Was real life J.C. Finch the basis for 'Simon Finch' in Harper Lee's novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird'?

Someone asked me the other day if I thought any of the names for the fictional characters in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” have any connection with real life people from Monroe County’s past.

Fans of the book will remember that the book’s main character Jean Louse “Scout” Finch is the daughter of fictional lawyer, Atticus Finch. Scout is also the brother of Jeremy Atticus “Jem” Finch. The book also notes that they are the direct descendants of Simon Finch, an Englishman who founded Finch’s Landing on the Alabama River.

Often the simplest explanation is the correct one. With that in mind, it should be noted that Harper Lee’s mother, Frances, was a Finch before she married Amasa Coleman Lee. Frances was the daughter of James Cunningham “J.C.” Finch and Ellen Williams Finch, who are both buried in Evergreen.

J.C. Finch was the founder of what we now call Finchburg, a small community northwest of Monroeville, not far from the Alabama River. J.C. Finch was born in Clarksville, Virginia in 1855 and moved to Conecuh County with his parents when he was a child. He later moved from Evergreen to Monroe County, where he lived until his wife, Ellen, died in 1937.

His obituary notes that J.C. and Ellen “resided for many years in Finchburg, where Mr. Finch served as postmaster for more than 50 years.” Sources say that Finchburg was named for Postmaster J.C. Finch when the post office was established there in 1886. J.C. would have been 31 years old at that time, and records reflect that he was the Finchburg postmaster for 53 years, making him 84 at the time he left the job.

When Ellen died, J.C. moved from Finchburg to Atmore, where he lived with his daughter, Mrs. Alice McKinley. J.C. passed away on Feb. 2, 1949 at the age of 93 and he is buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Atmore.

Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” never specifically mentions Finchburg, but it doesn’t mention Finch’s Landing. For years, I defended the idea that Finch’s Landing was a thinly-veiled reference to Claiborne. I’ve since changed my mind about that.

A close reading of Harper Lee’s second novel, “Go Set a Watchman,” will reveal clear references to Claiborne, where that town is specifically mentioned by name. Logically, Finch’s Landing and Claiborne can’t be the same place if they are referred to in “Go Set a Watchman” as separate locations within the “Maycombverse.”

Closer examination indicates that the fictional Finch’s Landing may have been a reference to a real-life location known as Finchburg Landing. Found on old maps as far back as 1916, Finchburg Landing was located a short distance from Finchburg on the east bank of the Alabama River.

Finchburg Landing was just north of Maiben Landing, which was also known as Marshalls Upper Landing. To bracket it in further, Finchburg Landing was located south of the old McCoy Woodyard Landing.

In the end, if anyone in the reading audience can shed more light on these connections, please let me hear from you. A number of local folks have made a fun hobby out comparing Lee’s fictional novels to real life people, places and events. Those more knowledgeable about the novels and the county will no doubt see more connections than I’ve been able to glean.