A message came this week from Jackie Moyer who sent along some additional information on the Snyder line. Tuenis Snyder, b 1781, was married to Catharina Finger. The new information will appear after the next site update. She is researching the Snyder line and is looking for a Henry Snyder who married Catherine Cooper.
December 16, 2000
This week we heard from two more relatives, Mark Fingar and Dave Fingar, who are brothers. They both sent some updated and additional information on their branch of the family which will be included in the next upload. In addition, Dave sent a picture of himself along with his father, his son, and grandson. Dave tells us he works for a cable TV company out of Catskill, NY and says they launched their cable modem service last year and can hardly keep up with the orders.
Also, Paul L. Finger sent a message to tell me that I looked younger on Hee-Haw. Well, he's right. The picture of me on the home page was taken in 1975, while the picture of me in with my data was taken this year, 2000. (I only hope I am as much wiser as I am older!)
December 10, 2000
The move to our own domain name has been completed so please be sure to change your bookmarks. The old website will redirect you to the new one for a short while, but then will be gone. Let me know if there are any problems or broken links.
December 2, 2000
The international nature of our family name was brought home again in the following message that came in this week:
Hello, my name is Heraldo Cardoso Finger Júnior I live in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil. I am looking for information on my family, it would like to maintain contact with you, that wait they are an extenção of my family. Hugs.We hope to hear more from Heraldo.
November 19, 2000
I updated the database today, so all new information and changes that I've received since August are
now included.
Our move to our own domain will take just a little longer, but will be done by the end of the year. Also I
changed the picture of myself on my data page to one more current
(and better quality too!)
November 10, 2000
As you can see, we are getting ready to move the site soon. I expect it to be completed before the
year's end. There may be some glitches, and I hope anyone who finds a broken link or other problem will
let me know. This is a bigger project than it might appear. There are over 400 html files in 4 directories and
25 custom html pages in another. In addition there are over 100 image files.
Today we were contacted by Mark Stickles, the great-great grandson of Adam Finger, who offered to send some additional information. We're
always happy to have any additions!
Also, Ellen Gerwitz sent some additional information which I have not been able to
incorporate yet, but I will try to do so soon.
September 9, 2000
My how time flies. It seems like I'm able to update our NewsPage only about once a month. Not too much
is happening in the research front. I am keeping busy with other projects and havn't done any further
research. I do have more pictures to add to the site and I hope to get to them soon.
We did get a message from John Vanko, the great grandson of Conrad Finger, who came from
Bottendorf to Baltimore in 1883. John tells us that Conrad was the ancestor of all the Fingers in Baltimore,
but that the Finger name has died out there. He has names of a few other Fingers who came to the US from
Bottendorf too. Look for this on our Known Finger Family Lines page.
Also, I was pleasantly surprised today when doing some searching on the web to find these comments from
Distant Cousins about our
site:
This site should be referred to as THE Finger Family Site as it is packed with information from a multitude of sources. Make this your first stop for researching Vinger, Finger, and Fingar...
In addition, I have removed a couple of dead links and added a few new ones to the Links Page.
August 12, 2000
Terri (Finger) Bigelow has sent some corrections to her
information. She had thought that the parents of Joseph Finger were Johann Finger and Anna Herrmann. But with
further research she has found that his parents were Conrad Finger and Agatha Buchderkirchen, both from
Meerhof, Germany. Her information can be found on the Known Finger Family Lines
page.
August 7, 2000
Ellen Gerwitz has finally found the information that
establishes that Peter Finger, who was the son of Jacob and Christina
Finger, was the same person who married Mary Barnes and who lived in Yates County (see the July 30, 2000 news
item below). This is significant, as Peter and Mary's children are the ancestors of many of the Fingers in
Yates county today. As the details come in, I'll add them to the site.
August 4, 2000
The web database has been updated! I finally was able to find the time to do
an update, and there have been many additions and corrections, some of which are mentioned below on the July
30th entry.
Also I was able to post the first of a number of pictures I have received. The Fiftieth Anniversary of Clarence and Nellie Finger, taken in 1947, has been
added.
July 30, 2000
Contributions have come in faster than I can handle them this month! But I
am putting it all together as fast as I'm able, and will have some additions to the site soon.
Clair Smith sent some pictures and some additional
information on his line (The first thing I need to do is spell his name correctly!) I have scanned in the
pictures and will try to get them posted soon.
