Samuel Finley
Encyclopedia
The Rev. Samuel Finley 1763 DD University of Glasgow (honorary). Evangelical
(Presbyterian, "New Light") preacher and academic, he founded the West Nottingham Academy
, and was the fifth president and an original trustee of the College of New Jersey (later known as Princeton University
) from 1761 until 1766.
It is likely that Samuel Finley was a graduate of William Tennent
's Log College
, in Neshaminy
, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
, known for its training of evangelical Presbyterian ministers who played a role in the 18th Century religious revival known as The Great Awakening
. Finley also was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Glasgow
.
In 1743 Finley was assigned by the New Brunswick Presbytery to the newly formed (January 1742) Presbyterian congregation at Milford, Connecticut
. This congregation was started when 39 Scotch-Irish people applied under the Toleration Act
as Presbyterians under the Church of Scotland. The larger community of Connecticut
may have tolerated this new church, but actions indicate they did not foster and encourage it. In May 1742 the Presbyterians were denied erecting their church on the commons. In November 1742, with the aid of a court order, they built their first church nearby on donated land. Their first five ministers were harassed with fines, imprisonment, and threats of being apprehended as early as January 1742. It was into this climate that the Rev. Samuel Finley was assigned to the Milford Presbyterian congregation. He preached in Milford on August 25, and in New Haven, Connecticut on September 1, 1743. For this, he was prosecuted and condemned. Governor Jonathan Law
ordered him "transported as a vagrant
" from the Connecticut colony. Charles Augustus Hanna, author of The Scotch-Irish, (page 24), concludes that this harsh treatment, so contrary to the British Constitution, sowed seeds of revolution by acting as a forfeiture under the Colonial Charter. In any event, Finley was escorted from Connecticut and advanced on his journey to New Jersey and his future.
On September 26, 1744, Samuel Finley married Sarah Hall (1728 – July 30, 1760), daughter of Joseph Hall and Rebecca Rutter. Various sources report five sons and three daughters were born of this union. On May 13, 1761, he married Ann Clarkson (1730–1807), daughter of Matthew Clarkson and Cornelia de Peyste, of Philadelphia. They reportedly had issue.
Finley's first wife, Sarah Hall, was the sister of Susanna Hall Harvey, the mother of Dr. Benjamin Rush
, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Rush
moved into the Finley home at the age of six (some sources say eight) upon the death of his father, and was one of Finley's students at West Nottingham Academy. Finley is said to have convinced Rush to become a physician. Rush later attended Finley as his physician at the time of his death.
Another signer of the Declaration of Independence, Richard Stockton, studied under Finley at West Nottingham Academy. Stockton's daughter, Julia, subsequently married Benjamin Rush.
During Finley's five-year presidency at Princeton, the college graduated 130 students, including the Rev. James Manning (graduated in 1762), the founder and first president of Brown University
; Ebenezer Hazard
(1762), the third United States Postmaster General
; William Paterson (1763), the second governor of the State of New Jersey; the Rev. Samuel Kirkland
(1765), founder and first president of Hamilton College; David Ramsay
(1765), physician and historian of the American Revolution; and Oliver Ellsworth
(1766), the third Chief Justice of the United States
. Finley's sermons, Hazard said, "were calculated to inform the ignorant, to alarm the careless and secure, and to edify and comfort the faithful".
It is thought that the so-called "Stamp Act Trees" (sycamores) planted in front of the then-President's home at Princeton were planted by Finley. http://etcweb.princeton.edu/CampusWWW/Companion/finley_samuel.html
Samuel Finley Breese Morse
, the developer of the telegraph and the namesake of Morse Code
, was Finley's great-grandson via his daughter, Rebecca.
.
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
(Presbyterian, "New Light") preacher and academic, he founded the West Nottingham Academy
West Nottingham Academy
West Nottingham Academy was founded in 1744 by the Presbyterian preacher Samuel Finley, who later become President of Princeton College . Today, the independent co-ed school serves both boarding and day students in grades 9-12...
