2001 Finger Family NewsPage
by Dwight Finger


November 18, 2001

This message came in from David Stott today, maybe someone can help him.
I am hoping you can assist me in locating the names of the parents of my GGG grandmother..

Here is what I know about Josephine Finger/Fingar... She was born Feb 9, 1828... I first locate her in the marriage records in the church of Holy Cross in ALBANY, NY. Josephine married Nicholas Groben/Gruben on Sept 19, 1852. Nicholas and his brother came to America via NY and arrived June 2, 1851... Nicholas and Josepine lived in Greene county, NY for the majority of their lives.. My best guess is that Josephine is connected to the Columbia county Finger/Fingar lines, but can not prove it.. Since your web site seems to concentrate on the Columbia county Fingers... I am hoping you can help...
If you can help, David can be reached at dkstott@compuserve.com


November 13, 2001

The following message came to us this week. Although not entirely genealogy related, still, we might be able to help Jennifer.
Hello my name at birth was Jennifer Fingar. I was put up for adoption as an infant through Lutheran Children's Bureau in Philadelphia, Pa. My birth date is 12-5-64. If you know of any information please E-Mail me at Lisabird25@aol.com.

THANK-YOU,   Lisa(Diemer)Dob

November 1, 2001

I have heard from Mark Stickles who alerts us to his web site with information on the Stickles and Castree families. David Castree was married to Elizabeth Finger. Mark is the great-great-grandson of David and Elizabeth.

Also I might mention that the database was updated this week, but there are no significant changes, just a few minor 'programming' corrections.


October 2, 2001

Dan Whitley's wife spotted this in the Orange County [California] Register issue of Oct 2, 2001 and Dan sent it to us:

Marie W. Finger, 97, of Santa Ana, a homemaker, died Sept 29, 2001, of natural causes. Visitation: 1-3 p.m. Wednesday, with services at 3 p.m., Fairhaven Memorial Park & Mortuary, Santa Ana.

Survivors: Nieces, Carol Berning, Gloria Carmichael, Eunice Dexter; eight grandnieces and nephews; 15 great-grandnieces and nephews.


While it doesn't give much in the way of genealogical information, still, it might be helpful to someone. Thanks, Dan and to your wife!


September 24, 2001

I was on a trip to Kentucky with my wife, Betty, who is researching her family and preparing a web site (Thomas, Sizemore, Gabbard, Johnson, Davidson) when the airline flights came to a stop. Fortunately, our scheduled return day was Saturday, Sept 15, and our return flight was one that operated that day. We are glad to be back in our familiar surroundings.

I received a message from Nikola, in Budapest, asking about a Finger piano company in Germany. I said I was not aware of that company and asked if he knew any more about it. Here's his reply:
...I learned that the owner of the factory was Albert Finger, from Eisenberg. Production started in 1887 and last till 1996. I saw that in your family tree, somewhere and once was one Albert Finger. Anyway, piano is good, old but in good condition.
However, I did discover that there is a Chris Finger Pianos company in Colorado.


August 18, 2001

I have updated the database today, and many names have been added. Also, I have included the baptism record of Elizabeth Stieber the daughter of Jacob Stieber and Catharina Finger.


July 20, 2001

I stopped in at the local Family History Center and picked up some tidbits, including an article from Who's Who in America vol XI. Read what it said about Henry James Finger.


July 1, 2001

Recently I changed my genealogical database over to Personal Ancestral File© (PAF). I downloaded the current version, 5.1.12. Today I uploaded the first web pages made from that program. There are some formatting differences, so things may look a little different in places. The biggest change is that the sources are now on a separate page, rather than being listed with the person's data. I'll be on the lookout for any serious problems. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the LDS church is making their program available free.

On the links page I added some links to non-genealogical, similar-sounding names. I found some Fenger, Fingerhut and Fingerson sites on the web.

Also I removed the Guestbook links. Apparently the Guestbook site I was using discontinued the service, unknown to me. Since the Guestbook had limited use I am not planning to find a replacement. Many Finger researchers send me e-mail messages, and I will post all interesting information on this NewsPage or other appropriate page.


