Jeremiah Finley

[Diane Merkel]

A website visitor wrote:

He died on Last Stand Hill, and I know he made Custer's jacket. Any info would love to have. He was in the Civil War but I don't know what side he was on. He came from Tipperary, Ireland.

[benteen]

Sgt Jeremiah Finley served for four years in the CW and was a Union Veteran. He was killed on lower Calhoun Ridge and his body was severely mutilated. Wifes name was Ellen Anna Elizabeth, they had 3 children.

Source of information---Participants in the Battle of the Little Big Horn by Frederic C Wagner Ill

Be Well
Dan

[janfin]

would love any info on Jeremiah Finley's family tree--thanks Janet Finley

[quincannon]

If Fred does not see this in the next day or so, PM him and ask. He can at least give you a starting place

[fred]

Thanks, Chuck, for all that misplaced confidence in me!!! < g >


Janet,

Finley, SGT Jeremiah—b. Tipperary, Ireland, 1841 – d. June 25, 1876, killed at the Little Big Horn. Company C, sergeant. Gray eyes, brown hair; 5’ 7” tall. Arrived in U. S. in 1860 at nineteen. Served for four years in the Civil War. Re-enlisted on September 18, 1868 and assigned to Seventh Cavalry. Veteran of the Union Army. Also a tailor; made Custer’s buckskin jacket. His horse was named “Carlo.” Killed on lower Calhoun Ridge, near southeast border of the reservation. His body was severely mutilated, with twelve arrows sticking in it and was found next to the head of his horse [Liddic, Vanishing Victory, p. 150]. Kanipe claimed Finley took the scalp found at the sundance camp and kept it. He had it in his saddlebags when he was killed [Graham, The Custer Myth, p. 248; interview in the Greensboro, NC, Daily Record, April 27, 1924]. Wife’s name was Ellen Anna Elizabeth. They had three children: Mary Ellen, William H., and Jeremiah. Listed number 14 in “June Returns, Alterations… Killed in action.”

In my own personal work and study of the battlefield and its markers, I place him at Marker 142.

In addition to this information, I have a friend in England who has done extensive work of the genealogy of Custer's men hailing from Ireland. As soon as he gets back to me I shall post more information.

Best wishes,
Fred.

[fred]

Janet,

More information coming within the next few days.

Best wishes,
Fred.

[quincannon]

Fred: If my confidence in you was misplaced, you would not have come through for this young lady as you did.

Am I correct that 2015 is your LBH year? My buddy Jack and I are thinking about a trip there next June.

[janfin]

thanks so much for the reply-looking forward to hearing more
-Janet

[fred]

Jun 17, 2014 14:35:14 GMT -6 janfin said:

... looking forward to hearing more.

Soon as I hear back, Janet, I will post it here.

Best wishes,
Fred.

[fred]

Jun 17, 2014 14:02:21 GMT -6 quincannon said:

If my confidence in you was misplaced, you would not have come through for this young lady as you did.

< g >

Am I correct that 2015 is your LBH year?

Yes. June 2015. I will keep you posted.

Best wishes,
Fred.

[fred]

Janet Finley,

Here is more information on Jeremiah Finley. This is from a friend of mine from England, and very fine researcher named Geoffrey Topliss.


