Johannes Vinger (born c.1700) arrived in Livingston, New York from Germany in 1710 and many descendants still live in the Hudson Valley area. Some descendants moved to western New York state, in particular to Benton, in Yates county. I understand many then moved further west from there. Today, descendants are found also in Alaska, California, Connecticut, Michigan and New York. Sometime in the 1800s, some family members changed the spelling to Fingar (and moved across the Hudson River), which name still exists today. There is some question as to how this came about, the popular belief is that there was some sort of family feud. Since I descend from this line, it is the main area of interest on this web site.
Dealing with the Southern Finger Family, this line descends from Peter Finger, a farmer, born about 1724 in Germany, who settled in York County, Pennsylvania in 1749. His wife was Barbara and his children were Jacob, Catharine, Johannes, Elizabeth, Susannah, Daniel, Barbara, Henrich, and Margaretha. In 1777 the family moved to Lincoln County, North Carolina. Most of the Fingers in the southern states are descendant from this family. There is a town named Finger in Tennessee, presumably after a member of this family line. Also there is a Fingerville in South Carolina, named after Joseph Finger. Descendants today are found in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Florida and other states. Wade Finger has written an interesting account of the life of Peter Finger, read Who Was Peter Finger? Also, James A. Finger has a web site, The Southern Finger Family.
According to their website Johan was born in 1791 and "Arrived the Brazil em 06/01/1827 aboard of the ship Bodtra, from Prussia / Germany."
In e-mails from Bill Bilkey:
Johann Henrich (Henry) Finger (born 1803 in Prussia) came to Baltimore on 15 Oct 1836 on the ship Gustav and began raising a family. Two children, Gertrude and Henry were born there. Then they left for the Bronx, New York around January, 1843. Settling there, they became distinguished firemen.
Wade Finger made mention of this family:
Johannes Finger (b. 6/13/1786) who immigrated to America (with his children Barbara, Elisabeth, Magdalena, Christina, Jakob, and Maria) in 1840.
We first find John Finger on the 1850 Lehman, Pike, Pennsylvania census at age 60. He married Catharine Shuman, and they had 6 children, William, Jacob, Mary, Sarah, Catharine and Aaron.
This information is from Vance Heil:
My name is Vance W. Heil, the current owner and second generation funeral director of Heil-Schuessler Funeral Homes. Before it was Heil-Schuessler it was known as Finger-Heil and before that Finger and Sons. Our main location is in Marissa, Illinois. My father purchased the funeral home from Mrs. Jeanette (Dunn) Finger, who took over the firm after her husband Frank Finger passed away. Frank's father Henry J. Finger founded my firm in 1891. A portion of our building was built by Henry in 1907 and is listed as the first "fireproof" building in Marissa – including steel-reinforced concrete walls and a 28 step marble staircase that was imported for this building. The only thing I know about Henry J's father was that his name was Henry Finger, he came from Germany, was a doctor, and was known as "Old Doc Finger" even though he died in his forties. I know that Henry J. had two brothers – Charles and Theodore. As well as owning the funeral home, Henry and Theodore owned and operated a grain mill and a furniture store in Marissa. I would image that the reason he wanted a "fireproof" building for the funeral home was that the grain mill burned down. The Fingers were a very prominent family and to mark that there is still a street named Finger Hill Road that goes through a well-to-do neighborhood in Marissa. I still have Henry Finger’s original Illinois license hanging in my office – dated 1918 when embalmers were required to be licensed. He was the 280th person to be licensed in the State of Illinois.Henry J. Finger's parents were Henry Finger, born abt 1817 in Frankfurt, Germany and Augusta Michel, born abt 1828 in Germany. They were in the U.S. by the time their first son Charles was born (January 1851).
Henrich was the first of a number of Fingers from this line to come to the U.S.
John Vanko, the great grandson of Conrad Finger sent us this:
My great-grandfather Conrad Finger made certain that every one of his grandchildren knew the name of his native village - Bottendorf. Almost all Fingers in Baltimore were descended from Conrad Finger (1865-1930). He had a nephew, Henry Finger, who lived in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, who would come to Baltimore to visit. Henry had a brother, John Tobias Finger, a life-long butcher who lived in Vineland, New Jersey.There is some additional information from John at Samuel Finger, Oldest Finger Ancestor in Bottendorf.
