This is on a possible son, William:
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
After pondering on it for a while, I concluded that William Finks must be
the son of Andrew and Sarah (--?--) Finks and grandson of Mark and Elizabeth (--?--) Finks, the putative immigrants.
I think this is also the William Finks who married 9 Dec. 1818 in Madison
Co. Ann Banks. The marriage record indicates they were widower & widow.
I have the following census records for William Finks:
Madison Co., VA, 1810 (Nat'l Archives Microfilm M-252, Roll 69), Frame 465,
p. 385 (12), line 2: William Finks, 1M 0-10, 1M 26-45, 1F 0-10, 1F 16-26, 1 slave.
Madison Co., VA 1820 (Nat'l Archives Microfilm M-33, Roll 131) p. 551, line
19: William Finks, 2M 10-16, 3M 26-45, 1F 0-10, 1F 16-26, 24 male slaves, 9 female slaves, 14 persons engaged in agriculture, 2 persons engaged in manufacturing.
Madison Co., VA 1830 (Nat'l Archives Microfilm M-19, Roll 196), p. 10, line
12: Finks & Banks, 1M 10-15, 1M15-20, 3 M 20-30, 1 M 50-60, 1F 20-30, 1 F 50-60, 30 male slaves, 14 female slaves.
Madison Co., VA 1840 (Nat'l Archives Microfilm M-704, Roll 565), p. 310,
line 23: Finks & Banks, 1M 15-20, 1M 20-30, 1M 30-40, 1M 60-70, 1F 30-40, 1F 60-70, 64 slaves, 24 in agriculture, 4 in commerce and 4 in manufacturing.
The slaves broke down as 10M 0-10, 13M 10-24, 12M 24-35, 3M 35-55, 1M
55-100, 7F 0-10, 4F 10-24, 6F 24-36, 4F 36-55.
(I have a vague recollection that William Finks is living in 1850 in the household of his married daughter, Louisa J. (Finks) Banks, but for some
reason am having trouble finding the record. Perhaps I just imagined it.)
>From these census records, William Finks had to have been born between 1775 and 1784. With those dates, he could not have been later than the third generation. Mark and Elizabeth (--?--) Finks had four sons: Mark, Jr.,
Andrew, John and James. I have not found any evidence indicating James
married or had children. The children of Mark, Jr. are known from the Garr genealogy (though it is possible the list there is not completely accurate). That leaves Andrew and John. John and his known children seems to have
lived in Culpeper Co., while Andrew and his known children seem to have
lived in Madison Co. Because William Finks lived in Madison Co., this
suggests (but, granted, only suggests) that Andrew is slightly more likely
to have been William's father.
This suggestion is made more likely by two records in Madison Co. Madison
Co. marriage bond 292, dated 11 Feb. 1800, was for Simeon Wilhoite and
Polley Finks. Bondsmen were Lewis Deer and William Finks. A letter from Andrew Finks consented to the marriage of his daughter, and was witnessed by the two bondsmen.
Page 297 of Madison Co. Will Book 2 has an indenture, dated 28 Dec. 1809, apprenticing Jabez West to Andrew Finks. The indenture was witnessed by William Finks, Jonas Blankenbaker and Joel Grayson.
I've wondered whether the name "Early" might not be a clue to the origin of Andrew Finks' wife. According to Madison Co. Will Book 1, pp. 123-124, an accounting of the estate of Joseph Early (in account with Adam Banks) was recorded 23 Feb. 1797. The accounting includes cash received in 1785 from Andrew Finks on behalf of John Blankenbaker.
By the way, the account quoted from the "History of the Hume Family" (full citation: William Everett Brockman, "Early American History: Hume and Allied Families" (Minneapolis, Minn: by author, 1926), p. 53) contains a few demonstrable errors. The marriage of William Finks & "Jane Hume" daughter
of George Hume, was performed by minister Joshua Letherer 7/18 Oct. 1805 in Madison Co., VA. Because the marriage did not occur until 1805, the 1803 birthdate given for Early must be mistaken.
