Descendants of Robert Finnigan/Finnegan
1782-1858
Generation One
1. Robert1 Finnigan was born in 1782 in Cloughy, County Down, Ireland. His parents are unknown.1 The surname is variously spelled Finnigan or Finnegan. Robert married Jane Pentland, daughter of John Pentland Jr and Elizabeth McWaters, on 30 October 1808 Kirkcubbin Presbyterian Church, Grey Abbey, County Down, Ireland.2,3 He died on 17 April 1858 at Amherst Island, Canada.1
He and Jane Pentland immigrated in 1832 to Amherst Island, Canada, from Ireland.1
Jane Pentland was born on 19 September 1782 in Ballymullin, County Down, Ireland, daughter of John Pentland Jr and Elizabeth McWaters.2 She died on 24 September 1855 at Amherst Island, Canada, at age 73.1 She was also known as Jane Pendleton.
Children of Robert1 Finnigan and Jane Pentland were as follows:
- 2. i. James P.2 was born on 26 December 1809 in Cloughy, County Down, Ards Penninsula, Ireland, son of Robert Finnigan and Jane Pentland.1 He married Jane Lawson on 21 April 1832 in Kirkcubbin, Ireland one month prior to emigrating..1 He died in 1880 Amherst Island, Canada.1 He was buried after 1880 in Pentland Cemetery, Amherst Island.1
- 3. ii. Elizabeth was born on 1812 in Cloughy, County Down, Ards Penninsula, Ireland, daughter of Robert Finnigan and Jane Pentland.1 She married George Brydone Fleming in 1832 prior to emigration.1 She died in 1879 in Ontario, Canada,. She is interred in the Bath United Church Cemetery in Bath, Ontario.1
- + 4. iii. Ann, born 1815 Cloughy, County Down, Northern Ireland; married John Henderson.
- + 5. iv. Mary, born 1818 Cloughy, County Down, Northern Ireland; married Hugh Polley.
- 6. v. John was born on 1820, son of Robert Finnigan and Jane Pentland.1 He married Mary Jane McMath in 1856.1 He died on 5 September 1883 in Canada. He is interred with his wife in Dungannon Cemetery in Huron County.1
- 7. vi. Jane was born in 1823 in Northern Ireland, daughter of Robert Finnigan and Jane Pentland.4 She married John Pentland, son of Samuel Pentland Jr and Mary Jane Finnigan, on 2 November 1847.4 She died in 1885.4
- 8. vii. Agnes was born on 1826, daughter of Robert Finnigan and Jane Pentland.1 She married John Henderson, son of David Henderson, in 1857 Amherst Island, Ontario, Canada.1 She died in 1890. She is interred in Pentland Cemetery on Amherst Island.1 She was also known as Nancy.1
Generation Two 4. Ann2 Finnigan (Robert1) was born in 1815 in Cloughy, County Down, Ards Penninsula, Northern Ireland, daughter of Robert Finnigan and Jane Pentland.1 She married John Henderson on 22 March 1837 in Saint John's Anglican Church, Bath, Ontario, Canada.1 She died on 5 February 1887 in Richmond Township, Ontario, Canada and is interred with her husband in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Richmond Township.1 She and John Henderson lived from 1837 until 1855 on Amherst Island, Canada, when they moved to Richmond Township.1
John Henderson was born in 1806 in Northern Ireland; his parents were George Brydone Henderson and Sara Rowan.1 He died on 16 April 1881 in Richmond Township, Ontario, Ireland,. He is interred with his wife in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Richmond Township.1
Children of Ann2 Finnigan and John Henderson were as follows:
5. Mary2 Finnigan (Robert1) was born in 1818 in Cloughy, County Down, Ards Penninsula, Northern Ireland, daughter of Robert Finnigan and Jane Pentland.1 She married Hugh Polley circa 1846.5,1 She died on 11 June 1889 Huron County. She is buried in Dungannon Cemetery in Huron.1 After the death of her husband in 1857, Mary Finnigan moved to Huron County.1
- 9. i. Sarah3 was born 1839, daughter of John Henderson and Ann Finnigan.1 She married George Sexsmith in 1864.1 She died in 1869.1 She was buried Mount Pleasant Cemetery.1
- 10. ii. David was born 1842, son of John Henderson and Ann Finnigan.1 He married Collista Jane Kennedy.1 He died before 1889.1
- 11. iii. Robert was born 1844, son of John Henderson and Ann Finnigan.1 He married Ann Elizabeth Girvin in 1878. He died on 22 July 1917.1
- 12. iv. George was born 1848, son of John Henderson and Ann Finnigan.1 He married Sarah Hetty Allison in December 1874. He died in 1898. He is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery.1
- 13. v. Hugh was born on 3 September 1850, son of John Henderson and Ann Finnigan.1 He married Ellen Rennick on 3 February 1886 in the Methodist Manse at Selby, Ontario by Reverend Thomas Cleworth. The couple resided in Mount Pleasant. .1 Hugh died on 17 June 1917 at age 66. He is interred in Mount Pleasant Cemetery with his wife.1
- 14. vi. John was born in 1852, son of John Henderson and Ann Finnigan.1 He married Margaret Esther Sexsmith on 24 December 1879.1 He died in 1898.1
- 15. vii. Jane was born in 1854, daughter of John Henderson and Ann Finnigan.1 She married Thomas John Polley, son of Hugh Polley and Mary Finnigan, on 13 October 1880.1 She died on 3 October 1911. She and her husband are buried in Dungannon Cemetery.1
- 16. viii. Ann was born in 1855, daughter of John Henderson and Ann Finnigan.1 She married John Sexsmith on 21 December 1882.1 John Sexsmith and Margaret Esther Sexsmith (wife of John Henderson number 14 above) were siblings. Ann Henderson Sexsmith died in 1897 Manitoba, Canada,. She is buried in Carman Cemetery in Manitoba.1
- 17. ix. James was born on 1859 in Mount Pleasant, Canada, son of John Henderson and Ann Finnigan.1 He married Anna Loretta Russell.1 He died in 1898.1
Hugh Polley was born in 1815 in Cloughy, County Down, Ards Penninsula; his parents are unknown.1 He died on 20 January 1857 at Amherst Island, Ontario, Canada. He was buried in Pentland Cemetery, Amherst Island, Ontario, Canada.6
Children of Mary2 Finnigan and Hugh Polley were as follows:
- + 18. i. Agnes3, born 1848 Nile, Amherst Island, Ontario, Canada; married Jacob Ryan.
