The Cast of Characters
Earliest known map of Meadville, about 1815
(In the order of their appearance)
Robert Finney (1744-1827) Even though he was incapacitated in his old age and as a result a silent member of the cast, his role was significant. It was his estate at the time of his death in 1827 that the family dispute was about. Widowed by age 45, he raised his daughter, Jennett, and son, James, by himself. He and his little family were of the first settlers of Meadville in 1793. His obituary in the Meadville newspaper stated that he was “honorable and upright in his dealings and a stranger to fraud and deception. Mr. Finney's character was above suspicion.” This editorial comment implies that there were other prominent citizens of Meadville who were undeserving of such a compliment.
James Finney (1787-1870) He is the story’s protagonist. After his wife, Jane died in 1820, he “farmed” out his five children to relatives and left for New York State to work on the Erie Canal. When his father was dying in 1827, he returned to Meadville to contest a second will that was drawn up during his absence which excluded him as a beneficiary.
James Doughty (1779-1863) An early settler of Meadville and friend of the Finney family, Doughty agreed to become the legal guardian of James’s son, Joseph in 1820. He also continued to be a friend and advisor to James Finney for many years. He married late in life at age 48 (the year of the Finney trial) to Nancy Hamilton. They had three children.
James Wilson (1800-1847) A cousin of James Finney’s first wife, Jane Wilson (1788-1820). James Wilson’s father, Thomas C. Wilson (1772-1824), entered into questionable business dealings with General David Mead (1752-1816) which led to very complicated financial problems for both the Mead and Finney families for many years afterwards. General David Mead’s second marriage was to James Finney’s sister, Jennett (1776-1823). General Mead died in 1816; Jennett died from a kitchen accident in 1823.
Robert Mead (1800-1844) He was the second-born child of General Mead & Jennett Finney and was probably named after his grandfather, Robert Finney. Never married, he moved to Illinois along with his brother, Alexander, and Alexander’s family around 1840. He died there at age 44 (alcoholism?).
Catherine Mead (1801-1879) She was the third-born child of General Mead & Jennett Finney. She married Lot Dunham on October 27, 1825. By the time of the Finney trial, they had the first of six children.
Judge Henry Shippen (1788-1838) He graduated from Dickenson College in 1806, studied for the bar, and was in successful practice at Lancaster. When the war of 1812 broke out, he was commissioned a Captain of the Lancaster Yagers and proved his valor and patriotism during the British attack on Baltimore. Shippen moved to Meadville, became member of the Legislature and President Judge of the Sixth Judicial District. Judge Shippen was recognized as a man of good mind and strong common sense. According to the History of Crawford County, “Judge Shippen displayed those legal qualities which distinguished the able lawyer and thorough jurist, his charges and decisions being models of integrity. Though high tempered, he was uniformly kind and courteous to the bar.”
David Derickson (1799-1884) His education commenced early in life, as he was known to have read his Greek Testament at the age of eight years. He graduated from Allegheny College in 1821 and read law in Meadville under George Selden and John B. Wallace and was admitted to the bar in 1823. Three months later he was appointed Deputy Attorney for Crawford, Venango and Warren Counties. In 1834 President Monroe appointed him Collector of Internal Revenue for the district. In 1856 he was elected additional Law Judge of the 6th District, a position he held for ten years when he returned to private practice. He was a member of a commission appointed to revise the statute laws of Pennsylvania. He served as the president of the board of trustees of Allegheny College from 1845 to 1874. At the time of the trial, he was 28 years old, married and the father of one child.
T.J. Fox Alden (1802-1856) He was the son of Timothy Alden, the founder and first president of Allegheny College. Timothy Alden witnessed the signing of the first Finney will in 1821. Both Fox Alden and David Derickson graduated from Allegheny College in the same year. He was only 25 years old at the time of the trial and was married with two small children. In 1839 he moved his family and law practice to Pittsburgh. He died at age 54 due to health complications caused by his alcoholism.
Thomas Frew (1779-1858) He was one of the earliest settlers and a farmer with substantial land holdings next to the Finney “Rocky Spring” tract. He and Robert Finney both patented their land in Crawford County in 1795.
Simeon Dunham (1798-) Simeon was a brother to Lot Dunham who was the husband of Catherine Mead. Not much is known of his history other than he removed himself to Baton Rouge, Louisiana sometime around 1840. There is no historical record of him after the 1840 Louisiana census.
James Hamilton (1773-1842) He was one of the earliest settlers and a farmer with substantial land holdings next to the Finney “Rocky Spring” tract. He was a well-respected person in Meadville and was a justice of the peace in 1826 and a city councilman at the time of the trial.
Dr. Daniel Bemus (1773-1842) In about 1805 he was requested by Thomas Kennedy, the first physician of Meadville to take over his practice. Dr. Bemus at once took a prominent position in Meadville and was the leading physician for many years. He was one of the first Trustees of Allegheny College, doing much to promote the interests of that institution. The old college building was constructed upon a plan drawn by him. During the war of 1812, he was Chief Surgeon of the division commanded by Maj. Gen. Mead. About 1828 he built extensive woolen, flour, lumber and oil mills on French Creek about two miles above Meadville (close by the Finney “Rocky Spring” tract.) As a businessman he was successful, accumulating a handsome fortune, and at his death was possessed of considerable property. Dr. Bemus’ first wife, Jane Miles, with whom he had two children, died a year before the Finney trial. His second marriage in 1835 was to Jane Brooks (1802-1893), the daughter of Judge John Brooks who served alongside Judge Shippen in the Crawford County Court of Common Pleas at the time of the Finney trial. He was 56 years old at the time of the Finny trial.
Edward Augustus Reynolds (1797-1876) He was the husband of Maria Dunham, a sister to Lot Dunham. As a young man he entered into active business and later filled many public offices of trust. In 1818 he was appointed clerk of the board of county commissioners. In 1830 he was appointed Protonotary of Crawford County. In 1835 he bought a foundry operated for many years by Jered Shattuck, but gave it up about five years later. After this he was a member of the board of a large foundry known as the Eagle Iron Works. He was 30 years old and married with one child at the time of the Finney trial. He was listed as a “scrivener” and a “foundryman” in the 1850 & 1860 census.
John Reynolds, Esq. (1782-1871) Born in Colchester, England, he was brought to America as a young boy and was one of the first settlers to Venango County, Pa. before the turn of the century. In 1805 he came to Meadville and was engaged as a teacher in the newly established Meadville Academy. After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1810. However, he devoted little time to the practice of his profession, applying himself almost exclusively to his real estate business. A land speculator all of his life, he was known for having large tracts of land in the eastern part of Crawford County by mid-century. He married Jane Ellicott, the widow of Meadville’s first doctor, Thomas Kennedy, in 1814. He and Jane had two sons and two daughters. He was very civic-minded and served on many community improvement committees and elected positions over his many years in Meadville. He was a city councilman in 1833-34, served as the first treasurer of Allegheny College and served on the first board of directors of the Northwest Bank of Pennsylvania beginning in 1814. When the bank closed its doors in 1822, he was appointed Receiver by the Court. He served in this position until 1838 when the Bank officially closed its books.