Similarly, the Hume book states, "Louisa Finks was married at the age of 46
to Col. Robert Banks, of Madison, VA. She died of apoplexy early in the
Civil War." However, the marriage of Louisa J. Finks, daughter of William Finks & Robert A. Banks, son of Gerard Banks, occurred in Madison Co., VA 26 April 1847. If she were in fact born in 1805, then she was only 42 when she was married. Thus, either the birthdate reported or the age at marriage (or both) must be in error.
In any case, given the advanced age at which Louisa married, I doubt there
are any living descendants of William Finks, assuming that the Hume book's statement is correct that "Early died while in college at Staunton, Va.,
with typhoid fever."
Final note: As a magistrate of the Court of Madison County, William Finks certified that the 8 Oct. 1834 affidavit of John Finks attesting to the
death of his father, Mark Finks, Jr. The affidavit is filed in the pension record of Mark Finks, Jr., at the National Archives.
Worth S. Anderson
[email protected]
-----Original Message-----
From: Cynthia Crigler
To: [email protected]
Date: Sunday, March 28, 1999 12:21 PM
Subject: another Crigler/Hume/Finks
>Does anyone know who this William Finks is?
>
>History of the Hume Family
>
>George Hume married Susannah Crigler, who
> had by him ten children, the oldest of
> whom was Jennie, who married her cousin
> William Finks, in 1802. Mr. Finks was
> older by some years than his wife, and was
> a prosperous merchant in the village of
> Madison Court House, Virginia. To this
> union were born three children, Early, the
> oldest was born in 1803, Louisa 1805, and
> a third child born in 1807 died in the
> first hours of its existence, as also did
> the mother. William Finks started in a
> "gig" across the mountains in 1807, to
> take his motherless children to their
> grandfather's home in Kentucky, he having
> moved to that state and settled in Madison
> County in 1802, a picture of the house
> which he erected in 1803 is given in these
> pages. The children remained in Kentucky
> until Early was 16, and Louisa 14 years
> old, when they again made the long trip
> across the mountains to their old home in
> Virginia. Early entered College in
> Staunton, Virginia.
>
>(that's all I've downloaded on this branch so far)
>
>Cindy Crigler
>
I've found some important additional information on William Finks, so am supplementing my earlier message.
>After pondering on it for a while, I concluded that William Finks must be
>the son of Andrew and Sarah (--?--) Finks and grandson of Mark and
Elizabeth
>(--?--) Finks, the putative immigrants.
Some of you may remember that sometime last year (or so) I floated the idea that Andrew Finks had married Lucy Vawter, the daughter of Richard Vawter.
I was quickly reminded that the Hebron Church Register contains an entry stating: "Andreas Fincks, wife Sara. Johannes born 4 Nov. 1777; bapt. 17
Nov. 1777. Markus Fincks, Catherine Grickler, Christina Blankenbucher."
See George M. Smith, "Hebron Church Register 1750-1825 Madison, Virginia" (Edinburg, VA: Shenandoah History, 1981), p. 17 [34].
However, as discussed below, a court record proves that Andrew did marry
Lucy Vawter, and that she was the mother of William. See William B. Newman, "Towles and Clark Families," Genealogies of Virginia Families from Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine, (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., ____), p. 589. In this article, Newman discusses probate
litigation that required listing Vawter descendants. Newman states:
"Frances [Towles], daughter of Stokeley and Ann [(Vallott) Towles], married Richard Vawter, whose will, dated March 1, 1803, named son-in-law Elijah Wilhoit, daughters Margaret Breedlove, Lucy Finks, Tabitha Rouse, Ann Vawter and Alpha Shelton. Frances Vawter's will, dated November 11, 1811, named daughters Alpha Shelton, Ann Vawter and Nancy Wilhoit. From the decree in Clark v. Towles it appears that Richard and John had two sons, John and Russell; that the former was living in 1845; that Russell married his
cousin, Mary Sparks, and died without issue; that the husbands of Margaret, Alpha, Ann and Tabitha were, respectively, John Breedlove, Robert Chilton [italicized in original], Philemon Vawter and Adam Rouse; and that Lucy,
wife of Mark [sic] Finks, left nine children: Elbert, William and Paschal Finks, Tabitha, wife of Joel Grayson, Julia, wife of Elliot Wilhoit, Judith Wayman, Ann Broyles, Lucy, wife of Abner Berry, and Polly Wilhoit."
