Here's a summary of the data I've collected so far, presented genealogically, with commentary. For data without commentary, organized alphabetically by individual, see the Alphabetical List. Think of the Alphabetical List as the master list of sourced data, while this page presents some of that data in their chronological and genealogical context.
Remember that some parts are more certain than others. Some of these people may be part of another line which became confused in the records. There were many FINNAMOREs in New Brunswick from the late 1700's on, and many of them shared first names. There were Charles, Isaac, William, Richard, and James, Sarah and Elizabeth FINNAMOREs in abundance. It seems almost that there was an unwritten code in that place and time requiring everyone to name at least one daughter Elizabeth! That makes for a very confusing job of sorting through the data. Adding to the confusion is that, from this time on back, our branch of the family often spelled the surname with an e in the first syllable, an e or an i in the middle; and occasionally with a single n. Also, while most appear to be cousins of Irish descent, at least one branch was of Scottish descent, and the FINNAMOREs of neighboring Victoria county reported themselves to be Methodists of English descent, while our Fredericton FINNAMOREs seem to have been Anglicans and/or Presbyterians of Irish descent.
Our ancestors almost certainly came to New Brunswick from New Jersey in 1783 as Loyalist soldiers. Most likely, they had come to New Jersey from (Northern) Ireland, apparently less than one full generation earlier. Edith, great-granddaughter of Charles and Elizabeth, says we came from a place in the North of Ireland called Finamore Crossing, for which she also offers the spelling Fenamore Crossing. Unfortunately, the only thing like it that a Google search turned up was Fenimore Crossing in Pennsylvania, which appears to be far too new to have anything to do with our line.
According to the recollection of Edith Jane FINNAMORE in the mid 20th century, there were three FINNAMORE brothers in the vicinity of the St. John River in New Brunswick around the turn of the 19th century: Charles, Abraham, and James. This James may have been the one who married Col. Isaac ALLEN's oldest daughter Elizabeth, farmed a part of his North Fredericton estate, and died childless, for Edith says that James died (in Prince William) leaving no family. However, she also said the same of Abraham; while there is an Abraham who died in Pr. Wm., no childless Abraham has come to light. Perhaps Edith blended the two stories into one? It's possible that these three brothers were sons of Isaac FINNAMORE, early settler in New Jersey. However, it currently seems more likely that there was another generation between, perhaps the Charles who fought as a Loyalist soldier in Daniel Cozen's company 1781-1783.
The furthest back that anyone has been able to certify is the Charles who married Elizabeth WHITE in 1829. There are at least three candidates for Charles' father's identity, in order of descending likelihood: 1) Charles FINNAMORE of Kingsclear, formerly of the New Jersey Volunteers Loyalist Army, who moved to New Brunswick in 1783 and received 150 acres near Fredericton in the grant to Isaac ALLEN's companies; his father was Isaac of Finemore Crossing, Northern Ireland; 2) Richard FINNAMORE of Kings County, formerly an ensign in the West New Jersey Volunteers, came to N. B. in 1783, wife Ann; 3) David D. (or P.) FINNAMORE whose name is listed with Richard's on a request for land in 1786, also came to N. B. in 1783 in the evacuation of Loyalists from New York, little else known about him.
Charles William & Elizabeth "Betsy" (WHITE) FINNEMORE lived in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada by the very early 1830s at the latest. Their son Isaac is said to have been "the first born in Fredericton" (1831), indicating that they moved to Fredericton after the birth of Richard, apparently from Maine, USA. Charles worked as a carpenter, apparently all his life.
Elizabeth was born 12 July 1812 to Isaac and Susanna WHITE, the ninth of ten children, probably in eastern Maine.
Charles married Elizabeth on 29 September 1829 in Houlton, Aroostook, Maine, USA. In the filing of intention to marry, Elizabeth filed as Betsy WHITE. Houlton is less than 20 miles from Woodstock, N. B., and less than 75 miles from Fredericton. In 1824, a Charles FINNEMORE of Houlton, carpenter by trade, sold land in Hodgdon, ME. That was probably our Charles. Betsy had kin in Hodgdon.
They apparently attended [Anglican] Christ Church, Fredericton. A small painting of what I take to be that building, labeled "Old Christ's Church," may be seen on the web site of the Christ Church Cathedral. They are listed as having baptized infants James, b. 22 July 1843 and baptized next day; and Edwin, baptized Nov., 1847. I have no other documentation on those children. They must both have died in infancy. Two FINNAMORE girls are also recorded as having been baptized in Christ Church, both on 22 June 1817: Mary, b. 23 Dec. 1794; and Anne, b. 04 Oct. 1796. Their parents' names were not given in the info I have; they may well have been daughters of the Loyalist soldier Charles, possibly sisters of this Charles.