June 26, 2001

While doing some research, I came across this information on the University of Arkansas Library site:
Before establishing his home at Gayeta Lodge in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Charles J. Finger (1868-1941) founded the San Angelo Music Conservatory and worked for railroad companies. As an adventure story writer for young adults, he won the Newbery Medal in 1924 for Tales From Silver Lands (New York: Doubleday, 1924). After working as an editor for Reedy's Mirror, he founded and published All's Well, a literary journal. The literary community centered at Gayeta is recorded in his diaries, clippings, and photographs. Manuscripts and correspondence with H. L. Mencken, George Bernard Shaw, and others complete this collection, which also contains the correspondence and papers of his daughter Helen Finger Leflar, an illustrator.
It mentions that Charles' papers are part of Selected Manuscript Collections in the Special Collections Division.


June 21, 2001

John Vanko has sent us a full page of his research which is titled Samuel Finger, Oldest Finger Ancestor in Bottendorf. Although Samuel is not in our line, this page is full of interesting and perhaps helpful information. It also contains some links to further information. This is in addition to some information he had sent earlier, which can be found on the Known Finger Family Lines page.


June 13, 2001

I have been in communication with Bob Macoubrie who also is a descendant of William McIntosh and Hannah Finger. (See May 24 entry for Barbara McIntosh). He sent quite a bit of information on his line, some of which I will add to the site.


June 8, 2001

Shirley Moore contacted us this week. She was excited to find our site because... After searching for eons, I can't believe I found Edward Moore on your website! We corresponded for a bit which resulted in my giving her some reference information on her Moore line, and she filled in some details for us on her end of the family. Our families are connected through Sarah Jane Finger (b. 1827) who was married to Jacob Clinton Moore. Shirley also mentioned she's researching the Marenes name. She's getting stuck, though, because The "Marenes" name occurs very infrequently in upper state NY. If anyone can help, let me know and I'll pass it along.

In addition, the database has been updated.


May 24, 2001

A message came from Barbara McIntosh which included the following:
...I typed in Hannah Finger and William McIntosh on Google.com. Your name came up. My husband's 3gr-grandfather was William McIntosh married to Hannah Finger.
While she was asking for further information on William, which I don't have, I was pleased to know that search engines are able to find our site.

Also we've had a couple of messages from Forrest Stevens who writes (in part):
I just found your Finger family web site while doing a search, looks good! I was particularly interested in the note from Nikki Finger on your 1999 NewsPage. Her great-grandfather, the tailor to Queen Victoria, was my great-great-grandfather, Charles H. Finger (1842-1923). Born in Hamburg, Germany, he went to England, and then later brought his family to the US.
I forwarded his message on to Nikki and the two are now in touch. Although their family is not in our Finger line, still I am happy to be able to bring these two Finger researchers together.


May 12, 2001

I had the opportunity to add two pictures today, John O. Rowland, and Harvey A. Rowland.


May 11, 2001

The data were updated on the site today. There is a quite a bit more on my Rowland ancestry (see Mar 19), even tracing back to Daniel Rogers who served in the Revolutionary War. Thanks go to Luanne Bianco and two Marion Rowlands!

Also, I have heard from Kelly Klump, who says:
I am a decedent of Lois Willard & Oliver Lanfare myself. They had a son - Aaron Lanfare, also of Branford, CT. He is my grandmother's grandfather.

This makes her a distant cousin to me, as I descend from Oliver Lanfare too.

After briefly corresponding with Alexander Finger in Germany I have decided to remove the information from the home page from Gunar Scheibner that said the name Vinger may have come from Vingert, meaning a vineyard owner. In doing further research, not one German-speaking person I talked to was familiar with that word, nor could I find it in any German-English dictionary. However, Alexander doesn't seem to be related to our line, since he says his family comes from the 'far other corner' of Germany.


April 24, 2001

We've had some correspondence from Rose Lenart, who sent quite a bit of information on her branch along with this:
My name is Rose Lenart and I am a daughter of Virgil Finger of Saugerties. I have just stared doing a little family tree research of my own and have happily discovered your site!
Unfortunately, my father passed away in August of 2000 and we lost Aunt Doris (wife of Foster) just days before...
Wonderful to meet you,

Rose Lenart
Rose says she may have to have surgery soon, we hope all goes well. She has offered to keep in touch and send us further information. The information will be on the site after the next upload.


