Person:John Finch (24)

Thummel #31

John was a Mariner, Husbandman.

He was probably born in England and came to New England with [at least] his father, and with him resided in Stamford.

In 1650 he was residing in Westchester Path, Westchester Country. His wife was in the New Haven records as late as 1663. Whether she herself was present in New Haven the entire time is not certain as by 1655 John was residing in Oyster Bay, L.I.

Dec. 4, 1656 - "She was that widow Fuller, now ye wife of John Finch who lives at Westchester, is come into ye Towne (New Haven) to get medical care from Mr. Winthrop for her lame child: and is now pregnant. (New Haven Records.)

April 5, 1657 - The estate of John Finch sold at an outcry by Virtue of a court act at a towne meeting at a outcry according to law to pay a debt due up[on bill to Mary Cuggshall of Flushing to the value of twelve pounds.

April 5, 1657 - The sentence of the court is that John Finch shall pay to Mr. John Fleakes ye debt and damages and cost of the court, twelve pounds and his ... to be prised according to ... of the bill ten days after sentence.

May 16, 1657 - The estate of John Finch sold at an outcry at a towne meeting, his house lot and accommodations sold for nine pounds apiece, and a cow sold for nine pounds eleven shillings, ten cows sold at five pounds apiece and a cow sold for five pounds five shillings to pay a true debt to Mr. Fleakes of Flushing.

Sept. 1, 1657 - It was being proven in court that John Finch is indebted to Edwards Waters, three pounds ten shillings, therefore it was ordered that John Finch shall pay Edward Waters three pounds en shillings and cost of court which amounts to twelve shillings to be performed in ten days.

Nov. 24, 1657 - Appraisal of the goods of John Finch sold at an outcry at a town meeting by virtue of a court acte to pay a debt due Edward Waters.

[It seems in the following account that Finch's name was somewhat restored]
June 6, 1658 - It is by virtue of a court acte here recorded that Edward Waters planted a suit in court in the year fifty seven against John Finch, falsehood and defamed hath received twenty four guilders of John Finch's estate and hath in private returned the money to John Finch against assignment of bill therefore we see cause and have fined Edward Waters twelve guilders and to stand here recorded for a false case.

1658 - 1661 - There appears to be no record of John for several years after 1658. The American Museum of Natural History referred to a cave near Westchester as "Finch's Rock House." This cave had at one time been the living quarters of native Indians and was later excavated by the museum. We believe that john remained here until he went to Oyster Bay, L.I.

Sept. 16, 1661 - John Finch signed a covenant with others as an Inhabiter of Oyster Bay, L.I.

May 25, 1663 - New Haven Court: Goodwife Finch to be paid something out of the Westerhouse's estate if child not out of jurisdiction of the court. Matter came up again on July 7th.

Feb. 1664-5 - Mary Fuller, daughter of Goodwife Finch was guilty of flirt action with John Clarke.

Jan. 12, 1665 - John Finch of Fairfield on the Main sold 5 acres to John Dickinson of Oyster Bay.

Sept. 1666 - In a suit brought by inhabitor of Huntington against Robert Seeley concerning ownership of Eaton's Neck. Finch Sr. and Finch Jr. testified.

March 23, 1667 - Samuel Davis now of Fairfield sold to John Finch now of Huntington a home lot which Caleb Wood of Huntington sold to Samuel Davis May 12, 1666.

Jan. 1, 1668 - John Finch granted land by the Town of Huntington.

April 28, 1672 - John Richbell formerly of Oyster Bay, now of Mamaroneck sold to Isaac Nichols and John Finch of Huntington. Isaac Nichols sold his share of the above to John Finch, no date.

March 25, 1681 - John Finch of Huntington, husbandman, conveyed to George Beldin of same.

July 15, 1681 - John Finch of Huntington, husbandman, conveyed to Nicholas Elles of Huntington, reserving the liberty of living in the house with Nicholas Elles and Mary his wife. If Nicholas sells, I or my son, John Jr. to have the first refusal. (Nicholas Elles married Mary Fuller, daughter of John's wife Hannah Marsh Fuller.)

Nov. 13, 1681 - John Finch Sr. of Huntington, mariner, conveyed to son-in-law Nicholas Elles.

Recorded documents show John Finch designated as both "husbandman" and "mariner" which would seem to indicate that his time was spent in both livelyhoods and that as his son John was with him he also was so employed.