Confusingly, Wiley Waugh found birth dates for George, Elizabeth, Mary Ann & Alexander, spanning 1836 to 1849, in the records of Wilmot United Church in Fredericton. According to that church's website, the Methodist, Congregationalist and Presbyterian (but NOT Anglican) churches united in 1925, so historical records from all those were probably combined. So Charles and Elizabeth could have been any of those three denominations, too. But those dates overlap on both sides (and in the middle!) the records of the baptisms of James and Edwin at Christ Church.
There was also a Charles and Margaret (DAVIDSON) FINNEMORE married in Woodstock on 17 May 1826. That could be the source of some of the confusion, although Woodstock is a ways from Fredericton.
Charles and Elizabeth are my great-great-great grandparents. While only four of their children survived to adulthood, they seem to have had ten in all: Richard, Isaac, William, George, Elizabeth, Julia, James, Mary Ann, Edwin, Alexander. (Hyperlinked names in bold known by me to have had children.)
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Richard, born 1829, perhaps in Houlton, Maine, before Charles and Elizabeth moved to Fredericton. Apparently died young. On the other hand, Berton, son of Charles W., said that Richard "went with Gibson to NB," whatever that might mean. Not to be confused with cousin Richard of Marysville. If Richard was son of Charles and Betsy, and was born in 1829, he would have been conceived prior to their marriage.
- Isaac, born 28 Aug 1831 in Fredericton, NB; married Susan Emma WHITE and had six children. He worked with his brother William as a "joiner" (carpenter) in Fredericton, New Brunswick circa 1865, and lived on Presbyterian Row. Isaac died 04 Feb 1901 in Woodstock, and is buried in the Wesleyan Methodist cemetery. Susan had died eight years earlier, on 02 Jan 1893 in Woodstock. Isaac and Susan are my great-great-grandparents.
· · · · · Isaac and Susan · · · · ·
Isaac & Susan (WHITE) FINNAMORE. Susan Emma WHITE was born 29 May 1837 in Calais, Maine, the daughter of Daniel WHITE, who was a brother of Isaac's mother Betsy, making Isaac and Susan first cousins (his maternal grandparents are her paternal grandparents)! Calais is about 100 miles Southwest of Fredericton, NB. Isaac sold land in Fredericton in 1854, apparently just before moving to Calais. Isaac and Susan were married on 26 Nov 1855 in Calais at St. Anns Church (which was either Episcopal or Anglican), and lived there long enough that Charles W., at least, was born there (1856). Probably by 1866, and definitely by 1871, they had moved to Fredericton. It appears that they had bought a house in Marysville by 1879. They had at least 6 children: Charles William, Martha Elizabeth, Roderick Ross, James, Emma Jane, and John Henry.
- Charles William (sometimes listed Ward instead of William) was born in 01 September 1856 in Calais, Maine. He married Sarah Melissa LAWSON in Fredericton, New Brunswick; she went by Melissa. Photos: Family about 1905, Edith and Suzie about 1915. Melissa was born in Lake George, NB on 12 February 1862. She and Charles W. were married on 08 October 1883 by Rev. William Tippett (Methodist) of St. Mary's NB. They resided in Hawkshaw, N. B., which is on the north side of the river, closer to Woodstock than to Fredericton. Later, they moved to Woodstock. Charles was older brother to my great-grandfather, John Henry--older by more than 17 years. He died on 25 Nov. 1939 at the ripe old age of 83 in Carleton County.
They had four children: Berton, Charles Augustus, Edith Jane, and Susan Emma. They were my grandfather's first cousins, though they were older by 20 to 30 years or so.
- Berton was born 25 July 1884 in New Brunswick. Went by Bert. He grew up in Woodstock but moved to Ontario. He may have moved to Cabano, Quebec around 1907. He married Myrtle HAINES and had two children. He was killed in an accident in a war plant during WWII. See a photo of Berton with his father, Charles W., and his son, Allan (Allen).
- Margaret became a nurse. She married and moved to Alaska where her husband was killed in an earthquake and tidal wave in the 1950's. They had no children.
- Charles Allen Rodger Haines, who went by Allen, became an Electrical Engineer. See photo with his Aunt Edith. He graduated from UNB after WWII. During the war he married an English girl. They moved to Peterborough, Ontario where they lived for many years. I'm told they had children. His name may have been spelled Allan.