April 20, 2001

I have installed a new search link. It works much like the one we were using recently. Since it is a free service, you will find some banner advertising on the results page.

We recently heard from Audrey Steenburn who sent some updated and corrected information along with this:
I am Audrey Elza Finger Steenburn, Daughter of Douglas Rightmyer Finger, Grand daughter of John Kimball Finger, GGD of Chauncy P. Finger from Saugerties, NY.

Again, a big thanks to Audrey and others who contribute to our site's accuracy.

And there is a new picture of Charles F. Rowland and his grandson Charles H. Rowland taken about 1910.


March 31, 2001

The database was updated today, so all the changes I've received and made since November will now be on line. Since I am now connected by a cable modem, I should be able to update the site more frequently. Uploading those 470 or so files goes a lot quicker now.

The search function will be going away for a short time as Searchbutton has informed me they will no longer provide site searching support. However, I have located an alternate source of searching software and will try to install it as quickly as possible. Records show that the search feature is being used regularly, anywhere from 2 to 25 times a day.


March 19, 2001

I've been spending time lately corresponding with Luann Bianco who is a close family friend of the Rowland family. She is in close touch with Marion Rowland Visel, my grandmother's cousin, and has identified many pictures for me and has sent a considerable amount of information on her side of the family. This will appear after the next upload.

Cheryl Morrison sent us the following from the Poughkeepsie Journal of March 19, 2001:

Frances M. Fingar RED HOOK - Frances M. Fingar, 85, of Red Hook, died Saturday, March 17, 2001, at the Adventist Nursing Home, in Livingston. Along with being a housewife, Mrs. Fingar worked as a Telephone Operator with Red Hook Telephone and also was employed at Houseware Manufacturing in Tivoli. Mrs. Fingar was a longtime member of St. Johns Reformed Church in Red Hook. Born in Gallatin on September 30, 1915, she was the daughter of Clay and Ida Batherick Holsapple. On October 24, 1936 in St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Red Hook, she married Foster H. Fingar. Mr. Fingar predeceased her on December 5, 1995. Survivors include, one son, Clay H. Fingar of Stuyvesant Falls,; two daughters, Sharran Fingar and Shirley Shanley, both of Tivoli; eleven grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a brother, Walter Holsapple and a sister, Pearl Batherick. Friends may call from 7-9 p.m., Tuesday, March 20, at Burnett, Rockefeller & Hand Funeral Home, 7461 S.Broadway, Red Hook. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m., Wednesday, March 21, at the funeral home. The Rev. Warren R. Seibert will officiate. Interment will be in St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery, Red Hook. Memorial donations may be made in Frances' memory to Southern Columbia Rescue Squad, Rt. 9, Livingston.


February 23, 2001

Paul Finger from London has sent us a message asking if we are related. I will be in contact with him to determine if he's part of our line of Fingers.

Robert Finger kindly sent some additional information on Steven Finger (below, Feb 13 entry).
Steven Finger would be my 3rd cousin. He was the grandson of Douglas Finger whose father was John Kimball Finger, whose father was the Chauncey P. Finger my Grandfather. He was awaiting a liver transplant which never became available.



February 13, 2001

Cheryl Morrison sent us the following from the Daily Freeman of February 8:

FINGER-On February 5, 2001. Steven Finger of Saugerties. Son of John and Ellen Finger. Brother of Michael. Godfather of Alexander. His Funeral Service will be held 11:00 a.m. Saturday at the Seamon-Wilsey Funeral Home, Inc. Cor. of John & Lafayette Sts., Saugerties. Friends will be received Thursday 7 to 9 p.m. and Friday 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Seamon-Wilsey Funeral Home.

We wish to express our sympathy to his survivors.


January 5, 2001

To start off the new year, Carlos Finger sent us his new email address, you'll find it on the home page under Researchers and Contributors.

Also, I have removed the big blue box from above the site, after about 3 months in transition we are now established at our new home www.fingerfamily.com

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