University of Wyoming
Collection is arranged into three series.
John Henry Finfrock was born on December 9, 1836, in Columbiana, Ohio and attended county and city schools until the age of 20. He joined the Union Army on March 12, 1862 and served as Captain of Company F, 64th Regiment Ohio Volunteers. He married Anna Catherine McCollough on June 22, 1862. Due to poor health he resigned from the army and studied medicine in Cincinnati in 1863. After passing his medical exam boards, he reentered the army as Assistant Surgeon 11th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry on July 8, 1863. On October 10 he arrived at Fort Halleck, Dakota Territory, located approximately 40 miles west of Laramie, Wyoming.
Fort Halleck was abandoned in 1866, and the Finfrocks moved to Fort Sanders and, in 1868, to Laramie. There Dr. Finfrock practiced medicine and opened a drug store. He also worked as the Union Pacific Railroad Physician for Albany County. He held many public offices while in Laramie. He was appointed Probate Judge and treasurer in December, 1868 when the legislature of Dakota Territory organized the county of Albany. He also served as councilman and mayor of Laramie for several terms each; member of the Penitentiary Commission; member of School Trustees for Albany County; Superintendent of Schools of Albany County; medical director of the Grand Army of the Republic; and member of the first Board of Regents of the University of Wyoming. Dr. Finfrock died in Boise, Idaho, on October 29, 1893 of heart failure.
The Finfrocks had four children : William Edmund ("Ed"), Henry ("Harry") McCullough, Mary Catherine, and Albert ("Bertie") Martin. William Edmund Finfrock was born September 17, 1865. He lived in Wyoming all his life, and was involved in sevral business ventures such as ranching and real estate. He died of a sudden heart attack on March 3, 1936. Henry McCollough Finfrock was born June 10, 1871. He attended Notre Dame University and died of a sudden illness on June 11, 1889 at the age of 18. Mary Catherine Finfrock was born in January, 1873 and died on September 20, 1873. Albert Martin Finfrock was born on December 13, 1875. He studied art in Paris and New York when he was 17. He was working as a draughtsman in Denver when he drowned on June 16, 1906.
The Finfrock Family Papers, 1862-1940, include four diaries, transcripts, correspondence, and photographs documenting the lives of the Finfrock family. The diaries of John H. Finfrock record his life in the Union Army during the Civil War, while attending a medical college in Cincinnati, at Fort Halleck, and in Laramie. There are transcripts of the 1862-1864 diaries which mostly comment on the weather, a few of his acquaintances, his illnesses and daily concerns. They also mention his work as an Assistant Surgeon during the Civil War and his experiences in medical school. The 1876 diary is a physicians diary containing mainly lists of patients. The biographical and historical material includes transcripts of newspaper articles about the lives and deaths of the Finfrock family with some correspondence and legal documents. The photographs are primarily portraits of the family and their friends. Many are unidentified.
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.
The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
There are no known other archival collections created by Finfrock Family at the date of processing.
The Finfrock Family Papers were donated by William Edmund (Ed) Finfrock and Caroline Finfrock to the Laramie Women's Club Museum in 1940. This material was placed at the University of Wyoming in March 1960.
The collection was processed by Elizabeth Hokanson in December 1991 and revised by D.C. Thompson in August 1998.
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Finfrock Family Papers, Collection Number 00007, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.