William Finley
William Finley was a lad of
sixteen years when he came from the fair old Emerald Isle
to America and began to assist his uncle, the late John
Finley, in the work of one of the productive farms of
Highland township, Clayton county, and he has not only
continued his residence in the township during the
intervening years but has also gained secure status as
one of the enterprising and substantial farmers and
popular citizens of Highland township, where he is the
owner of a large and well improved landed estate, a
portion of which was formerly the old home of the uncle
with whom he made his home during the early period of his
residence in America.
Mr. Finley was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland, on the
11th day of July, 1874, and is a son of Michael and Maria
(Fions) Finley, both of whom passed the closing years of
their lives in their native land, Ireland, the father
having been a farmer by vocation during virtually his
entire active career and both he and his wife having been
devout communicants of the Catholic church.
Of their children the eldest is Thomas, who still resides
in Ireland; William, of this review, was the next in
order of birth; John resides in the State of Montana;
Michael is in South Africa; and John and James died in
infancy.
To the schools of his native land William Finley is
indebted for the educational advantages that fell to his
portion in his boyhood, and, as previously noted, he was
sixteen years of age when he came to America and became a
resident of the county in which he has since gained
marked success and an established position as one of the
progressive exponents of agricultural and livestock
industry in this section of the state.
During the first five years of his residence in this
county Mr. Finley worked for his uncle on the latter's
farm, in section 23, Highland township, and he then
purchased one hundred and forty acres, to which he has
since added until he now has a finely improved estate of
two hundred and sixty acres, nearly all of which land is
available for cultivation, the place being discriminately
given over to diversified agriculture and to the breeding
and raising of excellent grades of live stock. Mr. Finley
is a director of the State Bank of Volga, is a Democrat
in his political adherency, is affiliated with the
Catholic Order of Foresters, and both he and his wife are
communicants of the Catholic church.
On the 14th of July, 1896, was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. Finley to Miss Emma Roche, who was born and reared in
this county and who is a daughter of John and Hannah
(Markham) Roche, both natives of Ireland. Mr. Roche was a
youth when he came to America, and he resided first in
the state of West Virginia. He was eighteen years old
when he came to Clayton county, and here he has since
maintained his home, he and his wife being well known and
much esteemed citizens of Elkader, the county seat. Of their
sixteen children nine are deceased, and Mrs. Finley is
the fourth in order of birth of those surviving. The
eldest is Michael, who is a farmer in Highland township;
William is identified with farm enterprise in Boardman
township; John is a resident of Omaha, Nebraska; Mary is
a member of a Catholic sisterhood and is in a convent at
Danbury; Kathrine is the widow of Patrick Orr and resides
at Elkader; and Cecelia is in a convent at Mason City.
Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Finley the first two died
at birth, and all of the others remain at the parental
home, namely: Frances Dechantal, Mary Cecelia, Matthew,
Florence Zita, and Edward John.
source: History of Clayton
County, Iowa; From The Earliest Historical Times Down to
the Present; by Realto E. Price, Vol. II; pg 121-122
-submitted by S. Ferrall
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