In Baltimore today, the Finger surname, from Bottendorf at least, has died out.
The Fingers of Bottendorf, Frankenberg, Willersdorf, Wangershausen, Rengershausen, Birkenbringhausen, Muenden, Bromskirchen, and Somplar, all appear to be descended from Samuel Finger born before 1568 in Muenden (present day Viermuenden) north of Bottendorf.
The Fingers from Bottendorf and Frankenberg have no known connections to the Fingers of the southern U.S., nor the Fingers of Switzerland, nor the Fingers of Berlin.
I have found 26 Fingers, all descendants of Samuel Finger, who emigrated between 1850 and 1930:
Henrich Finger (b. 1817 Bottendorf, d. 1891 Thorofare, New Jersey) immigrated c. 1852
Jacob Finger (b. 1818 Willersdorf, d. 1899 Warren Township, NJ) immigrated 1851 to New Jersey
Christoph Finger (b. 1824 Willersdorf) immigrated 1843 to Boston, Massachusetts.
Johann Henrich Finger, brother of Christoph above, (b. 1837 Willersdorf, d. 1917 Prescott, Michigan) immigrated 1857 to New York
Katharina Elisabeth Finger (b. 1827 Bottendorf, d. 1915 Woodbury, New Jersey) immigrated 1855 to New Jersey
Henrich Finger, brother of Katharina above, (b. 1830 Bottendorf, d. 1913 Glassboro New Jersey) immigrated 1854
Henrich Michael Finger, brother to Katharina and Henrich above, (b. 1835 Bottendorf) immigrated in 1854
Anna Elisabeth Finger (b. 1835 Bottendorf) immigrated 1855, possibly to Philadelphia
Katharina Elisabeth Finger, sister of Anna above, b. 1838 Bottendorf) immigrated 1860 to New York
Emanuel Finger (b. 1840 Bottendorf, d. 1910 Greenfield Wisconsin) immigrated 1860 to New York
Hartmann Finger, brother of Emanuel above, immigrated 1866 to New York, may have called himself Herman in America
Konrad Finger, brother of Emanuel and Hartmann above, (b. 1849 Bottendorf) immigrated 1872 to New York
Conrad Finger (b. 1865 Bottendorf, d. 1913 Baltimore, Maryland) immigrated 1881 to Baltimore
Tobias Finger, brother of Conrad above, (b. 1863 Bottendorf, d. 1913 Bottendorf) immigrated 1883 to Philadelphia, returned to Bottendorf in 1888 to inherit the family farm.
Henrich Finger, son of Tobias above, (b. 1890 Bottendorf, d. 1986 Willow Grove, PA) immigrated 1913 to Philadelphia.
Johann Tobias Finger, son of Tobias and half-brother of Henrich above, (b. about 1912 Bottendorf, d. about 1986 NJ) immigrated 1930, settled in Vineland, New Jersey.
Marie Finger, daughter of Tobias above, (b. about 1903 Bottendorf, d. New Jersey) immigrated 1923
Katharina Elisabeth Finger, daughter of Tobias above, (b. 1900 Bottendorf) immigrated in 1923
Sabine Finger (b. 1903 Bottendorf) immigrated 1922
Elisabeth Finger, sister of Sabine above, (b. 1879 in Bottendorf) immigrated to Philadelphia.
Anna Elisabeth Finger, sister of Sabine and Elisabeth above, (b. 1883 Bottendorf) immigrated to Philadelphia.
