John FINNEY ⁴⁷³³

  General Notes:

"John Finney was baptized on 15 March 1604 in Lenton, Nottinghamshire, England.1 He was the son of Robert Finney and "Mother" (?). He married Christian Patten in Lenton, Nottinghamshire, England, on 22 November 1636.1 He married Abigail Bishop <p47.htm> in Barnstable, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, on 10 June 1650.1,2 He married Elizabeth Bailey <p47.htm> in Barnstable, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, on 26 June 1654.1,2 John Finney emigrated to New England between July 1637 and December 1638. He was assigned land at Webb's Field in Plymouth on 12 December 1639, the grant was confirmed on 6 June 1640. On 16 September 1641 John and his brother Robert were each granted six acres of upland abutting the brook that comes from Fresh Lake, and John received another grant of fifty acres at Pausatuke Neck on 5 June 1666. The court confirmed the grant at Gassuntaguanumcke Neck on South Sea. 7 July 1668.

John was admitted a freeman of the colony on 20 August 1644. He held many positions of trust, beginning with appointment as constable at Plymouth on 7 March 1642. The following year he was include on a list of those able to bear arms from the town of Plymouth. he was collector of the excise at Plymouth 1646-1648 and was three times appointed surveyor of the highways in 1646,1654 and 1668. On 24 February 1652 he was chosen to lay out the highway from Plymouth to Sandwich with twelve other men.

John Finney removed to Barnstable before 29 August 1652 when he was admitted to Rev John Lathrops church. In Barnstable he was appointed exciseman in 1661, inspector of ordinaries in 1671 and constable in 1675. John was frequently a juryman in Plymouth And Barnstable.

On 1 March 1658/9 Isaac Robinson and Gyles Rickard complained to the court in behalf of two children of Henry Coggins, deceased, who were living in the home of John Finney at Barnstable, being the children of his second wife Abigail. The complaint was recorded three days after the death of 'Thomas Coggins, one of Henry Coggins Sons. The exact nature of the complaint is not stated, but it was claimed that the Coggins children had suffered wrong in sundry respects. The case was referred to the May session of the court. In the mean while, John was ordered to keep his stepson. apparently John Coggins, in school all the time excepting six days, and to prepare an account of the children's estate. John Coggins was eventually placed under the guardianship of Captain James Cudworth and Isaac Robinson, and on 7 June 1659 John Finney surrendered all of Henry Coggins lands at Barnstable to the guardians.

Late in his life, John Finney became interested in the Mount Hope lands, now Bristol RI. John and his sons Jonathan and Jeremiah were original grantees of Bristol on 1 September 1681. The last mention of him is in a deed dated 7 February 1682 in which he disposed of his house and thirty acres of lands in Bristol on the Swansea River to his son Jonathan.1 "

John married Elizabeth BAYLEY, daughter of Living and Living, on 26 Jun 1654 in Barnstable, Barnstable Co., Massachusetts, USA.⁴⁷³³ (Elizabeth BAYLEY was born on 9 Feb 1634 in Barnstable, Barnstable Co., Massachusetts, USA and was buried on 9 Feb 1684 in Bristol, Bristol Co., Rhode Island, USA ⁴⁷³³.)