Ellen Gerwitz has just about made the connection between her Finger line and mine. It would
be wonderful to find proof, since it would connect our line together with a large number of Fingers in Yates
county. Here's part of her message:
Jacob J. married Christina Traver and had ten children. Number seven was Peter. He was born 13 SEPT 1824.So if we can document that the Peter Finger who married Mary Ann Barnes is the son of Jacob J. Finger, we will have found a great connection.
Jeremiah married Eva Rector and had seven children. Number two was Andrew. Andrew married Rosetta Barnes.
This would make Peter and Andrew cousins.
You can see ... that Jeremiah appears in Yates CO. early on. In all the early census records, there is no Peter Finger. Not even as a child. He does not appear until his marriage to Mary Ann Barnes in June of [1850]. In the 1855 census, he, Mary and their first son Charles H. show up. (This is not the same Charles H. Finger [who] was in the Civil War.) The wierd thing is that five years later in 1860, Mary Finger is shown with her two children, Charles and Mary Eva. But Peter is living in Benton with Andrew and Rosetta (Barnes) Finger and kids. Why???? I don't know. But there is no other Peter Finger anywhere on the census records for the other towns for those years. So, it must be the same one. Then, you can see that Peter does not show up on any of the other census records after 1865. That is because he died of smallpox in the civil war. I think that the Peter that I have (who was born in AUG/ SEPT of 1823/1824) is the son of Jacob J. Finger. I think he came to Yates County [from Columbia county] to visit/work with his cousins, met Mary Barnes - the sister of his cousin's wife - and decided to marry her and stay.
Pat Hegner has sent this:
Documented I have 3 death certificates with Elizabeth Finger, mother and John Harris, father. These are for their 3 sons Jermiah Harris b 1837, d Sept 29, 1902 at age 65; Edward Harris b 25 Sept 1841, d 19 Aug 1900 age 65; and John Ira Harris b 01 Dec 1848, d 03 Nov 1914 age 66. All are buried in Wiltwyck Cemetery,Kingston, NY.Previously I had different children listed, Henry Edward Harris and Morgan Lewis Harris. She mentioned that the source for these names, a newspaper article, is in error. A big thanks to Pat, we want the Finger Family site to be as accurate as possible.
Betty Ann Holt sent a couple of corrections to the wife and children of Alfred M. Finger.
Dennis Finger made contact, too. He is the grandson of Clarence Finger and presently lives in California. He sent along some updated information.
Judy Johnson sent some additional names in the Moon family. William Moon was married to Anna Finger.
On my mother's side, it was a roundabout message that finally led me to my mother's cousin, Thomas Connors, who is about 80 years old. He was able to fill me in on some previously unknown facts about my g-grandmother Mary Salta. One thing in particular he told me was that the correct spelling of his mother's name was Smetana, not Smictana as I had it.
June 25, 2000
We received a number of messages this week, all with little bits of
information to add to our database.
Bill Poucher sent some additional information on his line. His g-g-gf was Jacob Poucher who was married to Eva Finger. He mentioned that Jacob's
father was probably Anthony Boucher, a Dutch and French Huguenot settler in the Hudson Valley.
Clair Smith, the great grandson of Almeron Finger and Laura Mower, made contact and let us know he grew up with
the four brothers Foster, Robert, Virgil and Alson Finger in Saugerties. He presently lives in
Pennsylvania.
Terry Finger contacted us again and tells us
there were four Robert Fingers around when he grew up in Saugerties. He offered to do a little research and
share his findings with us. He too is aware of the Finger / Fingar split but doesn't know what the cause
was.
And finally, Douglas Austin sent some additions to his part of the Austin line. The common
ancestor to him and me was Samuel Austin, with his line
progressing through Samuel's son Samuel and mine through son Thomas. It was Thomas' great grandaughter
Lydia Ann Austin who married my great grandfather, Ellis M.
Finger
June 16, 2000
The web database has been updated! So any changes I've received since
February should now be on the site.
Terri (Finger) Bigelow was in touch and has additional information on her line. Joseph Finger's father is Johann Finger and his mother is Anna Maria Herrmann.
Their names have been added to the Family Lines page. [note: this has been updated, see the August 12, 2000
item] - Dwight
Also, Terry Finger, who found himself in our
database, has sent along some additional information on his part of the family, which included some
corrections to his parents information. Terry says although he now lives in Missouri, he was born in
Saugerties, NY.
A sincere thanks to all who help make our information useful and accurate!