Tobias Finger, brother of Sabine, Elisabeth, and Anna above, (b. 1893 Bottendorf)
Johannes Finger, brother Sabine, Elisabeth, Anna, and Tobias above, (b. 1895 Bottendorf)
Ludwig Finger, brother of Sabine, Elisabeth, Anna, Tobias, and Johannes above (b. 1900 Bottendorf)
Friedrich Finger (b. 1904 Bottendorf) immigrated 1927
Johannes Finger (b. 1876 Wangershausen) immigrated prior to 1902
Terri Finger sent us this:
Franz Joseph Finger, son of Conrad Finger and Agatha Buchderkirchen, was born in Meerhof, Germany. He married Anna Agatha Drepps Sep., 1844, in Meerhof, Germany. They had 3 Children there before coming to the US in 1852. One was Thomas Ferdinand (who went by Ferdinand). They settled in Wisconsin, Juneau County area. Ferdinand married twice, his first wife was Barbara Frisch and his second wife was Mary Elizabeth Barrett. Mary and Ferdinand had 3 children, their son Leo John is my grandfather. Joseph died in Dane County, Wisconsin. Ferdinand and Leo are buried in Juneau County.
In January of 2003, Tom Lutz sent this additional information: [Updated March, 2003]:
...I am quite certain that Anna Agatha Drepps is the same person who is Anna Agatha Dreps (b.16 Mar 1823 in Meerhof), the daughter of Ludwig Dreps and Gertrud Nolte. She had two brothers, Bernard Dreps and Johan "Anton" Dreps, who settled around Sheboygan Co, WI before the Civil War, the former likely in the mid 1850s. The Dreps are a family related to my mother's which is also from Sheboygan Co, and I've just started doing some some research about them. They had a pretty good (positive) impact on Sheboygan Co's history, starting out as big farming families, but getting involved in law enforcement (one was a longtime sheriff) among other occupations. I have Bernard Dreps marrying a Teresa Agenthen who I think was also from Meerhof, and for your information her family also seems to be showing up repeatedly in my research. I recently learned that Bernard had a son Joseph who also settled in Juneau Co. Those Agathen's had family that also settled at Eagle, WI. There is some info about those Agathen's on-line at the LDS website. I found info about these folks recently in the Sheboygan records.From Biographical Review of Dane County, WI Chicago: Biographical Review Pub. Co. 1893, Vol I, p 241
Franz Joseph Finger, born to Conrad Finger and Agatha Buchderkirchen, on 27 July 1816 in Meerhof, is likely the same Frank Joseph Finger who married Anna Agatha Dre(e)ps on 24 Sept 1844 in Oesdorf.
Joseph FINGER, deceased, was born in Prussia, Germany, in 1816. He was reared to farm life, received a good common school education, and remained at home with his parents until 1854. In that year he came on a sailing vessel to America, landing in New York after a voyage of two months, with comparatively little means. A short time afterward be bought eighty acres of land in Bristol township, Dane county, Wisconsin, for which he paid $900. Thirty acres of land was cleared, and on which was a small log house, where they began their pioneer life. Mr Finger added to his original purchase until he owned 100 acres, erected a good residence, barns, etc., and remained there until his death on 2 August 1885. He was buried in the Catholic cemetery at East Bristol, Dane County, Wisconsin.
In 1884* he was united in marriage with Agatha Dreps. They reared a family of eight children:
Mary, of La Crosse, Wisconsin;
Catherine, wife of Fred Krich, of Appleton, Outagamie County, Wisconsin;
Ferdinand, of Camp Douglas Juneau County, Wisconsin;
Henry, of North Leeds, Columbia County;
Joseph, of Madison;
Agatha, of Albany, Stearns County, Minnesota;
Anton, of Hampden, Columbia County, Wisconsin; and
Theresia, at home.
For a short time after the father's death the farm was conducted by a son, but since that time, in company with her daughters, Agatha (DREPS) FINGER has managed the entire place. The children have all received a good education, and the family are members of the Catholic Church.
* perhaps a typo, it should be 1844
On the ship's passenger list for the ship Harriet Frances of June 8, 1852 we find the following listed: Wilhelm Finger age 34, farmer, his wife Margaretha age 45, and his son Ferdinand age 13. The port of arrival was New Orleans from Hamburg, Germany. The passenger list shows their destination as St. Louis. However, we have not been able to find Wilhelm or Margaretha on any census records. Ferdinand first shows up in 1870 in Funks Grove, McLean, Illinois (a little SW of Bloomington). He marries in 1863 and then has 11 children. From there his family traveled on to Kansas.