, and was the fifth president and an original trustee of the College of New Jersey (later known as Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
) from 1761 until 1766.
Family and students
Finley was the second son from a family of at least 9 children of Michael Finley by Ann daughter of Samuel O'Neill. At least 2 of his brothers, Rev James Finley and Rev. Andrew Finley, became ministers.It is likely that Samuel Finley was a graduate of William Tennent
William Tennent
William Tennent was an early American religious leader and educator in British North America.-Early life:Tennent was born in Mid Calder, Linlithgowshire, Scotland, in 1673. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1695 and was ordained in the Church of Ireland in 1706...
's Log College
Log College
The Log College was the first American Presbyterian theological seminary located in what is now Warminster, Pennsylvania. It was founded by William Tennent and his son Gilbert Tennent and operated from 1726 until William Tennent's death in 1746....
, in Neshaminy
Warminster Township, Pennsylvania
Warminster Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 32,682 at the 2010 census.The town was named for the town of Warminster in Wiltshire, England.-Geography:...
, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
, known for its training of evangelical Presbyterian ministers who played a role in the 18th Century religious revival known as The Great Awakening
Great Awakening
The term Great Awakening is used to refer to a period of religious revival in American religious history. Historians and theologians identify three or four waves of increased religious enthusiasm occurring between the early 18th century and the late 19th century...
. Finley also was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
.
In 1743 Finley was assigned by the New Brunswick Presbytery to the newly formed (January 1742) Presbyterian congregation at Milford, Connecticut
Milford, Connecticut
Milford is a coastal city in southwestern New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located between Bridgeport and New Haven. The population was 52,759 at the 2010 census...
. This congregation was started when 39 Scotch-Irish people applied under the Toleration Act
Act of Toleration 1689
The Act of Toleration was an act of the English Parliament , the long title of which is "An Act for Exempting their Majestyes Protestant Subjects dissenting from the Church of England from the Penalties of certaine Lawes".The Act allowed freedom of worship to Nonconformists who had pledged to the...
as Presbyterians under the Church of Scotland. The larger community of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
may have tolerated this new church, but actions indicate they did not foster and encourage it. In May 1742 the Presbyterians were denied erecting their church on the commons. In November 1742, with the aid of a court order, they built their first church nearby on donated land. Their first five ministers were harassed with fines, imprisonment, and threats of being apprehended as early as January 1742. It was into this climate that the Rev. Samuel Finley was assigned to the Milford Presbyterian congregation. He preached in Milford on August 25, and in New Haven, Connecticut on September 1, 1743. For this, he was prosecuted and condemned. Governor Jonathan Law
Jonathan Law
Jonathan Law was the 27th Governor of the Colony of Connecticut, serving in that office from 1741 until 1750. His term followed that of Joseph Talcott, governor from 1724 until 1741, and preceded that of Roger Wolcott, governor from 1750 until 1754.Law was born in Milford in what was then...
ordered him "transported as a vagrant
Vagrancy (people)
A vagrant is a person in poverty, who wanders from place to place without a home or regular employment or income.-Definition:A vagrant is "a person without a settled home or regular work who wanders from place to place and lives by begging;" vagrancy is the condition of such persons.-History:In...
" from the Connecticut colony. Charles Augustus Hanna, author of The Scotch-Irish, (page 24), concludes that this harsh treatment, so contrary to the British Constitution, sowed seeds of revolution by acting as a forfeiture under the Colonial Charter. In any event, Finley was escorted from Connecticut and advanced on his journey to New Jersey and his future.
On September 26, 1744, Samuel Finley married Sarah Hall (1728 – July 30, 1760), daughter of Joseph Hall and Rebecca Rutter. Various sources report five sons and three daughters were born of this union. On May 13, 1761, he married Ann Clarkson (1730–1807), daughter of Matthew Clarkson and Cornelia de Peyste, of Philadelphia. They reportedly had issue.
