Mission. They would join the old Rocky River Church and Martha and several of  their children are buried there. He would soon after marry the widow of his cousin John Starnes, son of Nathan T. Starnes, a lady named Abigail, who was anxious to join turn-of-the century Charlotte society, so they moved to Mecklenburg County in the Elizabeth section of Charlotte, where Finch would spend his last days. Finch had many business adventures, including investments in Albemarle, in Stanly County, and others, in conjunction with cousins in Asheville, NC, although he never lived there.

He was buried in Meadow Creek Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery near Locust, in Stanly County, NC, on one side of his second wife, Abby, while her third husband, a Misenheimer, is buried on her other side and her first husband, John Starnes, is buried a row in front of her. Abby had no children by any of her marriages.

Finches Grandfather, William Finchers, was born on March 30, 1865, in Rowan County, North Carolina. Some sources give his birthplace as Orange County, NC, and his family certainly did land there after arriving as many did, from Pennsylvania. However, I will go with Rowan as his obituary is the closest thing we have to a birth (and death) record for him and Rowan was pretty expansive in his day, and included present day Davidson County. 

Rev. Fincher recieved a land grant of 100 acres, entered March 8, 1792 and issued December 13, 1798, on Carraway Creek in Randolph County, NC, Book 99, Page 177.

Around 1780, he married Mary Jane Grace, from Everleigh, Wiltshire, England, who had migrated from the UK to Pennsylvania at about 15. She was the daughter of  John Grace and wife Sarah Deare Grace. The marriage recorded in 'Hillsborough, Randolph County'. Their first son, Rev. John Finche, was born in 1784. Mary Jane Grace was Sarah Fincher Starnes' mother and my fifth Great Grandmother.

William Fincher first appears in census records in 1800, in Salisbury, Mecklenburg, and by this time has already aquired a large family with his young bride. It records a household of 11 people, and only 2 over 25. That was a large group of children. 

Name:	Wm Fincher
Residence Date:	6 Aug 1810
Residence Place:	Capt Hoods, Mecklenburg, North Carolina, USA
Free White Persons - Males - Under 10:	3
Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 15:	1
Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 25:	1
Free White Persons - Males - 26 thru 44:	1
Free White Persons - Females - Under 10:	2
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 15:	1
Free White Persons - Females - 16 thru 25:	1
Free White Persons - Females - 26 thru 44:	1
Number of Household Members Under 16:	7
Number of Household Members Over 25:	2
Number of Household Members:	11

By 1810, Rev. Fincher is listed in Captain Hoods section of Mecklenburg County and his family is again, a total of 11 people, with one man and one woman between 25 and 44, some of his older children have moved on and there are 5, 3 boys and 2 girls, under 10.

The 1820 and 1830 census records both found Rev. William Fincher in Mecklenburg County. 

The Fincher family has been very well traced and while Williams grandparents are fairly acertained, the matter of which of two brothers was his father seems to be a bit of a conumdrum. I  will be looking into that further, but he was definately of the line of a Jonathan Fincher, born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, who died in Orange County, North Carolina around 1757. Although Rev. William Fincher was a Methodist Minister, his family origins were Quaker. 

"Francis Fincher, a Quaker from England, arrived at Philladelphia, PA on July 28, 1683 aboard the ship, 'Bristol Comfort' accompanied by his wife Mary (Achelley) Fincher, his small children and servants."  from: "A History and Genealogy of the Miller Family and Allied Families", by Thelma Kay Miller, 1989.

One of those small children of Francis Fincher was named John, who married a Martha Taylor. John's will is found in Chester County, PA. John and Martha Taylor Fincher had a son named Jonathan, who married Deborah Dix, or Dicks. He was the one who migrated to North Carolina and his will is found in Orange County. 