This is from Kathy Lathrop:
My grandmother was Helen Dorothy Finger, her father was Albert Finger and his father was Gottried Finger. Gottried was born 1809, married Eva Kempf, born 1810. I know for sure that Eva was born in Pozen, Germany and that Gottried was born in Germany. They married in 1830s, had two children in Germany, August and Julius, born in 1830s. They then came to the Milwaukee area, Wisconsin, had more children, and later settled in Bear Creek area, Wisconsin.Actually, August and Julius were born in the 1840s. Gottfried and Eva also had 3 daughters while in Germany, Juliane, born 1843, Pauline, born 1850, and Adelia, born 1853. Gottfried, his wife Eva, and 5 children are found on the ship's passenger list Louisiana that departed Bremen, Germany on August 9, 1854. Three more children were born to them in Wisconsin. One grandson of Gottfried, Orley Herman Finger (b. 1883) and his family, lived in Canada from about 1901 to 1922, and then moved to Minnesota (1930 census).
Carlos Finger sent some information that he received with news about Carlos Alberto V. Finger:
His great-grandfather came to Brazil in 1857, from Nieder Sachson's region in Germany and resided in the region of the river Jacui in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, that is boundary with Argentina. He called himself Peter Finger, his son Adolf Finger, his grandson Armando Finger and his great-grandchild who wrote to me, Carlos Finger.
John Vanko sent us the information about the life of Heinrich Finger, that was put together by Heinrich's great-great-grandson Thomas Finger. Heinrich was born in Germany in 1837 and came to the U.S. in 1857.
John is an adopted son. He came to America as John H. Reese, whose parents died on the voyage.
On his arrival in New York he was put into an orphanage but later was adopted by a Finger family
in Illinois, about 1864. He went on to marry Louisa Stroh and had 7 children. Read the account of his life.
I am a descendant of Emanuel Finger, who arrived here in Philadelphia from Rottersdorff [Bottendorf] with his wife-to-be, Catarina Ernst, on 11/27/1860. He was born on December 2, 1840 and died on March 17, 1910 in Milwaukee, having lived in Milwaukee area since 1864 or 6.
From Kathy Howard km_howard@msn.com . In August, 2004, it was discovered that Kathy's and John Vanko's ancestors are related.
1880 Greenfield, Milwaukee, Wisconsin census:
| Name | Age | Relation | Occupation | Born |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finger Emanuel | 39 | head | farmer and milkman | Hesse |
| — Catharine | 38 | wife | keeping house | Hesse |
| — Anna | 17 | daughter | New Jersey | |
| — Jacob | 15 | son | works on the farm | New Jersey |
| — Catharine | 12 | daughter | Wisconsin | |
| — Louisa | 10 | daughter | at school | Wisconsin |
| — Ida | 7 | daughter | at school | Wisconsin |
| — Herman E. | 5 | son | Wisconsin | |
| — Henry | 3 | son | Wisconsin |
Lisa Finger sent the following:
My gg-grandfather was Peter Finger (c. 1828-1872), who immigrated from Germany in the 1850s and resided in New York City in the mid to late 1860s. He married Margaretha Appelhans, an immigrant from Ostohofen, Rheinhessen, Hesse-Darmstadt. They had three children (Peter Paul, Andreas H. and Othilia Anna, also known in later years as Matilda or Tillie). Other than his wife and children, I've been able to turn up little. He did live at 129 Forsyth Street in Manhattan, and in the city directories, there was also a Jacob Finger listed at the same address during that time period. How Jacob was related to Peter I do not know. Peter died on 28 June 1872 at the Smallpox Hospital in New York and was buried in the City Cemetery at Hart Island (Potter's Field).
William Finger, born 1835 in Bernburg Germany, came to the U.S. in November, 1861 aboard the ship Herzogin Von Brant. He is on the ship's passenger list as Wilhelm Finger, age 25. He arrived in New York and within one month enlisted in the Union Army. After his discharge in 1864, he went back to Germany and learned the upholstering trade from his father. In 1867 he returned to the United States on the ship Atalanta. While on this voyage he met his wife-to-be Elizabeth Heidenreich. They arrived in the U.S. in January 1867 and were married in Columbus, Ohio on June 23, 1867. They had 7 children, 2 born in Ohio and 5 in Georgia. Read an interesting account of his life in his own words.
