William Earl Finley

Infobox Person
name = Finley William Earl
caption = Finley William Earl
birth_date = b.1959
birth_place = Seattle, Washington

William Earl Finley (born 1959 in Seattle, Washington) is a large format landscape photographer whose primary focus is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Great Smoky Mountains clearly are his favorite place in America to photograph, but he has recently branched out to some of the other National Parks in America like Shenandoah National Park, Yosemite National Park, and the Grand Teton National Park.

Posted on his photography website is also the story of his family's journey across America up to modern times. Mr. Finley's family immigrated to America in the early 1700's from Scotland via Ireland. Upon arrival in America, his family settled first in or near the East Nottingham area of Pennsylvania, then migrated to Virginia in the 1730's and were some of the first to settle the Shenandoah Valley. [Our Forefathers written by Newton Gleaves Finley in 1870.] They also helped establish the oldest church in the Shenandoah Valley named Tinkling Spring's Presbyterian Church in 1740 located in present day Fishersville, Virginia. [John Finley of Montgomery/Wythe County, Virginia; Additional Children Identified, Virginia Genealogist 1990-1991; Pg 206, by Dr. Carmin J. Finley, C.G., Ph.D. ]

After the American Revolution, his family was again some of the first to branch out into the frontier regions that would eventually become the states of Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee with members of his family arriving to what became Blount County, Tennessee in 1787. The Finley’s that settled in Kentucky followed by Missouri would then go on to California by covered wagon in 1852 being again some of the earliest to do so. [John Finley of Montgomery/Wythe County, Virginia; Additional Children Identified, Virginia Genealogist 1990-1991; Pg 206, by Dr. Carmin J. Finley, C.G., Ph.D. ]

Recently recognized by the Great Smoky Mountains Association for the photography and history related to the Smoky Mountains region, Mr. Finley is one of their featured photographers on their website. The Great Smoky Mountains Association is a nonprofit organization authorized by the United States Congress to support the Park's educational, scientific, and historical programs.

Mr. Finley is the Great, Great, Great Grandson of Asa Finley, the first elected Judge of Arrow Rock, Missouri, Great, Great, Nephew of William Asa Finley the first President of Oregon State University, and a cousin two generations removed to William L. Finley the famed ornithologist, conservationist, and one time Oregon's State Game Warden for whom the William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge is named for. [John Finley of Montgomery/Wythe County, Virginia; Additional Children Identified, Virginia Genealogist 1990-1991; Pg 206, by Dr. Carmin J. Finley, C.G., Ph.D. ]

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