Among Jonathans eight children are found a Jonathan II and a Benjamin. These are the two sons wherein there is a controversy. Jonathan II is found in the 1790 census of Mecklenburg County, NC, while Benjamin settled in Randolph County. Both had sons named William. Some mix them up and claim our Rev. William the son of Benjamin, because he married Mary Jane Grace in Randolph County. However, I am of the belief that our William is the son of Jonathan Jr. There's about a 9 year age difference in the cousin Williams, with my William being born in 1765 and the other William being born in 1774. One is found in the 1800 census of  'Salisbury, Mecklenburg' and the other in Randolph County. As mine was born in Salisbury, it makes more sense to me that he is not the Randolph one. Cousin William moved to Ohio with his brother, Lemuel and died in Indiana in 1841. My thoughts lean towards my Rev. William Fincher being the son of Jonathan II and wife Shirley Wilcox.

Free Image from Pixaby

Rev. Fincher, as a minister, was known to have travled often. Sometimes his family joined him, other times they did not, or a combination of both, some stayed and some traveled.  I believe this may have been what occurred when it was reported that Mrs William Fincher, (Mary Jane Grace Fincher), had passed away in Spartanburg, South Carolina in 1825, in her 62nd year of life. (Upstate Death Notices in The Charleston Courier, Vol 17 No 1. PHSQ, Upper South Carolina Genealogy and History). 

On November 28, 1840, Rev. William Fincher would marry his second wife, Nancy Skipper, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. She would become his widow in 1845. Nancy had been born a Henson or Hinson in 1810, in Anson County, North Carolina, so considerably younger than William. She was the daughter of Charles King Hinson III and wife Frances Stewart or Steward. She had married first to a Hiram Skipper and had a number of children with him. She was a widow when she married Rev. Fincher. One known child was born to this union, a son,  Wilson, who is shown with her as a small child in the 1850 census, and who does not appear to have made it to adulthood. Nancy Hinson Skipper Fincher passed away in 1890.

Nancy Hinson Skipper Fincher from Find-A-Grave. 

The Southern Christian Advocate had given Rev. William Fincher a glowing obituary, naming many of the churches he ministered to, and some he helped found, throughout the Carolinas and Georgia. Among these was the church at Monticello, Georgia, where he was given in payment, seventy dollars and a horse. Here was where his grandson, Frederick Fincher Starnes was born. 

The known children I have for Rev. William Fincher and his first wife, Mary Jane Grace Fincher are:

1) Rev. John Fincher born 28 Jan 1782 Mecklenburg County, NC, died 4 Oct. 1844 Union County, NC.

    Married first Catherine Eller, second Lydia McCullough. Five children: Eliza, Silas A. James E., Lydia M.,          Permelia.

2) Mary Grace (sometimes seen as Mary Jane) Fincher (1784 Meck. N.C. - 1840 Georgia).

    Married cousin, Josiah Fincher, son of James (1761-1835) Fincher and Diodema McClendon Fincer.

    Nine children: Joshua, Elizabeth, Jonathan, Joel, Harriett, Sarah, Jemima, Mary, Frances J.

3) Elijah or Elisha Fincher (1785 - 1805 birthyears given, death - between 1870 and 1880) Died in Union County, NC. Married Melinda (Meloney) Paxton. Eight children: Elizabeth Jane, David Robert, Samuel Newton, Margaret, Nancy, Anna, Susan, William Thomas (aka Sonny).

4) Unknown daughter

5) Benjamin (1790 - 1855 Mecklenburg County, NC) Married Elizabeth McRaven or McCraven.

    Nine children: Eliza, Milas Robinson, Nancy C., James Alva, John N., Benjamin F., William P.,. Janie Adaline, Joseph C..

6) Jane (1792-1875 Union County, NC) Never married.

7) Unknown son (b abt 1795 - d bef 1830) Left widow, Nancy (possibly Winchester) b 1795, who is alone with small children in the 1830 and 1840 census and remarries to Henry Wolfe of Pennsylvania in 1841. At least 3 possible children shown in early census records for Nancy.

