Allegheny County PA Archives Military Records.....FINLEY, John 1748-1837, from Allegheny Co, PA Revwar - Pension ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Lynn Beatty klbeatty@redrivernet.com August 21, 2006, 4:48 pm Revolutionary War Pension S 31025, B.L. St. 745-300 Issued Oct. 24, 1789: 16.307 Pennsylvania, transferred to Kentucky. John Finley of Allegheny Co., in the state of Pennsylvania who was a brigade major in the regiment commanded by Col. Stewart of the Pennsylvania line, for the term of the war. Inscribed on the roll of Pennsylvania at the rate of $20 per month, to commence on the 7th of Oct. 1819. Certificate of Pension issued the 15 of July 1820 and sent to Honble H. Baldwin . Portion of semi-annual allowance ending 4 Mar. 1820 $70.70 Revolutionary Claim, Act 18th March, 1818 (Notation: Transferred to Kentucky. Notification sent to the care of George M Botts, Esq., Flemingsburg, Kentucky 24th June 1826) That in October A.D. 1777 he was promoted to a Captain. That in '78 he was ordered to the west under Genl. Mackintosh. That he was inspector and judge advocate of the western department. That he was Genl. Givens Brigade Major. That at the second reduction of the Penna Line he was annexed to the 2d Regt. but never joined it, remaining under Genl. Givens. That in Sept. 83 he received the appointment of a major by commission. That at the disbanding of the Army in November 83 he was left by Genl. Givens in command at Pittsburgh with some volunteers to ________ stores untill relieved by Capt. Marbury of the Maryland line. That he has served as a 1st Lieutenant, Captain & major by ___ in the service of the United States on the Continental in _______ in the Revolutionary War against the common enemy for the period of seven years & appears that he has never received a pension or applied for one heretofore. That he has lost his _____ as Lieutenant & Captain & that the annexed appointment of Major _____ is the only written evidence of his company now in his possession. Jn. Finley ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, 1793-1797, Fri., Jan. 9, 1795: A petition of John Finley, late a Captain in the Pennsylvania line of the Continental Army, was presented to the House and read, praying that the location which he has made of the proportion of land due for his military services, during the late war, in one of the ranges of townships on the river Ohio, together with the improvements thereon, may be confirmed to him, and a grant issued for the same. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ United States Western District of Pennsylvania ss. On the seventh day of October A.D. 1819 before me the ____ judge of the United States in & for the said district personally appeared John Finley aged 72 years, resident in Allegheny County Pennsylvania who being by me duly sworn doth on oath make the following declaration to obtain the provision made by the late act of Congress entitled "An act to provide for certain persons engaged in the land & naval service of the United States in the Revolutionary War". That he the said John Finley on the 6th of July A.D. 1776 was duly commissioned as a 1st Lieutenant in the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment in the service of the United States. That said Regt was under the command of Col. Creas McCoy & assisted by Col. Danl. Brodhead. That he join the army in the first of May of 77 at New Jersey. That he was in the Battle of Ash Swamp in General Maxwell & at the attak on Bonnbrook under Genl. Lincoln. That he join the main army & was in the battle of Brandy Wine. That he was at the surprise at Paoli & in the battle of Germantown. That at the first reduction of the Penna line he was annexed to the 5th Penna. Regt. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- County of Fleming One the 1st day of May 1826 personally appeared in open court, being a court of accord, entirely made so by the Constitution & Laws of the state of Kentucky, for the County of Fleming. John Finley residing in said county, aged 78 years who being first duly sworn according to law doth, on his oath, make the following declaration in order to obtain the provisions made by the act of Congress of the 18th March 1818 and the 1st of May 1820. That he the said John Finley entered the service of the United States as a 1st Lieutenant in the summer of the year 1776 in Capt. Moses Carson company, 8th Penna Regt. commanded by Col. Enear McCoy & afterwards by Col. Danl. Brodhead. That in Oct. of the year 1777 he was promoted to the rank of captain, in said regt. That in the year 1778 or 1779 he was transferred to the 5th Penns Regt. commanded Col. Richard Butler, & that in the year 1780 or 1781, he was transferred to 2nd Penna Regt. commanded by Col. Hampton. That about the close of the war in the year 1782 or 1783 he was breveted a Major that his commission as Brevert Major on file in the war office with the papers in which he forwarded for the purpose of obtaining a pension as a Revolutionary Officer. That he continued in the service of the United States as an officer on continental establishment until Nov. 1783. At the close of the war when he was discharged from the said service in Pittsburg in the State of Pennsylvania. That he hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension except the present. That his name is not on the roll of any state except Pennsylvania and