Finley's first wife, Sarah Hall, was the sister of Susanna Hall Harvey, the mother of Dr. Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush was a Founding Father of the United States. Rush lived in the state of Pennsylvania and was a physician, writer, educator, humanitarian and a Christian Universalist, as well as the founder of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania....
, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush was a Founding Father of the United States. Rush lived in the state of Pennsylvania and was a physician, writer, educator, humanitarian and a Christian Universalist, as well as the founder of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania....
moved into the Finley home at the age of six (some sources say eight) upon the death of his father, and was one of Finley's students at West Nottingham Academy. Finley is said to have convinced Rush to become a physician. Rush later attended Finley as his physician at the time of his death.
Another signer of the Declaration of Independence, Richard Stockton, studied under Finley at West Nottingham Academy. Stockton's daughter, Julia, subsequently married Benjamin Rush.
During Finley's five-year presidency at Princeton, the college graduated 130 students, including the Rev. James Manning (graduated in 1762), the founder and first president of Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
; Ebenezer Hazard
Ebenezer Hazard
Ebenezer Hazard was deputy Postmaster of New York City who later became Postmaster General.-Biography:He was born in Philadelphia and educated at Princeton University. He established a publishing business in New York in , but quit that business after five years...
(1762), the third United States Postmaster General
United States Postmaster General
The United States Postmaster General is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence...
; William Paterson (1763), the second governor of the State of New Jersey; the Rev. Samuel Kirkland
Samuel Kirkland
Rev. Samuel Kirkland was a Presbyterian missionary among the Oneida and Tuscarora people in North America. Kirkland graduated from Princeton in 1765. On September 20, 1769, Samuel Kirkland married Jerusha Bingham in Windham, Connecticut...
(1765), founder and first president of Hamilton College; David Ramsay
David Ramsay (congressman)
David Ramsay was an American physician and historian from Charleston, South Carolina. He served as a South Carolina delegate to the Continental Congress in 1782–1783 and again in 1785–1786. He was one of the first major historians of the American Revolution.The son of an Irish...
(1765), physician and historian of the American Revolution; and Oliver Ellsworth
Oliver Ellsworth
Oliver Ellsworth was an American lawyer and politician, a revolutionary against British rule, a drafter of the United States Constitution, and the third Chief Justice of the United States. While at the Federal Convention, Ellsworth moved to strike the word National from the motion made by Edmund...
(1766), the third Chief Justice of the United States
Chief Justice of the United States
The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...
. Finley's sermons, Hazard said, "were calculated to inform the ignorant, to alarm the careless and secure, and to edify and comfort the faithful".
It is thought that the so-called "Stamp Act Trees" (sycamores) planted in front of the then-President's home at Princeton were planted by Finley. http://etcweb.princeton.edu/CampusWWW/Companion/finley_samuel.html
Samuel Finley Breese Morse
Samuel F. B. Morse
Samuel Finley Breese Morse was an American contributor to the invention of a single-wire telegraph system based on European telegraphs, co-inventor of the Morse code, and an accomplished painter.-Birth and education:...
, the developer of the telegraph and the namesake of Morse Code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
, was Finley's great-grandson via his daughter, Rebecca.
Memorial at Rittenhouse Square
Though Finley's body was originally buried at the 2d Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, when the building at Arch and Cherry Sts. was torn down his body was moved, and his original tombstone was relocated and could as of 1988 be found imbedded in the wall of a lobby of a building on the North side of Rittenhouse SquareRittenhouse Square
Rittenhouse Square is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn and his surveyor Thomas Holme during the late 17th century in central Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The park cuts off 19th Street at Walnut Street and also at a half block above Manning Street. Its boundaries are...
.
Sources
- Clan Finley. RADM Herald F. Stout, 2d Ed 2 VV bound as 1, Dover OH:1956, v 1 pp 14–5, 24
- Genealogical and Personal History of Fayette County Pennsylvania, Vol. I-II, John W. Jordan, ed. New York, USA: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1912
External links
- Biography from A Princeton Companion by Alexander Leitch, Princeton University Press, 1978.