8) Levi Nelson (1798-1858) Levi Nelson Fincher had the wanderlust. He ventured through Tennesee, Kansas and out to California before settleing in Missouri, where he died in 1858. Married to Mary Wilson, 9 children:

McCamy, Nancy M., Isabelle, Elizabeth, Phoebe, Martha, Susan, Levi N. III, William H. 

9) Unknown daughter

10) William Jr. (1804 - 1879) Died in Georgia. Married Elizabeth . Five childreh: Bethiah Abney, William C. C., Thomas A. C., daughter A.L. W. , Nancy J. Married Cynthia, son Henry Hawes.

11) Sarah "Sallie" Fincher (1805-1834) Married Frederick Starnes (Jr. or IV) son of Frederick Sr., son of  Captain John Starnes. Five children: John Grace Starnes, William Wilkens Starnes, Mary Grace Starnes, Frederick Fincher Starnes, Turza Shirley "Turzy" Starnes.

12) Rev. Silas Jordan Fincher (1812 Mecklenburg - August 29, 1880 Chesterfield, South Carolina.

      Married 1st: S. B. Starnes (perhaps a sister of Frederick Starnes who married Sarah) 1809-1850.

      Nine children: Ellen Howard, Levi Jordan, William S., Mary Polly, Martha Jane, Julia Elizabeth, Silas Alva, Alpheus.

    Married 2nd: Elizabeth Blount. One child: Margaret Eugenia.

    Married 3rd:  Margaret Ellen Barnes: Eight children: John T., Hugh Mc., Sarah Ann, James Elias, Susan Rebecca, Charles Coppage, Fannie, Lillian Cornelia, Henrietta.

13) Hillard Judge ( 1815- 1869 Sumter County, Alabama) Married Ruth Elmira Steele, 4 children:

       Hiram Steele, Nancy C., Elijah, Lucinda Jane.

14) Leroy Burton (1823-1897 Buford, Union County, NC) Married 3 times.

      Married 1st: Polly Starnes  Three sons: John Milburn, James Andrew, Leroy Burton II.

      Married 2nd: Martha Starnes: Five children: Sarah Estelle, Terza Kassandra, Rachel, Martha J., Lloyd L. 

      Married 3rd" Clarissa Richardson. Seven children: Silas Alfred, Mary Caroline,  Julius Green, Tirzah Broom, Loid, Infant Son and Lee. 

       Any relationship between Polly Starnes and Martha Starnes is unknown to me thus far. There was a considerable age difference between the two. Martha may have been a widow. Any relationship between them and Frederick Starnes unknown, relationship of some kind not only possible, but probable. 

15) Only child by Nancy Skipper son, Wilson b 1845 died unknown, before 1860 possibly.

Thrulines connects me genetically to many descendants of Mary, John, Benjamin, Silas Jordan, Levi Nelson, Leroy Burton and Hilliard Judge Fincher. Still waiting on connections to William Jr., Elijah and Nancy (widow of unknown) and looking for missing sisters of my Sarah. 

30 Mothers in 30 Days: Sally

My 3rd Great Grandfather left me one clue on who his mother was in the marriage certificate of his second marriage to Abigail Furr Starnes, widow of his cousin, John Starnes. He named his parents as "Fred and Sally".

CLIPPED FROM

Mecklenburg Times
Charlotte, North Carolina07 Jun 1894, Thu  •  Page 4



I already knew who his father was, as they lived side by side for 3 decades, 1860,1870 and 1880, even after the move from Union County to Cabarrus. His father, Frederick Starnes, one in a sea of Frederick Starnes in a decent from our original German immigrant, Frederick Sternes, had married an Elizabeth Thompson, much to young to be the mother of my Fincher Starnes, who went by "F. F. " most of the time. And she wasn't a Sally.