- Charles Augustus went by Gus. Born 22 August 1885 in Hawkshaw. Lived at Woodstock, NB. Rather late in life he married Tillie DUNBAR. They had no children.
- Edith Jane was born 21 August 1887 in Barony, and resided in Woodstock as an adult. She never married. She gave a little of her family info to in the Genealogical Scrapbook of Southern Victoria County 1978 Historical Project, Woodstock Library. She also gave some information to Leatha SISSON around 1950 and/or 1960. (The SISSON's tie in to one of Susan (WHITE) FINNAMORE's ancestors several generations back.) Read Edith's family story.
- Susan Emma seems to have gone by Suzie and Emma at different times of her life. Born 20 November 1893 in Woodstock, and always lived there. Never married.
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Martha Elizabeth was born in 1859, possibly 22 April. She died in Pokiok, New Brunswick on 22 Jan 1886, at the age of 26. Never married.
- Roderick Ross, born between 1865 and 1867 (17 June 1866?), married Isabella Eliza Ann WHITE 12 December 1894 at the Woodstock Opera House.
Isabella was born 20 August 1866 to George E WHITE and Tamzen (SMITH).
At the time of the 1899 Census, they lived in Waterville, a few miles North of Woodstock, and had at least one son. Eventually, they raised four children; two sons: Ernest, and James; and two daughters: Alice, and Tamzen. Photo of the family around 1906.
Alice's daughter Lillian HAWKINS recalls her mother saying that around 1908-11, when she was about 6 or 8 yrs. old, the family moved to Minneapolis, joining the John Henry family, which had been there since at least 1903. About two years later, they returned to Woodstock, NB. Roderick played the slide trombone at the Salvation Army in Woodstock. Lillian also recalls him playing with the band on the street corners.
Isabella died in Woodstock around the 17 November 1934 at the age of 67. Roderick died 09 March 1944 in Woodstock. These are Roderick and Isabel's children in birth order:
- Ethel May died in 1895 at age 10 months.
- George Elmer died in 1898 at age 18 months.
- Ernest Ross, "Ernie," was born 19 September 1899 in Waterville, Carleton Co., New Brunswick. He married Jean BABKIRK (1898-1983), and they had a daughter, Marie. He died 17 October 1954 and is buried in Woodstock.
- Alice Lillian was born 06 April 1903. She married Claude HAWKINS, by whom she had three children: Lillian (living), Burton (1921-1992), and Ronald (living). She later married Manzer JONES (1897-1999), and had one more son, Robert (living). She died 21 September 1975 in Woodstock.
- James Henry was born 13 March 1905 in Woodstock. He married Margaret E. BARKER, born 02 May 1918, daughter of Dexter Elliott BARKER and Ida Lizzie (STANLAKE). James and Margaret had three daughters: Ruth, Valerie, and Louise (all living). Louise married Patrick SHI and has a son, Henry Luning. James died 05 Apr 1965 in Fredericton.
- Tamzen Melissa was born 10 October 1907. She married Carl PETERSON, and had a son, Leon, and a daughter, Shirley. Tamzen died 04 February 1983.
I count ten currently living descendants of Roderick Ross FINNAMORE; some of them probably have children and grandchildren not listed here.
- James, born in 1869, is said to have "died young." Was 2 years old at 1871 census.
- Emma Jane was born in 1871, possibly 13 June. She died on 02 Feb 1889 in Woodstock, New Brunswick at the tender age of 17.
- John Henry, born 26 Apr 1874 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, married Fannie McCRAE in Carleton County on 29 September, 1898. He died in Minneapolis, Minnesota in Jan. 1947. (Read a fuller account of his life.)
· · · · John Henry and Fannie · · · ·
John Henry & Fannie FINNAMORE. (See photo) Fannie was born in November 1875 in Woodstock, New Brunswick. She was the daughter of John & Susan (BROWN) McCRAE. John, son of Samuel M. McCREA, resided in Waterville, Carleton Co., New Brunswick at the time of the marriage (1898). Her middle name is subject to some confusion: her eldest child Bea called her Fannie Elizabeth; the PANB record of her marriage has her as Fannie T.; another source says Fannie Mae. John Henry and Fannie moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA in 1901. On 10 December 1919, Fannie died of pneumonia after contracting influenza (an epidemic that swept the States at that time), in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the age of 44. They had 6 children: Beatrice, Percy, Richard, Donald, John, and Ken. John Henry and Fannie are my great-grandparents.
Those are the descendants of John Henry FINNAMORE and Fannie McCRAE. They have at least 47 living descendants, probably closer to 50.