- 19. ii. Thomas John was born on 1850, son of Hugh Polley and Mary Finnigan.1 He married Jane Henderson, daughter of John Henderson and Ann Finnigan, on 13 October 1880.1 He died on 22 February 1901.1
- 20. iii. Sarah Ann was born on 1852, daughter of Hugh Polley and Mary Finnigan.1 She died in 1939. She is buried in Dungannon Cemetery.1 She was also known as Sally.1 She was never married.1
- + 21. iv. Eliza Jane or Jenny, born 25 August 1854 Nile, Amherst Island, Ontario, Canada; married James Pentland.
Generation Three 18. Agnes3 Polley (Mary2Finnigan, Robert1) was born in 1848 in Nile, Huron County, Ontario, Canada, daughter of Hugh Polley and Mary Finnigan.6 She married Jacob Ryan on 6 May 1870 Ontario, Canada.6,1 She was also known as Nancy.
Jacob Ryan was born in 1841; his parents are unknown.1 He died in 1901 and was interred in Dungannon Cemetery.1
Children of Agnes3 Polley and Jacob Ryan were:
21. Margaret Elizabeth or Jenny3 Polley (Mary2Finnigan, Robert1) was born on 25 August 1854 in Nile, Amherst Island, Ontario, Canada, daughter of Hugh Polley and Mary Finnigan. An alternative birth date for her is 25 August 1858 Nile, Amherst Island, Ontario, Canada. This latter information was provided by her nephew on her death certificate and is not likely correct as her father, Hugh Polley was dead by January 1857. She was married to James Pentland, son of John Pentland and Margaret Findlay, on 30 September 1885 on Amherst Island although the groom resided in Baltimore, Maryland. Information from the Canadian marriage record includes: "Groom: James Pentland, age 63 residing in Baltimore, U.S., a widower who was born in Ireland and earned his living as a florist. His parents were John and Margaret Pentland. Bride: Jennie Polly, age 31 residing in Ashfield. She is the spinster daughter of Hugh and Mary Polly. Witnesses were Sam Shepherd and Sarah Polly, both of Ashfield. The minister was the Reverend John Turner." James Pentland and Jenny Polley are first cousins once removed. His sister, Jane Pentland Finnigan is the maternal grandmother of Jenny Polley.4,8 Jennie Polley Pentland died on 2 April 1922 in Dungannon, Ontario, Huron County, Canada, at age 67.7
- 22. i. Harry J.4. He was born in 1871 and died in 1948. His wife, Jessie Kerr was born in 1879 and died 1960. Both are interred in Dungannon Cemetery.
- 23. ii. Hugh born 1876; died 1900.
- 24. iii. Jennie born 1880; died 1979.
- 25. iv. David born 1878; died 1948. He married Jennie McGratten)
- 26. v. Margaret born 1886; died 1951
- 27. vi. Luella Polley born 1888; died 1942.
- 28. vii. George. "Went West" no information known
- 29. viii. Daisy born 1896; died 1946.
From 1886 until roughly 190, Jennie lived as Mrs. James Pentland in Baltimore City, Maryland. After the death of her husband she returned to Amherst Island where she raised her only grandchild, Nancy Kleff with the help of her sister.
Children of Jenny3 Polley and James Pentland were:
- + 30. i. Mary Hazel4, born after 1886 Baltimore City, Maryland; married Charles Lore Kleff.
Generation Four 30. Mary Hazel4 Pentland (Jenny3Polley, Mary2Finnigan, Robert1) was born after 1886 in Baltimore City, Maryland, daughter of James Pentland and Jenny Polley. She married Charles Lore Kleff before 1914. She died on 20 January 1917 in New Orleans, Louisanna,. She was killed in a street car trolley accident in New Orleans where she had accompanied her husband who was in the US Army. While there she was working for the Gulf Oil Company. One evening when returning from a business affair, she stepped off a running board of an automobile and was struck and killed by an on-coming trolley. This occurred on her daughter's third birthday.29 She was buried on 24 January 1917 in the Pentland family plot in Greenmount Cemetery, Baltimore City, Maryland.30
Charles Lore Kleff died in 1960 Maryland.29 He was buried in Loudon National Cemetery, Maryland.29 After the death of his first wife, Charles L. Kleff apparently married two or possibly three more times and fathered additional children.