Abandoned Plantation House in Monticello, Jaspar County, Georgia

Another few things that puzzled me about Finch was that the censuses stated he was born in Georgia. His father was born in the section of Mecklenburg County that became one half of Union County, "Starnes Country", so why would they say that Finch was born in Georgia. The second thing that had me perplexed was that he was no where to be found in the 1850 census, but I knew from his Civil War records and one land record that at that time, as a young man, he had property on the Rocky River Road, just across the state line into Lancaster County, SC.


The following link was part of my pondering about Finch. Providence.

After writing that post, I came across a distant Starnes cousin named John Fields, (his Christian name), who is a walking history book. He is also an utmost expert on anything Starnes or Sternes.
And he had all the answers. Finch's mother was one Sarah "Sally" Fincher.

The daughter of a minister, Rev. William Starnes, she had several brothers who were also ministers. It is with the minister, whose obituary is to follow, that is all made sense.

Frederick Fincher Starnes was born on August 20, 1828. It was during this time that his grandfather, Rev. William Fincher was in Georgia, preaching in the Monticello circuit. Frederick Sr. and Sally must have accompanied her father to Georgia during this time.






According to the 1830 census, it looks like Fred and Sally had 5 children, 3 sons and 2 daughters.
The only one known is Frederick Fincher Starnes. His first child with Elizabeth was born in 1836 and he married Elizabeth Jane "Bettie" Thompson about 1835, so this was Sallie Fincher Starnes in the 1830 census.

Name:	Fredrick Starns
Home in 1830 (City, County, State):	Mecklenburg, North Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - Under 5:	1 Frederick Fincher  (b 1828)
Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9:	2  Unknown
Free White Persons - Males - 30 thru 39:	1  Fred IV
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5:	2 Unknown
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29:	1 Sarah
Free White Persons - Under 20:	5
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:	2
Total Free White Persons:	7
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored):	7

Some of them may have died, but all of them but Finch? I hope not. Who were they? This was in Mecklenburg because Union hadn't been formed yet.


After finding out about Sarah's family, it only makes sense. There were several Starnes/Fincher marriages.

Her brother, Rev. Silas Jordan Fincher, had first married a lady known only as "S. B. Starnes." What did S. B. stand for? The most popular S names for girls of the day were Sarah and Sussannah, but there was also Sabra, Samara, Samantha, and several less seen others. B, with their German roots, many have been Barbara, but we don't know. She could have been a sister of Fred, Frederick Fincher Starnes' father.





Her younger brother, Leroy Burton Fincher married 3 Starnes women, Polly, Martha and Clarrissa, as is written in his Family Bible. Clarrissa was a Starnes widow, born a Richardson, as she is mentioned in the will of her father, Kendrick Richardson. Some family trees have tried to merge Martha and Clarrissa into one person. However, you can clearly see by his Family Bible, that he married Martha C. Starnes on Sunday, March 20, 1853 and he married Mrs. Clarrissa Starnes on Sunday, September 3, 1865.


Most Mecklenburg County (Union included) Finchers are descended from a man named Jonathan Fincher, born about 1704 who settled in Chester County, Pennsylvania. He, or his family, were from England. As a note, Chester County is where I was born. He moved to Orange County, North Carolina by 1755 and died just two years later. His Will is dated 20 March 1757.

This Jonathan was married twice, first to Deborah Dix/Dicks and had two sons, Joshua and Jonathan Jr. His second wife was Jane Busby by whom he had 5 children: Mary, Richard, Joseph, Hannah and Benjamin.

My line is from first wife, Deborah, as Jonathan Fincher, Jr. was the father of our Rev. William.

Rev. William Fincher was born on March 30, 1765 in Rowan County. His father patented land there near his birth, but did not remain. They settled in Eastern Mecklenburg, the portion that would be combined with the western portion of Anson County to form Union in 1842. They lived near the North Carolina/South Carolina border, near the territory of the Cheraw Indians, known as "Indian Land".