Born 1840, he is likely the E.H. Finger age 23 found on the passenger list of the ship Hammonia, arriving in New York from Germany in July 1863. In 1867 he married Amelia Koehler, and they had 5 children, all born in Wisconsin:
Ernst Finger died 15 April 1878. His wife Amelia may have then married Earnst Kurth since Earnst, Amelia and the 5 children are listed on the 1885 Lake Henry, Stearns, Minnesota state census.
Felipe Finger traveled to South America in 1865, it is supposed that he was a stowaway, in a ship from Hamburg. Upon his arrival his name was changed from Wolfgang Finger to Felipe by immigration officials. We have a page of information concerning The Finger Family in Argentina as provided by Carlos Finger.
Nora Finger, the wife of Anthony Finger, who presently lives in Wisconsin, tells me her husband
descends from Franz Finger who arrived in Baltimore in 1869. Franz did not remain on the east
coast, but moved west to Wisconsin. He is from Sudetenland. I found him on a ship's passenger
list as Franz Finger, born 1844, arrived 11 October 1869 in Baltimore from Bohemia.
(Sudetenland is a term for the German settlement area of the Bohemian Lands (Bohemia,
Moravia, Austrian Silesia), used only sporadically before 1918. After the end of WWII Sudetenland
was again reintegrated into Czechoslovakia and its German ethnic group was expelled.)
He had 7 children, all born in Ohio, starting in 1873.
Keith Finger from upstate New York, the great grandson of Fredrick Finger sent us this:
Fredrick Finger, born 1842, married Elizabeth Heil, they had 5 kids:
Fredrick J., born 12/25/1875; his twin Gottlieb; John, born 1876; Mary, born 1878; and Emma born in 1882.
Fredrick J. married Katie Erhardt in 1911, Gottlieb married Anna Schiesser, John married someone named Blanche, Mary married John Littleboy, and Emma married Irv Paulk.
1880 Clay, Onondaga, New York census:
| Name | Relation | Age | Occupation | Born |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finger, Frederick | head | 38 | laborer | Switzerland |
| — Elizabeth | wife | 34 | keeping house | Switzerland |
| — John F | son | 4 | at school | New York |
| — Gotliph B | son | 4 | at school | New York |
| — John R | son | 3 | at home | New York |
| — Mary E | daughter | 1 | at home | New York |
This is from from Bob Fingers:
My name is Robert Fingers. I live in Mesa, [Arizona]. My great grandfather on my father's side was Augusta Finger (1846/1925). He was married to Emma Hoeferman (1849/1935). They emigrated from Germany in 1879 and August received his citizenship in 1888. They lived in McDonald, Pa... I also see in the web site a reference to Rollie Fingers, ex major league baseball pitcher and currently in the Hall of Fame. Rollie is my nephew, the son of my older brother George.In looking at census records it seems that the name Finger was changed to Fingers sometime between 1920 and 1930. One descendant of August was George Finger (b.1892). Read this interesting account of his life: The Story of George Finger as related by Robert in 2003.
Bob Fingers
Mesa, Az.
We first find Louis and Gustave Finger on the 1900 Saginaw, Michigan census. It appears that the two were brothers and may have come to the U.S. together in 1881. Louis married Ernestina Dux and had 3 children, Gustave married Augusta Brokopp and had 11 children (9 by 1900 of whom 6 were living). So far we have not discovered on what ship they traveled nor who their father was. One descendant of Louis was Howard W. Finger who worked for the radio station WSAM in Saginaw.