that the following are the reasons for not making earlier application for the continuance of hes pension. That heretofore he had 2 sons David & Samuel young men, grown, that lived with him and by their labour they supported and maintained himself & family. That they are both married and gone from him. That he is old & infirm and not able to do manual labour, & has not the means of support without the assistance of his country. That formerly he had a claim to a piece of land which he has been deprived of by a decision of the Superior Court of Kentucky which left him entirely destitute of the means of support. And in pursuance of the Act of the 1st May 1820. I do solemnly swear that I was a resident citizen of the United States on the 18th day of March 1818, & that I have not since that time by gift sale or in any manner disposed of my property or any part thereof with intent thereby so to diminish it & to bring myself within the provision of an act of Congress entitled "An act to provide for certain persons____ in the land & Naval services of the United States in the Revolutionary War" passed on the 18th March 1818, & that I have not nor has any person in trust for me any property or security contract or debt due to me, nor have I any income other than what is contained in the Scedule [sic] hereto annexed & by me subscribed: One horse value in specie $30 One blind mare & colt worth in specie $30 One head of horned cattle worth in specie $7 Twenty four sheep valued in specie at $18 Household furniture consisting of cupboard $15 Kitchen ware or cooking utensils worth $5 Three sows & pigs worth in specie $12 Total $117 I further state on oath that I have been through life a farmer in the small way that I will be 78 years old on the 21 day of July next having been born on the 21 July 1748 as stated by the family record, & information from my parents. That I am too old & infirm to labour for a living or support. That my wife Hannah is about 60 years of age. My daughter Betsey Ann 21 years old. Mariah Jane 16 years old. Hannah Sarah 13 years old & a bound boy between 6 or 7 years old named Richard Keller the females of my family is in usual health & strength except Betsey Ann who is afflicted with the toxic (?) so as to prevent her from doing labour except with the needle. And that I am in such indigent circumstances as to be unable to support myself without the assistance of my country or private charity. I further state that there has been no changes in my property since the 18 March 1818 except what may occasionly [sic] have happened by the mercies (?) of stock and the filling of the _______ for food for the family & except the loss of my land by a decision of the Superior Court of the state of Kentucky as aforesaid in which I lost about 200 acres of the very poorest kind of oak land worth about 2 or t 1/2 dollars per acre and all the land I possessed on earth. Jn. Finley -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sept. 22, 1933 Mr. Howard Finley Hotel Field 445 Field Ave. Detroit, Mich. Dear Sir: Reference is made to your letter in which you request the Revolutionary War record of Capt. John Finley, of Pennsylvania. The record of John Finley is furnished herein as found in the papers on file in his claim for pension, S. 31035, based upon his services in the Revolutionary War. John Finley was born July 31, 1748; the place & names of parents are not stated. He was commissioned July 6, 1776, 1st Lieutenant, served in Captain Moses Carson's company, Col. Aeneas Mackay & Daniel Brodhead's 8th Pennsylvania regiment was in the battles of Ash Swamp, Bound Brook, Brandywine, Paoli & Germantown; in Oct. 1777, he was promoted Captain of said regiment. At the first reduction of the Pennsylvania Line, he was transferred to Col. Richard Butler's 5th Pennsylvania regiment, and, at the second reduction, was transferred to Col. R. Hampton's 2nd Pennsylvania regiment, but never joined either regiment, having been ordered west in 1778, under Gen. McIntosh, & remained there as Inspector & Judge Advocate of the Western Department, & as Gen. William Irvine's Brigade Major. On Oct. 10, 1783, at Princeton, New Jersey, he was brevetted Major, U.S.A. and was discharged in Nov. 1783, from the Continental Establishment of the Revolutionary Army, at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. The soldier was allowed pension on his application executed Oct. 7, 1819, at which time he resided in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. In 1825, John Finley was a resident of Fleming County, Kentucky. He died April 10, 1837 in that county. In 1826, Hannah, the wife of John Finley, the soldier, was 60 years of age, her maiden name, the names of her parents, & the date & place of her birth are not shown. David D. Finley & Samuel Finley, soldier's sons, were then married & lived away from their father; his children Betsey Ann, age 21 years, Mariah Jane, age 16 years, & Hannah Sarah, ages 13 years, were living at home at that time. In 1852, the names of the surviving children of Capt. John Finley were show as follows: David D. Finley of Fleming County, Kentucky; Martha (Finley) Peebles; Jane (Finley) McCabe; Elisabeth Ann (Finley) Farras; and Sara (Finley) Dillon. There are no further data relative to any of said children. Very truly yours, A.D. Hiller, Assistant to Administrator. 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