The above map shows the general area of where the Finchers settled.

Rev. Williams Fincher's mother was Shirley Marie Wilcox, daughter of John  Wilcox and wife, Sarah John Boone Wilcox, who migrated from Chester County, PA to Kentucky.

Rev. William would marry 3 times. The last two times were later in life, after the birth of his children, so all of his children were by first wife, Mary Grace. His second wife was Elizabeth Calloway and his third was Nancy Skipper.

Mary Grace had been born on April 10, 1763, in Everleigh, Wiltshire, England, making her my 5th Great Grandmother. I actually know a little bit more about her and my 6th Great Grandmother, Shirley Marie Wilcox, William's mother, than I do about poor Sarah Fincher, who died young.

King Alfred's Statue in the Vale of Pewsey

Mary Grace was the daughter of John Grace and Sarah Deare. Somehow, those names sound so beautiful to me.

Sarah Deare was baptized in Llantwit, Major, Glamorgan, Wales, daughter of John and Mary. She married John Grace on May 27, 1753, in Pewsey, Wiltshire, England. John was from Wiltshire.



The 'Vale of Pewsey' is a beautiful area, full of ancient, thatched roof cottages and home of  the "White Horse of Pewsey", one of the Wiltshire White Horses, figures of horses carved into white chalk hills. Below is an article on the White Horses of Wiltshire.


Wiltshire's White Horses

So Mary Grace Fincher is one of my immigrant ancestors, perhaps my most recent one. My roots go waaayyy back into the American diasphora. I had ancestors living in the same general area where I currently live, long before Mary Grace Fincher arrived in America.

Rev. William Fincher and wife Mary Grace Fincher would raise a family of 12 children. The name of one daughter, born in Mecklenburg County, NC and who died in 1840 in Fayette County, Georgia, is yet unknown.

1784 - bef. 1844 Mary Jane Fincher
1785 - bef  1844 Rev. John Fincher
1787 - bef  1844 Elijah Fincher
1790-1844 Benjamin Fincher
1792-1875 Jane Fincher
1798-1858 Levi Fincher
1802-1840 Daughter Fincher
1804-1880 William Fincher Jr.
1805 - bef 1834 Sarah "Sallie" Fincher
1812-1880 Silas Jordan Fincher
1815-1869 Hillard Judge Fincher
1823-1897 Leroy Burton Fincher

Please remember, some of these years of birth are "appoximate" and could have differed a number of years. On the older children, their exact date of birth is unknown.

With the union of the English/Welsh Sarah Fincher and the German-descended Frederick Starnes IV, two lines of decent came together to form my very American ancestor, Frederick Fincher Starnes.

I don't know exactly when or where Sarah died and was buried. Most likely somewhere in Union County. I just know it was before Fred would marry Betty Thompson, and their first child came in 1836.

Happy Mothers Day Sarah Fincher. I am so glad to know who you are.

Addendum: I forgot the best part. In the Thru -Lines feature on ancestry.com, adding in an unknown female ancestor and having matches is not going to mean anything. That couple is your biological ancestors, and you've already added the man, you are going to match the wife, whatever name you put in. However, when you add her parents, and you match multiple descendants of 9 out of her 10 siblings (the 10th died young without children), then you are on to something. You can be pretty confident you've got it right.

This was so wide, I can't get it the whole thing in one shot, but this is what has happened since I added Sarah Fincher as my ancestor a few months ago. I'm a DNA match to 3 descendants of her brother, Rev. John Fincher, 8 from her sister Martha Fincher, 7 from her brother Benjamin Franklin Fincher, 4 from her brother  William Fincher Jr., 8 from Rev. Silas Jordan Fincher and 17 from her youngest brother, Leroy Burton Fincher.

And the beauty of it is, the more people who make it this far in their family tree and figure out that they are descendants of this family who have taken dna tests on ancestry, the more matches there will be. Thank you John Fields, you are amazing.