Letter from Samuel Finley to Jacob Hall; Wm. and Mary Qrtly., Vol. 23, No. 1 Transcribed by Barb Hill for the USGenWeb Archives Special Collections Project ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net *********************************************************************** Jacob Hall Samuel Finley William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol. 23, No. 1 (Jul., 1914) pp. 46-47 Page 46 William and Mary Quarterly Jacob Hall (See Quarterly, XXII., pp. 134, 158) Letter From Surgeon Samuel Finley I am my dear Jake, this very 2nd Day of July within twenty miles of Williamsburg sitting under a tree, enjoying the refreshments of cool breezes & comfortable eatables & drinkables after the severity of a twenty four hours March (which makes a day & a night) thus after taking a comfortable nap & finding my Heart at ease, & Captain Trotter about to set off tomorrow morning for the Northward, & myself to set off in a few hours up the Country to a Mr. Fosters near our Cousins Elisha & John, to attend Major Washington; I say after all these considerations & inducements, I thought I might as well tell you as any person I know in the World, how matter are transacting in this part of the creation. After being sufficiently reinforced by the junction of the Pennsylvania Line, & meriads of Militia, under Generals Morgan, Lawson, Campbell & Stevens, the Marquis began a march more rapid than I believe he ever retreated, drove the Enemy out of Richmond, & so on from Pillar to post until he drove them into Williamsburgh, where they are at this present time of writing, their position there is too strong to venture an attack without manifest hazard & as the Militia cannot be altogether so thoroughly relied upon in attacks of that nature, & the continental troops too few to achieve any great matters, There was a skirmish a few days ago, between Major McPersons Corps & Simcoes - There were some men killed, sounded & taken on both sides, as is usual in like cases - last night, or rather early this morning Colonel Tarlton & his Legion were put into a much greater hurry than I believe they ever were before - They were nearly surrounded by the Brigade commanded by General Muhlenburgh, and had it not been for the stupidity of the Guide, (who thro' ignorance or inattention led them through a field which discovered them), the whole party almost to a man would have been killed or taken - I am obliged to break off abruptly, as Page 47 William and Mary Quarterly Major Washington is now in the carriage waiting for me, but the next conveyance that offers shall be made use of to inform you of every occurrence that transpires, of consequence sufficient to give you a detail of - Compliment to Mrs. & Mr. Coale - The good people over the river, & all the clever fellows of your acquaintance. God bless you Sam Finley When I romed over the Country I called to see Elisha. The Enemy had not done him a farthing of Damage - Mrs. Hall has been very unwell, but is getting better - jack is as fat or rather fatter, than ever I saw him - the Dog is making a fortune, - let him he deserves one - (Addressed) "Doctor Jacob hill Jur. Han'd be Deer Creek Capt. Trotter Hartford County This letter is now in the possession of Mr. Richard Wilmot Hall, of New Orleans. Although undated as to the year, it was evidently written July 2, 1781. The writer, Sam Finley, was without question Dr. Samuel Finley (1748-1801), the son of the Rev. Samuel Finley, President of the College of New Jersey (afterwards Princeton College), and his wife Sarah Hall, daughter of Joseph Hall, of the Tacony family of Halls. The writer was, therefore, a first cousin of Dr. Jacob Hall, president of Cokesbury Colege, Maryland, to whom the letter is addressed. Dr. Samuel Finley was born at Nottingham, Maryland, about 1743, and graduated as an A.B. from Princeton 1765. He served in the Revolution in the Fourteenth Massachusetts as surgeon from April 10, 1778, and in the Seventh Massachusetts from January 1, 1781, to June 1, 1783. He later practiced medicine in New York where he died in 1801. "Cousins Elisha and John" were Dr. Elisha Hall and Dr. John Hall, sons of Elisha and Ruth Hall previously referred to. The events referred to in the letter apparently cover the few months preceding the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, October 19, 1781. Rev. Thomas Hall William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol. 23, No. 1. (Jul., 1914) pp. 48-49 Page 48 William and Mary Quarterly Rev. Thomas Hall. (See Quarterly, XXII., p. 