William Thomas George FINN

Father: Nathaniel FINN B: 1823 D:

Mother: Fanny Saffrey B: 1829 D:

Siblings

Fanny Elizabeth FINN B:  D:

Children

Lucinda Eden (Finn) Kite B: 23rd Jan 1869 in Pichi Richi, South Australia  D: 9th Jul 1945 in South Australia
Nathaniel James “Nat” Finn B: 3rd Apr 1870 in Pichi Richi, South Australia D: 24th Feb 1930 in Farina, South Australia
William David Finn B: 25th Feb 1872 Pichi Richi, South Australia  D: 1st Jan 1941 in Townsville, Queensland
James Dodd Finn B: 13th Jan 1875 in Port Augusta, South Australia  D: 19th Mar 1946 in Adelaide, South Australia
Stephen Goldup Finn B: 11th Feb 1877 in Hookina, South Australia D: 13 Nov 1957 in Port Pirie, South Australia
Mildred Frances (Finn) Kite B: 14th Sep 1878 in Farina, South Australia  D: 2 Jul 1951 in Laura, South Australia
Elijah john Finn B: 6th Dec 1879 in Hergott Springs, South Australia D: 17 Jun 1885 in Farina, South Australia
Rachel May Finn B: 26th Apr 1886 in Farina, South Australia  D: 28th Apr 1886 in Farina, South Australia
John Edward Farina Finn B: 26th Apr 1886 in Farina, South Australia D: 10th Aug 1962 in Magill, Adelaide, South Australia
Florence Jane Finn B: 3rd Oct 1887 in Farina, South Australia  D: 28th Mar 1888 in Farina, South Australia
Elizabeth Blanche Finn B: 11th Sep 1889 in Farina, South Australia D: 12th Sep 1889 in Farina, South Australia

1-William Thomas George Finn (Canterbury-23 Feb 1923)
+Jane Balhannah Hatfield (abt 1847-9 Aug 1938)
. . . . 2-Lucinda Eden (Finn) Kite (23 Jan 1869-9 Jul 1945)
. . . . +George Kite (12 May 1867-28 Jun 1927)
. . . . . . . . 3-Edward Stephen Kite (17 Aug 1895-1958)
. . . . . . . . 3-George Henry “Archie” Kite (31 May 1897-17 Dec 1992)
. . . . . . . . 3-Joseph Alexander Kite (16 Jul 1900-)
. . . . . . . . 3-Margaret (Kite) Duck (13 Jan 1903-1987)
. . . . . . . . 3-Donald Ernest Patrick Kite (16 Oct 1905-1980)
. . . . . . . . 3-Angas Kite (26 Sep 1908-1926)
. . . . 2-Nathaniel James “Nat” Finn (3 Apr 1870-24 Feb 1930)
. . . . +Lucy Evans (16 Jun 1872-August 1954)
. . . . . . . . 3-May Nellie Finn (15 Jun 1901-)
. . . . . . . . 3-Everleen Lucy (Finn) Woollard (26 Mar 1897-5 May 1993)
. . . . . . . . 3-Ivy (Finn) Hill (18 Mar 1899-9 Dec 1997)
. . . . . . . . 3-Jane Florence Finn (26 Apr 1907-)
. . . . . . . . 3-Adelaide Edith Finn (30 Mar 1909-)
. . . . . . . . 3-Dorothy “Dolly” Finn (1 Dec 1911-)
. . . . . . . . 3-Constance Esma Finn (31 May 1917-)
. . . . 2-William David Finn (25 Feb 1872-1 Jan 1941)
. . . . +Ethel Ellen (Edwards) Finn (29 Dec 1884-18 Jun 1950)
. . . . . . . . 3-Ernest Clifford Finn (26 Oct 1902-7 Sep 1990)
. . . . . . . . 3-William Morris Goldbert “Morrie” Finn (9 Jun 1904-3 May 1945)
. . . . . . . . 3-Frances Dorina Ellen (Finn) Engwall (25 Aug 1906-3 Nov 1981)
. . . . . . . . 3-James Ronald Finn (2 Dec 1909-19 Oct 1990)
. . . . . . . . 3-David Finn (19 Sep 1911-22 Jul 1964)
. . . . . . . . 3-Jack Hughes “Jock” Finn (14 Oct 1912-25 Jun 1989)
. . . . . . . . 3-Nancy Hughes (Finn) Gibson (25 Aug 1914-)
. . . . . . . . 3-Allen Henry Finn (9 Jun 1916-11 Mar 1982)
. . . . . . . . 3-Myrtle Jean (Finn) Hardy (3 Apr 1918-6 Jun 1979)
. . . . . . . . 3-Ethel Elizabeth Finn (5 Dec 1919-)
. . . . . . . . 3-Leslie Keith Finn (20 Jan 1923-1998)
. . . . . . . . 3-Victoria June Finn (25 Jun 1924-)
. . . . . . . . 3-Richard Maxwell Finn (31 Dec 1925-)
. . . . . . . . 3-Peter Finn (26 May 1927-16 Oct 2002)
. . . . . . . . 3-Gary Finn (2 Mar 1930-30 Sep 1930)
. . . . . . . . 3-Leonard Anthony Finn (22 May 1930-1985)
. . . . 2-James Dodd Finn (13 Jan 1875-19 Mar 1946)
. . . . +Jane Hunt (19 Mar 1877-)
. . . . . . . . 3-Elsie Ellen Finn (21 Jun 1903-)
. . . . 2-Stephen Goldup Finn (11 Feb 1877-13 Nov 1957)
. . . . +Elsie Ellen Hunt (-2 May 1970)
. . . . . . . . 3-Ronald Alexander Stephen Finn (1 Apr 1904-1977)
. . . . . . . . 3-Henry Herbert James Finn (8 Dec 1905-1987)
. . . . . . . . 3-Eric William George Finn (23 Jun 1907-1988)
. . . . . . . . 3-Ruby Elsie Ellen (Finn) Pavlich (6 Jun 1909-2001)
. . . . . . . . 3-Mavis Alice (Finn) Goodger (6 Jun 1913-1997)
. . . . . . . . 3-Joseph Ernest Finn (30 Dec 1914-1992)
. . . . . . . . 3-Vera Gladys Finn (6 Mar 1918-1994)
. . . . 2-Mildred Frances (Finn) Kite (14 Sep 1878-2 Jul 1951)
. . . . 2-Elijah john Finn (6 Dec 1879-17 Jun 1885)
. . . . 2-Rachel May Finn (26 Apr 1886-28 Apr 1886)
. . . . 2-John Edward Farina Finn (26 Apr 1886-10 Aug 1962)
. . . . 2-Florence Jane Finn (3 Oct 1887-28 Mar 1888)
. . . . 2-Elizabeth Blanche Finn (11 Sep 1889-12 Sep 1889)

