Finney, John
1823 - post-1873

He was born at Over, near Winsford, Ches., into a poor family with both Anglican and Methodist connections. From an early age he worked with his father as a cobbler, then on a farm. While employed as a boiler-maker at Ellesmere Port he led a profligate life, but was converted under the influence of an uncle. By 1863 he had become caretaker at Richmond Hall, Liverpool, an independent mission run by a Mr. Pennell. Here he also became a dedicated missioner with a rigorous routine of preaching and visiting and was widely known for his concern for the poor. In 1863 he persuaded Pennell to hand over the mission to the PMs In 1866 he began an itinerant evangelistic mission in the north-east. He does not seem to have appeared on the PM stations, but at some point after 1873 sailed for America. Nothing is known of his career from then on.

Sources
  • D. Dunn Wilson, 'John Finney, Forgotten Preacher', in London Quarterly and Holborn Review, July 1961 pp. 191-96

See also

Category: Person
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