Although Newman calls Lucy Vawter's husband MARK Finks, this is demonstrably
a mistake. The 11 Feb. 1800 marriage bond in Madison Co. for Simeon
Wilhoite and Polley Finks, bondsmen Lewis Deer and William Finks, contains a letter by ANDREW Finks for the marriage of his daughter, witnessed by Lewis Deer and William Finks. Similarly, the 14 March 1804 marriage in Madison
Co. of Tabby Finks and Joel Grayson identifies her as the daughter of ANDREW Finks.
The error is perhaps understandable. At the time of the suit Andrew Finks
and Lucy (Vawter) Finks may have been dead. (I'm just speculating here).
If so, the identity of her husband would have been a tangential matter,
whereas the identity of her children, as prospective heirs, would have been
of the essence.
I think "Elbert" must be a misreading of "Elliott", who I have discussed in other messages.
Significantly (well, to me anyway; maybe not to anybody else), the list of children given by Newman is exactly identical to the tentative list I had
come up with through analysis of census, deed, probate and marriage records.
Because Elliott was born between 1777 and 1779, and because he is named as a son of Lucy (Vawter) Finks, Sarah (--?--) Finks must have died shortly after the birth of Johannes (John). Perhaps (here I would stress that I am again speculating, without any evidence) it was a difficult birth and mother and child died shortly afterward. In any case, by 1779 Andrew Finks had
remarried Lucy Vawter, who was evidently was the mother of his remaining children.
>>I think this is also the William Finks who married 9 Dec. 1818 in Madison >Co. Ann Banks. The marriage record indicates they were widower & widow.
>
According to Mrs. P.W. Hiden, "Adam Banks of Stafford County", Genealogies
of Virginia Families from Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine, vol. I (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., ____), p. 104:
"Gerard5 James Banks b. ___, m. in Orange Co. Jan. 17, 1805 Ann Davis, and
d. prior to 1818 for on Dec. 9, 1818, his widow, Ann Banks, m. in Madison
Co. Wm. Finks. The division of the estate of Gerard5 J. Banks is in Madison records, W.B. 4, p. 42, Aug. 21, 1820, and shows that one lot fell to Wm.
Finks and ann his wife, "formerly the relict of Gerard5 J. Banks," and the other to Linn5 Banks as guardian for Robt. Alexander Banks, "an infant of tender years."
"Gen. Robt. A.6 Banks, b. 1806, d. at his home in Madison Feb. 1879, without issue; he m. (1) Louisa Finks, (2) Narcissa Long. He represented Madison Co. in the House of Delegates 1839-1847, was in the Convention of
1850, and again in the House of Delegates 1874-75. He was a general in the Confederate Army and much honored by his neighbors."
>(I have a vague recollection that William Finks is living in 1850 in the >household of his married daughter, Louisa J. (Finks) Banks, but for some >reason am having trouble finding the record. Perhaps I just imagined it.)
I found the record. 1850 U.S. Census, Madison Co., VA, p. 72A, Family No.
254; Nat'l Archives Microfilm M-432 Roll 958: Robert A. Banks, age 43,
Farmer, $60,000 real estate, b. VA; Louisa J. Banks, 41, b. VA; William
Finks, age 69, Merchant, b. VA.
Worth S. Anderson
[email protected]