Richard Finger writes:
Wilmar and Liberta FINGER, ancestors of the FINGER Families in Perry County, MO, are listed as passengers on the vessel “Westphalia” from Hamburg and Havre, Germany arriving 8 May 1883 in New York, NY. Their names were spelled Willmar and Liberta Fingert, given ages were 28 and 21 respectively. Wilmar’s occupation was listed as merchant and the couple’s province origin was listed as Saxony, Germany. Three months later, the couple was in Perry County, MO, when they purchased approximately 200 acres of land overlooking the town of 76, MO on 10 Aug 1883 from George H. LAWSON and his wife Eliza of Chester, IL for $1,300.
1900 Brazeau, Perry, Missouri census:
| Name | Relation | Age | Occupation | Born |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finger, Wilmar | head | 46 | farmer | Germany |
| — Liberty | wife | 38 | Germany | |
| — Hugo | son | 14 | farm laborer | Missouri |
| — Otto | son | 10 | at school | Missouri |
| — Hedwig | daughter | 4 | Missouri | |
| — Meta | daughter | 4 | Missouri |
Richard has more on his site, Wilmar and Liberta Finger.
It is not clear when George came to the U.S. One census says 1872, another says 1885.
This came to us from David Finger who does not have too much more information other than to say that Louis was his paternal great-grandfather. The 1900 census says he was born in July, 1869, that he came to the U.S. in 1885 and was married in 1888.
1900 Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware census:
(Esther is a widow on the 1910 census)
| Name | Relation | Age | Occupation | Born |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finger Louis | head | 31 | letter carrier | Russia |
| — Esther | wife | 29 | Russia | |
| — Matthias | son | 11 | Delaware | |
| — Aaron | son | 10 | Delaware | |
| — Samuel B | son | 7 | Delaware | |
| — Frenda | daughter | 6 | Delaware | |
| — Rebekah (Reba) | daughter | 4 | Delaware |
Charles was a tailor from Germany working in England. He came to the U.S. in 1887. Later his son Charles Joseph Finger came to America, and became a U.S. citizen in 1896. This son had an interesting career, working first for the railroad, then becoming a writer. He moved often, having lived in New York, Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, and Arkansas. Read more information about Charles J. Finger from the University of Arkansas Manuscript Collection 639
Not much is known about this line. Johann came to the U.S. in 1887. About 1891 he married a woman named Regina and they had 4 children: Anna who married Frank Koliha; John, who served in the Navy; Frederick; and Elsie. They all lived in the Cleveland, Ohio area.
In doing other research I found Sam on the 1900 Justice Precinct 1, Trinity, Texas census age 23, a boarder in the household of Edith R. Smith age 29, widow. In 1910 and 1920 he is married and on the Justice Precinct 2, San Jacinto, Texas censuses and in 1930 is on the Houston, Harris, Texas census age 58. His wife Annie came to the U.S. in 1899. The 1920 census says Sam and Annie both speak German. Sam is never listed as Samuel.
1920 Justice Precinct 2, San Jacinto, Texas census:
| Name | Relation | Age | Occupation | Born |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finger, Sam | head | 48 | merchant, general store | Russia |
| — Annie | wife | 34 | Russia | |
| — Herman | son | 15 | Texas | |
| — Aaron | son | 13 | Texas | |
| — Bernie | son | 10 | Texas | |
| — Rosella | daughter | 6 | Texas | |
| — Samuel | son | 3 | Texas |
Albin Finger was born in Germany in 1874. He came to the U.S. in 1892 and married a woman named
Anna (b. 1875 New York), about 1899. He had 3 children - Rose, Frederick and Kenneth. All we know
so far is that Frederick became a physician, and that he died in Florida at age 89. Anna is a
widow in 1930, so Albin died sometime between 1920 and 1930. We found that Rose was unmarried at
age 29, and was a stenographer for the stock exchange. In looking at ship's passenger records
we see that Anna, Rose, and Kenneth took a trip to Bermuda in April 1928, Anna and Kenneth took a
trip to the West Indies in 1929, and Anna and Frederick took a trip to Bermuda in 1937.
In 1999 I spoke to two members of the family of Philip Finger in Branford, Connecticut, his daughter, Deborah Finger and John Finn. John told me that his Finger ancestry goes back to Adam Finger who came to New Haven from Germany. On his WWI draft registration I found that Adam was born 11 March 1878. He is listed on the passenger list of the S.S. Lahn, that arrived in New York on 17 Aug 1893 from Bremen, Germany.
