Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of James Finley

[ Home Page | First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page ]

Descendants of James Finley

Generation No. 1

1. JAMES¹ FINLEY¹ was born Abt. 1767 in Virginia, and died Bef. July 1848 in Cherokee County, Georgia. He married MARGARET FARRIS² Abt. 1790 in Edgefield County, South Carolina, daughter of ABSALOM FARRIS and NELLIE. She was born Abt. 1770 in North Carolina, and died Abt. 1852 in Cherokee County, Georgia.

Notes for JAMES FINLEY:
If James Finley was age 25 when his son Hezekiah was born in 1792 then he
would have been born about 1767. This is only an estimation of his birth date.

CENSUS RECORDS
1800 - South Carolina - Pendleton - Page 12
      Males: 30010 Females: 2001000
1810 - South Carolina - Pendleton - Page 145
      Males:

1820 - South Carolina - Pendleton - Page 223
1830 -
1840 - Georgia - Cherokee County - Page 193
      James Findley      Males: 1 age 20-20 & 1 age 70-79
                  Females: 1 age 60-69
1850 - Georgia - Cherokee County
      James has died and Margaret is living with her daughter Martha and her husband James Smith.

Notes for MARGARET FARRIS:

In 1841 Margaret Findley went into court in Cherokee County and gave a sworn statement that she was present at the wedding of Henry and Sophia Guess in the fall of 1789 in Edgefield, South Carolina. Margaret's sworn statement was used by Sophia Guess as her proof of marriage when she (Sophia) applied for a pension as the widow of a Revolutionary War veteran.

Margaret's sworn statement; transcribed from the Am Rev Pension File of Henry Guess (W7609 SC).

Georgia, Cherokee County

Before me George B Quarles a Justice of the Inferior Court in and for said County personally came Margarett Fiendly who after being duly sworn deposith and saith that she was present and saw Henry Guess and Sophia (the present applicant for a pension) legally joined in Matrimony in the fall of the year Seventeen hundred and Eighty Nine (the precise day, or month not recollected) and that said marriage took place in Edgefield district South Carolina and that the said Henry and Sophia lived together as man and wife untill the death of the said Henry.

Sworn to & subscribed before me George B Quarles J.I.C. this 9th January Eighteen hundred and forty one.
            her
            Margarett + Fiendly                                     mark

Georgia, Cherokee County

I George B. Quarles J.I.C. a Justice of the Inferior Court of said County do hereby certify that Margaret Findly the above deponent is a person of unquestionable respectability and credibility and that she is entitled to full faith and credit. Sworn under my hand this 9th January Eighteen hundred Forty one.

George B Quarles J.I.C.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The link to the Farris family comes later in an 1848 Stoddard County, MO probate case. These records show that Sophia Guess and Margaret Findley were both sisters of Absalom Farris.

Absalom Farris, Sr. died in Stoddard County, Missouri in late 1846 leaving a widow Jemima. Evidently he had no children (living children anyway) and left no will. As a consequence, his estate, which included six slaves, ended up in Probate Court. In such cases the estate is divided between the widow and the siblings of the deceased. If a sibling was deceased, then that share to the children of the deceased sibling. Absalom Farris, Jr., a nephew who also lived in Stoddard County, was appointed administrator of the estate. The six slaves made up the bulk of the value of the estate.

The one document of greatest interest is the "Petition For Partition" found in Stoddard County Probate Court Book A, Page 104, dated 6 July 1848. In law, to "Partition" is the process of dividing property and giving separate title to those who previously had joint or common title. The petition reads: Jemima Farris Vs the Estate of Absalom Farris, Sr. and names 30 people that are entitled to a share of the estate. All those named are either siblings of Absalom Farris, Sr. or children of deceased siblings. This one page contains a wealth of information and provides valuable insight into some of the names found in earlier documents.

      Margaret Finley is named directly in the petition. Margaret's husband James is not mentioned which means he was deceased at the time (6 July 1848). Had he been living he would have named along with Margaret because husbands represented their wife's interests. This is undoubtedly the same Margaret Findley who testified in 1841 she was present for the 1790 marriage of Sophia and Henry Guess in Edgefield Co., SC. This means Sophia Guess and Margaret Findley were sisters.