Those are the descendants of Isaac FINNAMORE and Susan WHITE. They have at least 59 living descendants, probably several more than that. I'd hazard a guess of about 70.
- William, born 28 March 1834, married Margaret Abigail CARR of Burton, N. B., on 10 July 1860; she went by Abigail. Like his older brother, Isaac, he worked as a joiner (carpenter) in the Fredericton, New Brunswick circa 1865. On 24 January 1854, William and Isaac resided in Fredericton, and sold land (part of lot 212 in block 13 on George St. in Fredericton) to their new brother-in-law, Roderick ROSS. William also sold land in 1860. He fought in Canada's Civil War. He died in 1902 at age 69.
William and Abigail had at least nine or ten children:
- Annie was born in 1861. Listed as 10 years old in the 1871 census.
- Frederick was born in 1863 but died at about age six in 1869.
- William
- Harry (William?) was born about 1866. Listed as Wm age 5 in 1871 census? A Harry Finnamore lived at Oromocto and St. John 17 April 1954. Was a senior printer in St. John. Veteran of Boer War and 1st World War. Son David of Fredericton. 4 daughters: Mrs. Roy C. Samuelson [???]; Mrs. C. W. Ozzard, St. John; Mrs. H. E. Ramsing[sp?], Montreal; Miss Audrey, at home. Was Anglican, member of Trinity Church.
- James ("Jim") was born in 1868.
- Frank was born in 1870. Listed as 1 year old in the 1871 census. He was the umpire for the Fredericton Tartars amateur baseball team on which three of his brothers played. Afterwards, he worked for the St. John, NB, School Board and continued to be an umpire until his death in 1948. The St. John Telegraph-Journal lists his age at death as 80, but that doesn't quite square with the cencus data. He should have been 78 +/-1 in 1948.
- George Ellsworth was born 01 April 1874 in Fredericton. As a young adult, he played for Fredericton's Tartars amateur baseball team, which was famous in the Maritimes both for great batting and for good sportsmanship far above and beyond the call of duty. Later, he moved to St. John, NB, and played for two seasons with the Roses baseball team there. During the winter of 1902-03, he did port work in St. John. Afterward, he moved to Milo, Maine, where he continued to reside as of the 1950s.
- Ada was born 25 September 1877 in Fredericton.
- Albert Theodore M. ("Bert") was born 12 January 1879 or 1880 in Fredericton. With George and Arthur, he made a name for himself playing baseball for the Tartars. In the fall of 1899, after helping the Tartars win the Maritime championship, he went to fight for Britain in the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa. Afterward, he was employed as a printer with The Telegraph-Journal in St. John, NB. That newspaper has him remaining in St. John until his death in 1954 at age 75. However, when he supplied info on William FINNEMORE family to Leatha Sisson in about 1952, he resided in St. John, according to her documents.
- Arthur ("Art") was born 13 December 1882 in Fredericton. He was probably the youngest of their children. Like his brother Bert, Arthur gained notoriety with the Tartars, and went to the Boer war in the fall of 1899. Afterwards, he settled in St. John, NB. During WWI, he gained additional popularity as coach for the champion 12th Battery baseball team. He was inducted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame in 1976 for his all-round sports accomplishments. He died in 1978 at age 96.
- See a photo including Frank and George with the Tartars
Those are the children of William FINNAMORE and Abigail CARR.
- George, born 06 Oct 1836. Assumed to have died young.
- Elizabeth, born 17 Sept 1837, (ROSS family Bible has it 19 Sep 1839 but that would have made her barely 14 yrs. old when married - Christening/Baptism?), married Roderick ROSS on 15 Nov 1853 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Numerous photos of them and their descendants. Elizabeth died 04 March 1914 in Pleasant Valley (Nashwaak), York Co., New Brunswick. Buried 07 March 1914, 42 Highlanders Cemetery, Pleasant Valley.
Roderick ROSS was born 07 July 1832 in Nashwaak Bridge, Pleasant Valley, New Brunswick, son of James Alexander Duncan ROSS & Elizabeth McLeod. He was a shoemaker, a cobbler, if you will. He bought land from Isaac and William FINNEMORE of Fredericton in 1854, according to the St. John Recorder. He died 19 November 1917 in Nashwaak Bridge; buried at 42 Highlanders Cemetery, Pleasant Valley.
According to the 1861 Census, they lived in St. Mary's, York County, New Brunswick; Roderick was 29 years old, and they had 3 children at that time: Charles Roderick, William Perkins, and Alexander Wesley (or Wesley Alexander).