William Thomas George Finn was born in Canterbury, England, on 11th September 1847 in Canterbury, Kent. His father, Nathaniel, was 24 and his mother, Fanny, was 18. He was the only son of Nathaniel Finn and Fanny Saffrey. William and his sister Fanny Elizabeth travelled to South Australia with their mother Fanny in 1857. Shortly after arrival, Fanny married their uncle George Finn.

The family lived in Gawler and the Barossa Valley region. William Fin was an industrious man. As a blacksmith, he found work on the Rail. He settled first in Pitchi Ritchi, Hookina and later Beltana. He worked as a blacksmith and a wheelwright. He was a man of some skill as men would order his bullock shoes from as far away as NSW.

He married Jane Balhannah Hatfield on 27th October 1868 in South Australia. Jane was the daughter of the convict’s Joseph Hatfield and Mary Davis. They had 14 children in 24 years.

Life in the outback was hard, and children died easily. Six of their children died as infants or young children. Her brother John lived with them. He was an alcoholic and never married. Jane lived with her brother after the death of William.

One family anecdote of a lost child as recalled by Ethel Hobbs May Ellen Finn’s daughter

Little Grandmother (Jane Balhannah) would tell us stories of her childhood in Balhannah – of the beautiful apples and the rain on the hills and the thick trees, how her little brother was lost or stolen and of their mother’s grief and how she never gave up looking for him hoping to find some trace of him. She also talked of a sister, Rachel.

Years later, a young man knocked on the door to introduce himself as the little boy who had been lost. His story was that his known father had died and left a letter with his will explaining how he and his wife could never have children and so while he was travelling he had come across this family with a lot of children he decided that they would not miss the little boy. His last wish was that the boy returns to his family to meet them. This he did but explained that they were strangers to him, and as he had his own wife and children, he would not stay. With this visit, the mystery of the missing boy was solved.

Grandmother (Jane Balhannah) came to Pichi Richi to work for the Taylor family, and it was there she met William Thomas George Finn, a blacksmith and wheelwright. Their first home was at Pichi Richi, and their first children were born there.

Pichi Richi must have been a busy little place with a blacksmith shop, wayside inn, brewery and quite a few settler’s and worker’s homes. Then the railway was built, and there was no more work. Many people moved North. Grandfather took his family to old Hookina. Then eventually to Beltanna, where they spent the last years of their lives. They had a comfortable cottage of pine and pug with slate floors and a blacksmith shed where William and his son John worked. Jane told of a very hot day William passed away. She was ironing, and he told her to put away her work and they would have a rest as the afternoon heat was too much for them. He lay on the wooden miner’s couch, and she spread her goatskin rug under the kitchen table. They talked until they dozed off to sleep. When she awoke and went to wake him he had died in a peaceful sleep. She said he was a good husband and worked every day of his life, a kind and gentle father. She lived on at Beltana with her brother John Hatfield until John (presume Hatfield) sold the Home. Jane then went to Quorn to live with May Finn (Kelly)

John (Hatfield) went to live in the Magill home for the Aged, he was a heavy drinker.

There is no record of William owning land at Farina.

His son’s Nathaniel, James and William owned land at Farina.