      Sophia Guess falls into the category of deceased sister. Sophia died in 1844, four years prior to Absalom Farris's death and Sophia is not specifically named in the petition. However, Sophia's eight children are named, as heirs to her estate; five sons, three daughters and their husbands

      Another person named is Thomas Howard. Thomas Howard was the son of Samuel Howard and Sarah Farris. Henry Guess was a witness when Sarah Howard deeded her late husband’s estate to her only son Thomas Howard in Edgefield, South Carolina in 1791. Sarah Howard was another sister of Margaret and Sophia which explains why Henry, married to Sophia, was a witness to the deed.

Probate Court BK A Pg 104
Stoddard County Court, transactions Probate business July term 1848
July 6th AD 1848 3rd day of the Term

Petition for Partition

Jemima Farris versus Absalom Farris Jr. Administrator of the Estate of Absalom Farris Senr deceased, William Farris, Margaret Finley, Jeremiah Looper and Mary Looper his
wife, Daniel Phillips and Ruthy Phillips his wife, Daniel Hooper and Joicy Hooper his wife, Thomas Howard, Lewis Haygood, Abraham James and Creasy James his wife, Thomas Fowler and Nancy Fowler his wife, William Simmons and Sarah Simmons his wife, Willis Haygood, Thomas Haygood, James Guess William Guess, Henry Guess, Joseph Guess,
Absalom Guess, Daniel Edwards and Nancy Edwards his wife, Russel Cannon and Elizabeth Cannon his wife, Alfred Edwards and Mary Edwards his wife.

This day came the parties by their attornies and the said Jemimia Farris presents her petition praying for the partition of the Slaves of belonging to the Estate of Absalom Farris Senior deceased and mentioned in her said Petition, and this Cause is submitted to the Court who after hearing the proofs and allegations of the parties will thereof take time to advise.

Those Named in the Petition for Partition and Their Relationship to
ABSALOM FARRIS, Sr.

Absalom Farris, Jr., administrator            Son of brother William Farris
William Farris                        Brother
Margaret Finley                        Sister
Jeremiah Looper and Mary Looper             Sister
Daniel Phillips and Ruthy Phillips             Sister
Daniel Hooper and Joicy Hooper             Sister
Thomas Howard                        Son of deceased sister Sarah
Lewis Haygood                        Son of deceased sister Betsy
Abraham James and Creasy James             Daughter of deceased sister Betsy
Thomas Fowler and Nancy Fowler             Daughter of deceased sister Betsy
William Simmons and Sarah Simmons            Daughter of deceased sister Betsy
Willis Haygood                        Son of deceased sister Betsy
Thomas Haygood                        Son of deceased sister Betsy
James Guess                        Son of deceased sister Sophia
William Guess                        Son of deceased sister Sophia
Henry Guess                         Son of deceased sister Sophia
Joseph Guess                         Son of deceased sister Sophia
Absalom Guess                         Son of deceased sister Sophia
Daniel Edwards and Nancy Edwards            Daughter of deceased sister Sophia
Russel Cannon and Elizabeth Cannon             Daughter of deceased sister Sophia
Alfred Edwards and Mary Edwards            Daughter of deceased sister Sophia


Children of JAMES FINLEY and MARGARET FARRIS are:

	i.	MARY² FINLEY, b. South Carolina; m. ALLEN BRASWELL.
	ii.	ELIZABETH FINLEY, b. South Carolina, USA.
	iii.	HEZEKIAH FINLEY, b. Abt. 1792, South Carolina; m. ELIZABETH SATTERFIELD.
	iv.	JOHN FINLEY, b. Abt. 1798, South Carolina; m. NANCY FREEMAN.
	v.	SARAH FINLEY, b. Abt. 1800, South Carolina; m. WILLIAM STRIBLING.
	vi.	ELLENDER FINLEY, b. Abt. 1801, South Carolina; d. 11 June 1888, Cherokee County, Georgia; m. WESLEY FREEMAN; b. Abt. 1795; d. 28 June 1855, Cherokee County, Georgia.
2.	vii.	MOSES FINLEY, b. Abt. 1805, South Carolina.
3.	viii.	AARON FINLEY, b. 04 July 1810, Greenville County, South Carolina; d. 25 October 1859, Cherokee County, Georgia.
4.	ix.	ALEXANDER FINLEY, b. Abt. 1812, South Carolina.
5.	x.	MARTHA FINLEY, b. Abt. 1814, South Carolina.
6.	xi.	JAMES LEE FINDLEY, b. Abt. 1818, South Carolina; d. 18 June 1900, Jonesboro, Craighead County, Arkansas.

[ Home Page | First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page ]