145) Epitaph on a Tomb in the English Cemetery at Leghorn. Sacred to the Memory of The Rev. Thomas Hall Who for nearly 41 years filled the office And faithfully performed the functions Of Chaplain to the British Factory at Leghorn To the zealous discharge of his religious duties He added the best qualities of the heart And a characteristical firmness which at a Period of foreign invasion saved from destruction The Sanctuary where his ashes now repose He was born in Philadelphia the year 1750 And died at Leghorn 12th April 1825 Aged 74 Years This Monument has been erected by the British Factory In token of Respect for his Memory And affectionate remembrance Of his Virtues From the Minutes of the Board of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, July 2, 1816 In the minutes of the Trustees of July 16, 1816, it is recorded "on motion resolved that this Board receive with peculiar satisfaction the distinguished attention of the Rev. Thomas Hall of Leghorn, who being formerly a pupil of the College of Philadelphia has presented to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania a manuscript in the Greek language of the Acts of the Family Record of Henry St. John Clark, 1690 E. F. Keeble William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol 23, No.1. (Jul., 1914) pp. 49-50 Page 49 William and Mary Quarterly Apostles said to be written in the fourteenth century, & also an Egyptian infant mummy stated to be in high perfection. Bishop White was directed to acknowledge the same." (There is no reference in the minutes to the offer of a collection of medals.) Family Record of Henry St. John Clark, 1690 Communicated by Mrs. E. F. Keeble, Nashville, Tennessee. Henry St. John Clark, born April 6, 1715. Sarah Clark, born April 15, 1718 William Clark born Dec. 26, 1722 Esther Clark, born Dec. 4, 1724 Priscilla Clark, born Sept. 2, 1731 William Clark of the above family married Rebecca. Their family: Elizabeth Clark, born Nov. 22, 1754 Joseph Clark, born June 5, 1756 Rebecca, mother of the above children, died Sept. 28, 1758 William Clark married Catherine McDowell Rebecca Clark, born Sept. 1, 1762 William Clark, born July 27, 1764 Isaac Clark, born Sept. 9, 1766 Catherine McDowell Clark died Sept. 25, 1766 William Clark was married to Mary Wells (third wife) Sept. 28, 1769 Ann Clark, born March 13, 1776 Mary Wells Clark died Nov. 21, 1776 William Clark, father of the above children, died May 30, 1792 William Clark, Jr. born July 27, 1764. Married Margaret Thrasher Oct. 13, 1785 Patsy Clark, born July 10, 1786 Nancy Clark, born April 7, 1789 Margaret Clark, born Nov. 20, 1791 Henry St. John Clark, born April 6, 1795 Page 50 William and Mary Quarterly William Clark, born April 24, 1798 Jane Clark *, born Dec. 25, 1800 Margaret, the mother died Aug. 16, 1802 William Clark married Susan Graves July 15, 1803 Sarah Smith Clark, born Feb. 15, 1805 Joseph Tarpley Clark, born Jan. 31, 1807 Alfred Clark, born Oct. 23, 1808 Mary A. Clark, born April 18, 1810 Thomas Coke Clark born Dec. 27, 1813 Francis Asbury Clark born Dec. 27, 1813 Susan McDowell Clark, born Feb 5, 1816 Dorothy Martin Clark, born Feb. 26, 1818 Georgiana Adella Clark, born Oct. 20, 1820 Minerva Colinda Clark, born Aug. 7, 1822 Adrian Graves Clark, born May 17, 1825 Susan Graves Clark died June 14, 1825 William Clark married Margaret McKee (third wife) Nov. 23, 1827 William Clark, father of the above children, died Jan. 17, 1849 Alfred Clark, died Dec. 11, 1808 Dorothy Clark died Oct. 9, 1829 Joseph Tarply Clark, died June 22, 1829 * Note - The Clark family went to Georgia from some county in Virginia, possibly from the Valley of Virginia. jane clark married Guy Smith, son of Rev. Guy Smith, a Baptist minister, who was born in Virginia about 1760, and died in Wilkes County, Georgia, August 17, 1830. He was minister of Fishing Creek Church in this county. He probably came from Bedford County, Virginia, and was doubtless a descendant of Rev. Guy Smith, and Episcopal minister, who came to Virginia about 1700 and was rector of Abingdon parish, Gloucester Couty (William and Mary Quarterly, IX., 44; X., 62), Rev. Guy Smith of Georgia, made his will in 1830, and he names wife Sally Smith, and children - John, Nanny Jennings, Mary Bailey, William, Guy, Thomas, Sarah Goolsby and Elsie Smith. Of these Guy Smith married Jane Clark and had issue - Guy, Thomas Henry (grandfather of Mrs. E.F.Keeble), Anne Kemper, Margaret Caroline, Joseph, Junius, Martha, Jane, Sallie Beatrice (Mrs. Vason living in 1914 nearly eighty years old).