Craft Masonry in Albany County, New York - Onondaga and Oswego ...

at full speed. Instead of turning clear out of the way he was trying to exact half of the road. The team was going at a gallop and the
driver could not possibly stop it in time to prevent the serious accident. Horses and stage went over the old man and his right leg
was badly broken and splintered and a few months later, on the 3rd of February, 1820, he passed away, never leaving his bed after
receiving the injury. He left no will, as he had disposed of all his real and personal estate some years before his death to his wife
and children, saying that he wanted no quarrels after his death. His wife, described as an amiable, tall and good looking woman,
followed him about three years later, on the 28th of January, 1823. The Major and his wife were survived by four children, Andrew
A., Henry, Christian and Mary, (Mrs. Chatfield). Thus ended the active life of an earnest patriot, a brave soldier and one of the most
prominent personages in this valley in the war of the revolution.
Many of his descendants have become well known and respected members of the commonwealth. His oldest son Andrew A. was
perhaps one of the best known men of his day in Herkimer County.
In the glorious days of coaching and staging on the great Mohawk turnpike the tavern which he had built in 1805 became widely
known in the valley. All the best stages stopped there, and as many as a hundred guests could be entertained there at a time. Many
noted men of the time stopped at that inn, Jerome Bonaparte on his trips to the Black River and the Marquis de Lafayette on his
visit in 1825. Andrew A. Finck told often how LaFayette inquired if he was a relative of that brave and fiery Major Finck whom he
met on the Hudson in 1790. Hearing that he was dead, he had Andrew A. show him and his suite his grave and spoke there of him
in feeling and praising words.
In the course of years Andrew A. Finck became a very prosperous man, he gave up keeping his tavern, rented it and built a
handsome brick house on one of his farms, where he and his family for many years kept open house for their many friends up and
down the river; the old Palatine hospitality was still continued and all the old families of the valley were numbered among their
intimate friends. Engaged in many enterprises, public spirited and successful, Andrew was a man far in advance of his time. He
undertook a project to cross the Adirondack wilderness by railroad and canal, a scheme which at a later day took the brains and
money of Dr. Webb to accomplish, by building the Adirondack R. R. After investing good sums of money the project failed on
account of bad times and was abandoned.
Hospitable and generous to his friends and family, he was as trusting to his business associates. In independent position, owning
large and fine farms, and numerous other investments, he likely never dreamed of reverses. But they came. Allowing the use of his
name on endorsements his whole fortune was swept away and he spent the last years of his life in straightened circumstances. His
grave is in the same cemetery as his father's and mother's, and he rests by the side of his first wife.
Thus have I told what little is known of four generations of Andrew Fincks, all of clear Palatine stock, honest and useful citizens of
their respective times, without a stain on their name, whose descendants are justly proud of them and whom we are pleased to
honor as citizens of our present County of Herkimer and of our mother County of Montgomery.
For and expanded version of the above paper, to include Major FIncks orderly book and other interesting anecdotes see
http://memory.loc.gov/service/gdc/scd0001/2012/20120717002an/20120717002an.pdf
a copy of which is in the archives of the OMDHS.
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Pension Application for Andrew Finck or Fink
http://morrisonspensions.org/finckandrew.html
S.43563
B.L.Wt.729-300-Capt. Issued Oct 9, 1790
State of New York, County of Montgomery SS.
On this eighth day of May 1818 before me the subscriber one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas for the County of
Montgomery personally appeared Andrew Fink aged Sixty Seven years on the first day of February [?] last as he says and so is the
appearance, a resident in the town of Palatine in the County aforesaid who being by me first duly sworn according to Law doth on
his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the provisions made by the late act of Congress entitled an Act to provide
for certain persons engaged in the land and naval service in the United States in the revolutionary war. That the said Andrew Fink
entered the service of his country at an early period in the campaign of 1775 in the State of New York as a commissioned officer to
wit a first Lieutenant in the company commanded by Captain Christopher P. Yates in the then 2d New York Regiment commanded
by colonel Goose VanSchaick that on the 15th day of February he was promoted to a captain in said regiment from which time it
was still the first regiment in the New York line or in the service of the United States until the close of the campaign of [1781?] the
first five Regiments of the New York Line being then [?] reduced and by General orders ordered to be consolidated into Two
Regiment and in the year 1781, he was promoted to a major and served under Lieut Colonel Marinus Willett on the frontiers of the
Mohawk and Schoharie and else where to the close of the year 1783. He also served as Deputy Muster Master and Inspector
during the two years of the above service until 1783 when he the said Andrew Fink was discharged from service it the village of
Schenectada in the State of New York. He had been at the taking of St. Johns, Chamblee, Montreal were at the mouth of the river
Sorrell, capturing and destroying Military and Warlike Stores before either of the above mentioned Fortresses was taken except
Chamblee. He was sent by General Montgomery 14 or 15 miles into the interior of the Enemies Country, down the River Sorrell to
James Livingston to bring a pack of Shoes and within that pack of shoes a bagg of Guineas which he brought safe to General
Montgomery into Camp.
In the Campaign of 1777 in retreating from Lake or Fort George at the time Ticonderoga was evacuated skirmishing with the
enemy at Sandy Hill. He this deponent lost his first Lieutenant Tobias VanVechten who was killed by the enemy and buried by him,
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