May 30, 2000
Not too much happening on the Finger Family website these days, mostly because I'm keeping pretty busy with my web work. However we did hear from Judith Finger Bradley this week. She and her sister, Diane Finger Brenneman, just got back from a Finger family reunion in Saugerties, NY; held at the Smith farm. She didn't know it would turn out to be a reunion of the Finger relatives until she arrived:
We didn't know it was really a Finger reunion until we got there - and discovered that everyone there (about 30 people) was indeed a descendant of Nellie and Clarence [Finger] or married to those who were. The Smith farmhouse belonged to Clara Finger Smith's husband's family, and the Smiths have occupied it since 1810. . . I think there have been about three annual reunions, started after the death of Jean Davis Martin (granddaughter of Clarence and Nellie).Judith says she'll try to remember to let us know in advance of next year's reunion.
At any rate, a good time was had by all - very informal and unstructured - and another is planned for next year.
April 22, 2000
Shirley Maynard has discovered the name of the first wife
of Philip Finger. Laura Johnson is her name, and she is,
possibly, the daughter of Freeman Johnson. Laura and Philip are the parents of two children, Egbert (b 1831)
and Mary (b 1834). Laura will appear on the site after the next update. Again a big thanks to all our
contributors.
March 25, 2000
Keith Finger from "upstate NY" sent us a message
about his ancestor. Even though he lives in the area of Johannes Vinger's descendants, he is from a
different family line. His information, about his great-grandfather Fredrick Finger from Switzerland is on the
Known Finger Family Lines page.
Also, Kathy Lathrop was in touch and sent us information on another line, that of her
g-g-grandfather, Gottried Finger. Read about her family also on the Known
Finger Family Lines page.
February 25, 2000
I have something a little different but interesting this month. I heard from
Patricia Figner. That's right, not Finger but Figner. Here are some snippets from her
messages:
The name "Figner" , means "of noble wear", the Figner's were part of a line of Russian Nobleman. The first one I've found in Russia, so far, was Samoil Figner B- Approx. 1762. However I recently found a Figner born in Seifersdorf, Preussen, in 1682. I'm not sure, but I think that's part of Germany. We are a confusing clan, I also have a Figner that was in the Magna Carta, and that's English stuff!
To make a long story short, we lived in Russia for a good 100 years, so I say were Russian. It appears also, that we were a bunch of hired hit men! One hired to fight for the English, 1 in the Napolean war of 1812, a spy, and Vera Figner, the Russian Revolutionary that killed the Czar of Russia!. . .
All my research shows, that there is only one "Figner" family in the entire world. . . I'm quite sure my surname has remained the same since the 11th century, but I have some ancestors in PA that have your last name...
Also, this came from Sophie Finger:
Hi, I write to you from Repentigny just beside Montréal in Canada. Excuse me for my English because I'm French Canadian. I'm doing some research about my family (FINGER) for 5 years now. In the provinces of Quebec in Canada we are only 3 with this name, but I know there is more in Canada but I dont' know how much!. . .
I send to you my ancestor who came in Canada. . . Charles Finger b. AUG. 8 1870 Dijon France, died Dec. 21 1943 St-Jerome, Quebec, Canada. He takes the boat with his family, to go to Buenos Aires in Argentine but that boat broke when he was on the sea and [he was] rescued by the boat Dominion [that] came to Canada.
And I had a message from Michael McNutt, the great grandson of Ellis M. Finger, who has sent me some corrections to his side of the family.
February 6, 2000
Unfortunately, I am pretty busy these days and so there isn't much news to report. I did
update the database today, but there is nothing of great significance, just some minor changes and a couple of
errors fixed.
Rick Coon sent some pictures of maps of the Germantown and Clermont areas of 1888, I'm
trying to decide how/if to post these. Many familiar family names are on these maps - Bathrick, Coon,
Fingar, Livingston, Moore, Rifenburgh, Tinklepaugh, Scism and more.
There was an inquiry from Ellen Gerwitz asking for information about a Clarence J. Finger (b.
1880-90) who seemed to loosly match Clarence Finger in our
database, but it turned out to be a different person. Interestingly, both Clarences were married to women
named Nellie.
January 1, 2000
To start off the new year I have reset the home page counter. We had over 12,000 hits to the
site during 1999.
Also, this greeting came from Carlos Finger:
From Argentina, I send [you] an affectionate greeting and my desires of a good year 2000. For [your] intermission greeting to all the FINGERS that visit [your] beautiful page.
A hug -
Carlos Finger