Nov. 31, 1681 - John Finch of Huntington, mariner, having bought from Samuel Davis, then of Fairfield; conveyed part to my son-in-law, Nicholas Elles. I give the remainder after my decease to my son John Finch Jr.

Jan. 2, 1682/3 - Complaint made that John Finch Sr is "deprived" in some measure of his intellectuals and yet is very subject to swounding fits, and yet he is very subject to extravagant courses of drinking strong
drink and his estate was committed to the care of the constable and overseers.

October 6, 1683 - John Finch of Huntington sold to Edward Rigby.

His first marriage was to an unnamed woman, no children recorded. Second wife was the widow Hannah (Marsh) Fuller.

From the papers of Donald Lines Jacobus in the Connecticut Historical Society, Mr. Jacobus gives us the following:
John Finch, second of the name, and his family, are hard to trace, because he moved about so much and lived mainly in towns where few or no vital records were kept. In 1654 John Finch "senior" testified [New Haven Colony Records, 2:75], which warrants the conclusion that he had a son John. The younger John appears in early records of Westchester, across the New York border, 1656-1659. About 1653 he married Hannah Marsh, the young widow of Launcelot Fuller of New Haven, who had a child, Mary Fuller, by her first husband. On 1 June 1652, Jonathan Marsh and widow Fuller (his sister) gave security for the portion Other child. On 4 Dec. 1656, we read, "She that was widdow Fuller, now ye wife of John Finch, who lives at Westchester, is come into ye Towne," to get medical care from Mr. Winthrop for her lame child; and is now pregnant. She is mentioned again in New Haven in 1657 and 1663; and in Feb. 1664/5, Mary Fuller, "daughter of goodw" ffinch," was accused of flirtation [New Haven Town Records, 1:129, 292, 315; 2:53, 132].
We next hear of John Finch as an inhabitant of Oyster Bay on Long Island, N. Y., 16 Sept. 1661; and he sold land there 12 Jan. 1665/6, being then "of fairfield on ye Main," that is, of Fairfield on the mainland in Conn. [Oyster Bay Town Records, 1:41, 46]. The latter was just a year before the death of his uncle, Daniel finch, in Fairfield. His next move was the Huntington, where he remained until his death.
On 23 Mar. 1667, John Finch purchased from Samuel Davis of Fairfield a house lot in Huntington, and the Town granted him land, 1 Jan. 1668. In 1666 he testified, along with Mary wife of Samuel Davis and others, regarding ownership of Eaton's Neck in Huntington. He gave a conveyance 25 Mar 1681, calling himself John Finch Sr.. In 1681 he disposed of his property, calling himself "mariner," to his son-in-law Nicholas Ellis, mentioning Mary wife of Nicholas, referring to the lot he bought from Samuel Davis, and giving the remainder to his son John Finch Jr. On 2 Jan 1682/3, complaint was made that John Finch Sr. is "deprived of some messure of his intellectuals," and to protect his remaining estate it was committed to the Constable and Overseer of the town. On 6 Oct. 1683, John Finch Sr., and John Finch Jr., both of "Huntington, sold to Edward Higby. Finally, there is a record that John Finch Senior died 19 June 1685 [Huntington Town Records, 1:98, 113, 87, 290, 310, 323, 325, 353, 327, 374, 432].
The index to the printed Huntington records, p. 566, indexing the death record, says "90 years old" --- the record itself DOES NOT state any age at all, and he could have been nowhere near such an age. He was probably nearer 60 than 90. It would appear from these records that he had a daughter Mary who married Nicholas Ellis, though it is possible this was the known step-daughter Mary Fuller. The latter, however, was apparently crippled by infantile paralysis, and John Finch's wife was often or for a long time in New Haven with her, to get the benefit of treatment from Gov. John Winthrop, who was a physician and a sort of consultant specialist in colonial Connecticut. It will appear from subsequent records that the son John Finch Jr. was certainly by Hannah (Marsh) Fuller; but we do not know when she died, and it is possible thatJohn Finch Sr. had a second wife, mother of a daughter Mary who married Nicholas Ellis.

REFERENCES:
Thummel, ref no. 31, p. 5-7.
Jacobus, Families
D. W. Marsh, History of the Marsh Family, (1886).