1910 New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut census:
| Name | Relation | Age | Occupation | Born |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finger, Adam | head | 32 | baker, bakery shop | Germany |
| — Margaret | wife | 26 | Connecticut | |
| — Marie | daughter | 8 | Connecticut | |
| — Christe | son | 7 | Connecticut | |
| — Susie | daughter | 2 | Connecticut |
1930 New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut census:
| Name | Relation | Age | Occupation | Born |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finger, Adam | head | 52 | baker, pastry shop | Germany |
| — Margaret A | wife | 46 | Connecticut | |
| — Henry | son | 19 | errand boy tailor shop | Connecticut |
| — Philip | son | 12 | Connecticut | |
| — George | son | 12 | Connecticut | |
| — John A | son | 9 | Connecticut |
David Finger (b.1875) is first found on the 1900 census in Haverhill, Essex, Massachusetts age 24, married, a fruit peddler. In 1910 and 1920 we find him in Manhattan, New York. His brother Max Finger (b.1881) came to the U.S. in 1897, was married about 1904, and continued to live in Massachusetts. In looking over census records, it may be that there were other brothers, but so far this hasn't be proven. A Benjamin Finger and a Solomon Finger seem to have some similarities to David and Max.
Joseph Finger, architect, was born on March 7, 1887, in Bielitz, Austria, the son of Hani
(Steifter) and Henri Finger. He received his primary, secondary, and technical education in
Bielitz. Immigrating to the United States in 1905*, Joseph settled initially in New Orleans. He
moved to Houston in 1908. From the beginning of his first partnership, Joseph was identified with
the design of office, hotel, retail, and industrial buildings.
As the city's foremost Jewish architect from the 1910s through the 1940s, he designed many
Jewish institutional buildings, as well as buildings for individual Jewish clients.
Joseph married Gertrude Levy of Houston on June 18, 1913. They were the parents of one son, Joseph
Seifter Finger, a landscape architect and golf course designer. Joseph was a member of the
American Institute of Architects. He was also a member of Congregation Beth Israel, the
Independent Order of B'nai Brith, the Houston Turn-Verein, the Westwood Country Club, Chamber
of Commerce, and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Joseph Finger died on February 6,
1953, in Houston.
Read his Biography
* 1903 According to 1920 and 1930 census
We Find William on the passenger list of the S.S. Friedrich Der Grosse as Wilhelm Finger age
22, single, sailing from Bremen, Germany September 9, 1905 and arriving in New York September 19,
1905. Passage was paid for by himself, he has $60 in his posession, and he is going to join his
friend Gerhard Gayken in Lemon, S.D. His residence before leaving Germany was Bremerhaven.
He married Eva Niesen in 1909 and is living in Lamro*, South Dakota in 1910 (census). In 1920 he
is living in Sacramento, California. By 1940 he has moved to Roseville, California (next to
Sacramento) and is operating a business "Finger's Paint & Hardware".
* We wonder if that should be Lemon, S.D., but the original census record clearly says
Lamro, Tripp County.
This person continues to be a mystery. Born in 1818 in Pennsylvania, we don't know who his parents were. His wife was Elizabeth McCord and he had 5 children, always found on census records in West Nantmeal, Chester, Pennsylvania.
I have also included other persons in this line because of their close location although I can't find any relationship:
David Finger born 1778, found in 1850 on the Caernarvon, Berks, Pennsylvania census. He married Letitia and had 4 children.
David Finger born 1805, found in 1850 and 1860 on the Caernarvon, Berks, Pennsylvania census. He married Catherine Smith and had 10 children. Some descendants moved to Ohio and Illinois.
Ephraim Finger, born abt 1860. He is on the 1870 Caernarvon, Lancaster, Pennsylvania census, then in 1885 he's found to be in Highland, Wapell, Iowa. No parents, wife, or children are known.
Since the above counties are close to York County, where the pioneer Peter Finger lived, I have tried to match these with his line, but so far have been unable to find any connection.