Ultimately, Roderick and Elizabeth had eleven children. Elizabeth must have liked her FINNAMORE family: notice that she named most of her children after one of their uncles or aunts!
- Charles Roderick ROSS was born 30 December 1855 in Pleasant Valley, New Brunswick. He died before 1872.
- William Perkins ROSS was born 16 April 1858 in Pleasant Valley. He married Marjory Isobella MURRAY; six children by her, all girls. Married Barbara Fiddler ROSS 02 March 1903 in York Co.; three children by her. Died 09 September 1940 in Pleasant Valley; buried in Highlanders Cemetery.
- Wesley Alexander ROSS, or Alexander Wesley, was born 22 May 1860. He married Catherine Elizabeth YOUNG 06 June 1888 in York Co. Four children. Died in York Co.
- Elizabeth ROSS ("Lizzie") was born 31 March 1862 in Pleasant Valley. First husband Thomas Henry HANBRIDGE; one child, Elizabeth. Married James Allen FOWLER 19 June 1888 in Corvallis, Montana; three children by him, one named Norma Fennimore FOWLER. Died 30 May 1948 in Lomita, Los Angeles, CA., USA.
- James ROSS was born 06 April 1864 in Pleasant Valley. Died of diphtheria 03 August 1868 in Pleasant Valley, age 4; buried in Highlanders Cemetery.
- Isaac ROSS was born 22 March 1866 in Pleasant Valley. He married Annie Bella 06 September 1893 in York Co.; one child. Died 16 March 1932 in Pleasant Valley; buried in Highlanders Cemetery.
- Donald Roderick ROSS was born 25 May 1868 in Nashwaak Bridge, York Co. He married Elizabeth McCONNELL 30 June 1903 in York Co; four children. Died 27 January 1947 in Nashwaak Bridge; buried at 42 Highlanders Cemetery, Pleasant Valley.
- Mary Ann ROSS was born 05 September 1870 in Pleasant Valley. She married John A. MACNABB 04 September 1895 in Nashwaak, York Co. Died in 1948 in Fredericton; Buried in Highlanders Cemetery.
- Charles Roderick ROSS was born 06 December 1872 in Pleasant Valley. He married Alice BREWER 28 July 1897 in York Co., New Brunswick. Died 28 September 1926 in York Co. Had two daughters.
- Thomas ROSS was born 12 December 1874; died 29 December 1874.
- Thomas ROSS was born in 1877 in Pleasant Valley. Died 07 May 1878 in Pleasant Valley; buried in Highlanders Cemetery.
Those are the children of Roderick ROSS and Elizabeth FINNAMORE. I know of 58 living descendants of theirs (not listed on this site—please see
Frank Crosswell's site for more info on that branch).
- Julia, born 1842, must have died young.
- James, b. 22 July 1843, baptized next day. Presumed to have died young.
- Mary Ann, born 28 Aug 1844 (or 1845-47). At the time of the 1861 census, she resided with her sister and brother-in-law, Elizabeth and Roderick ROSS, in St. Mary's parish. She married John CAMERON on 02 January 1870, at which time both were residents of St. Mary's. Roderick ROSS and Mary Ann's older brother Isaac officially witnessed the ceremony. Mary Ann died 08 February 1920. John and Mary Ann had two children:
- First child died at birth
- Norman A. CAMERON was born in 1885.
- Edwin, baptized November 1847. Presumed to have died young.
- Alexander born 01 Jul 1849. May have died young.
Those are the children of Charles and Elizabeth FINNAMORE. They have at least 117 living descendants. I would guess that they have at least 150, likely far more. Let's have a reunion! 8-)
An odd and sad note is that Charles and Elizabeth seem to have died in obscurity. The last I know of them is at the birth of Alexander in 1849--and really, only Elizabeth must be assumed still living at that point. Theoretically, Charles could have died as early as late September, 1848. But Alexander's birth record is kept at the Wilmot Church, and surely it would have been noted therein if his father was deceased. By the 1861 Census, about twelve years later, the youngest living child (Mary Ann) was residing with Roderick and Elizabeth ROSS and their three very young children, which indicates to me that Charles and Elizabeth FINNAMORE were probably both dead by then. If they died in the Fredericton vicinity, they should be buried there, but they apparently are not. It seems highly unlikely that they would have moved away from all their children, including a daughter not yet grown. Yet no one has found any record of when and where either of them died, or where they are buried. It just doesn't figure.
*SSDI is the Social Security Death Index.
Page updated 13 Aug 2005.
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