Chester County PA Archives History .....Log College 1930 ************************************************ 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@npgcable.com January 21, 2007, 9:40 am Alexander's "Log College" in which is a biography of Rev Samuel Finley D.D. of Princeton, according to the 1st Col 1st page of the 4 page History of the "Finleys of Bucks". This [blotted word] "Finleys of Bucks" states that Michael Finley after landing at Phila, Sept 28, 1734 settled in Bucks Co, but moved to Sadsbury Tp, Chester Co, Pa prior to 1747 & that two of his sons Samuel & James graduated from Tennants Log College located on the banks of the Neshaminy & became eminent Presbyterian divines. Michael's son John removed to Lurgan Tp, Cumb Co, Pa. where he was killed by the Indians in William Stimson's field July 17, 1757. Archibald Finley, brother of Michael settled in Little Britain Tp, Bucks Co, Pa & bought land on agreement on North west line of Tp where he died Mch 11, 1749 50. The deed was made Dec 11, 1750 to his widow Margaret Finley & his two eldest sons John & Henry Finley as Exrs of Archibald. His will was a nuncupative one & was as follows: States that on Mch 11, 1749 50 Archibald Finley of Little Britain Tp, Bucks Co, Pa, Mason, being very sick & weak, wishes his wife Margaret & two oldest sons John & Henry to be exrs. This was certified to as his oral will on Mch 20, 1749 50 by Robert Lalor, Henry Kelso & James Finley who said he died shortly after. He left to survive him two other sons, Alexander & Archibald & a daughter Agnes, the wife of Henry Kelso. On Jany 1, 1749 50, Alexander Finley bought 78 A on opposite side of the State Road from his father's. Alexander Finley died on this farm in 1776 leaving to survive him a widow Mary an only son James who died on the same farm in 1836 and daughters, Jane, Mary, Martha & Sarah. Archibald Finley became the landlord of the old hotel in the present borough of Chalfont in 1762 & ran the hotel 3 yrs & got the license again in 1766 & after that, they have no further record of him & think he removed with others of the family to Loudon Co VA about that time. Henry Finley, the second son married Elizabeth, daughter of William Walker, who owned much land in Warrington Tp & he joined in sale of same about 1760 when he lived in Hilltown Tp, the present site of Dublin. He soon after removed to London Co Va & from there to Kentucky in 1788 as recited in the "American Ararat" which try to get. Little is known of his family except that one of his daughters married Lieut John Wallace who removed with the family to KY. They fully believe that John Finley the eldest son of Archibald was the wilderness Pilot who took Daniel Boone, a native of Bucks Co, Pa into Ky. They had both served in the Braddock Campaign in 1755 where they were companions John Finley, late of the Province of SC by deed dated Sept 20, 1772 recorded in Cumb Co, Pa releases to his daughters, lands in Newberry & Paxtang inherited from his late wife Elizabeth Finley, daughter of the late John Harris of Paxtang. John Finley was licensed as an Indian trader by Penna in 1748. Hales Trans Allegheny Pioneers says: John Finley, the old time frontiersman being old & poor & wounded asks Washington Co, Va for aid. Howes Va gives the court record of this appeals as follows: He made it appear to the satisfaction of the court that he is disabled from a wound in the thigh in a battle with the Cherokees on July 30, 1776 at the Great Island in the Holston River in East Tenn. The court recommends his plea to the Commissioners. Rev James Bradley Finley in his autobiography says his paternal grandfather, a Scotch Irishman came to America to seek his fortune & settled in Bucks Co, Pa where he married Mary Patterson & where his father Rev Robert W. Finley was born. He attended Princeton College, was licensed to preach & went to NC & for three consecutive years preached in NC, SC & Ga. At the end of this period, he married Miss Rebecca Bradley whose father James Bradley had sold his land on the banks of the Delaware & moved to NC. He was married in 1780. Having heard of the rich lands across the mountains in KY, he in the Spring of 1781 & being personally acquainted with Daniel Boone & taking with him two of his brothers after the close of the Revolutionary War in which four of his mother's brothers met their death & went in the Spring of 1784 on a trip of exploration to KY. He rtd in summer of 1784 having made his plans to move to KY, but his wife's parents were not willing to go there or have her leave them so he moved to Va settling between the north & south branches of the Potomac where he preached to two congregations for two years. He then crossed the mountains to Georges Creek near the present town of New Geneva in the Redstone Country (About this period a dispute over the psalmody inclined him toward Methodism). He preached some near Uniontown at Laurel Hill Meeting House & in the fall of 1788 & he & others cut loose from their moorings at the mouth of Georges Creek & taking boats, floated down the Ohio & his grandmother died the day before they reached Limestone, Mayorville, Ky & was buried on the banks of the Ohio. Rev R.W. Finley located at Washington, Mason Co, Ky where he remained until the next Spring, 1789 & here I first met Simon Kenton. In the Spring of 1789, he bought land at Stockton's present site of Flemingsburg, Ky & sold out in 1790 & moved to Bourbon Co, KY where he had two congregations: Little Mountain & Concord. In 1796, he moved to Chillicothe, O being the first minister in that section & where the first Legislature of Ohio met on the banks of the Scioto River. Rev John Patterson Finley also son of Rev Robt W. Finley was born in NC in 1810 died in Ohio in 1825. Additional Comments: Extracted from Josiah V. Thompson Journals This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/pafiles/ File size: 6.2 Kb