Jeremiah Finley was born in County Tipperary in 1837 and enlisted in Her Majesty’s 17th (Leicestershire) Regiment of Foot on September 29th, 1854 at Kilkenny, Ireland under the name of Darby Finlay, aged seventeen years and nine months. Finlay’s name does not appear on the list of soldiers who qualified for the Crimean War Campaign Medal and his regiment was already in action in the Crimea when he enlisted. He probably arrived at Sebastopol when the war was all but over, in February 1856, having sailed via Malta to the Crimea with a draft of re-enforcements. Finley’s regiment sailed to Canada a few months later where it served as part of the British garrison.
Finley’s ten year engagement expired in August 1865 and he was discharged a private at Quebec. He enlisted in the US Army three years later at Chicago, claiming to have been born in 1841 and describing himself as a laborer. He joined the 7th’s Company C (Tom Custer’s) at Camp Sandy Forsyth, Kansas in November 1868.
Finley was promoted to Corporal seven months later and to Sergeant in August 1871. He re-enlisted for a further five years, as a Sergeant, on September 18th, 1873 and was on detached duty as Provost Sergeant between November 1874 and January 1875 and October 1875 to May 1876. He was killed in action on June 25th 1876 with the rest of his company, which was with Keogh’s battalion in Custer’s column. Finley’s body was found near that of Sergeant Finkle, shot full of arrows, and ‘horribly mutilated’.
Finley had a wife and two children waiting for him at Fort Abraham Lincoln. He had saved $10.50 with the Paymaster, was owed $44.17 in wages, $120.00 in continuous service pay, $33.20 in retained pay and $126.58 for clothing not drawn and owed the USA $1.14 for tobacco. His net financial worth was $289.14. Finley’s widow later married John Donahue. During his many years as a soldier Finley had become a proficient tailor, so proficient in fact that he made George Armstrong Custer’s buckskin suits , one of which can be seen at the Custer Battlefield Museum.


Geoff sent me some more, but it is in PDF format, so I will have to figure out a way to post it.

Best wishes,
Fred.

[Yan Taylor]

Fred if the document is just made up of text then Adobe Acrobat, you can get it on a free download. Is it in some type of Adobe format?

Ian.

[fred]

Ian,

I have the file and it opens fine. I will try to post it here... nope, doesn't work: too big. If Janet wants to see it, I will e-mail it to her providing she PMs me her e-mail address.

Best wishes,
Fred.

[Deleted]

Fred,
I have some software to convert PDF to Word. If that's any help, send email, if not, forget it. I'm interested to read about Finley.
Best,
c.

[janfin]

Jun 23, 2014 6:32:57 GMT -6 fred said:

Janet Finley,

Here is more information on Jeremiah Finley. This is from a friend of mine from England, and very fine researcher named Geoffrey Topliss.


Jeremiah Finley was born in County Tipperary in 1837 and enlisted in Her Majesty’s 17th (Leicestershire) Regiment of Foot on September 29th, 1854 at Kilkenny, Ireland under the name of Darby Finlay, aged seventeen years and nine months. Finlay’s name does not appear on the list of soldiers who qualified for the Crimean War Campaign Medal and his regiment was already in action in the Crimea when he enlisted. He probably arrived at Sebastopol when the war was all but over, in February 1856, having sailed via Malta to the Crimea with a draft of re-enforcements. Finley’s regiment sailed to Canada a few months later where it served as part of the British garrison.
Finley’s ten year engagement expired in August 1865 and he was discharged a private at Quebec. He enlisted in the US Army three years later at Chicago, claiming to have been born in 1841 and describing himself as a laborer. He joined the 7th’s Company C (Tom Custer’s) at Camp Sandy Forsyth, Kansas in November 1868.
Finley was promoted to Corporal seven months later and to Sergeant in August 1871. He re-enlisted for a further five years, as a Sergeant, on September 18th, 1873 and was on detached duty as Provost Sergeant between November 1874 and January 1875 and October 1875 to May 1876. He was killed in action on June 25th 1876 with the rest of his company, which was with Keogh’s battalion in Custer’s column. Finley’s body was found near that of Sergeant Finkle, shot full of arrows, and ‘horribly mutilated’.
Finley had a wife and two children waiting for him at Fort Abraham Lincoln. He had saved $10.50 with the Paymaster, was owed $44.17 in wages, $120.00 in continuous service pay, $33.20 in retained pay and $126.58 for clothing not drawn and owed the USA $1.14 for tobacco. His net financial worth was $289.14. Finley’s widow later married John Donahue. During his many years as a soldier Finley had become a proficient tailor, so proficient in fact that he made George Armstrong Custer’s buckskin suits , one of which can be seen at the Custer Battlefield Museum.


Geoff sent me some more, but it is in PDF format, so I will have to figure out a way to post it.

Best wishes,
Fred.