My Genealogy Hound

John J. Humphrey, the oldest merchant but one of Lamar, was born in Licking County, Ohio, June 14, 1841, and is the son of Darwin and Marietta (Humphrey) Humphrey, the grandson of Philander Humphrey, the great-grandson of Daniel Humphrey, the great-great-grandson of Michael Humphrey, the great-great-great-grandson of John Humphrey, the great-great-great-great grandson of Sergeant John Humphrey, and the great-great-great-great-great-grandson of Michael Humphrey. In the possession of the Humphrey family is a complete family history running back about 800 years. Michael Humphrey was the first to emigrate to America from England, and his arrival was some time prior to 1643. Of his direct descendants over 500 families are recorded; some have held high civil and military positions, and others have risen to distinction in the professions. David Humphrey, one of the descendants, was Gen. Washington’s aid, and later was minister to Portugal, from which country he imported the first merino sheep to America. Daniel Humphrey was in the Connecticut Legislature during twenty-seven sessions. Philander Humphrey was an eminent physician, who died at the age of fifty-two years with the croup. He served several terms in the Connecticut Legislature. His wife, Anna Shelby, lived to be eighty-three years of age. Darwin was born in Hartland, Conn., May 13, 1808, and at the age of twenty-two began merchandising in his native town. In 1834 he married Miss Marietta Shelby, who was born in Connecticut February 14, 1812. In 1835 they moved to Granville, Ohio, where Mr. Humphrey followed merchandising, and held the office of postmaster for many years. In 1869 he came to Missouri, locating at Lamar, and has lived a retired life since. Prior to the war he was a strong Democrat, but since then he has been an equally ardent Republican. He saw Gen. La Fayette in 1824, and is probably the only man in the county who has seen that celebrated officer. Mr. and Mrs. Humphrey are the parents of four children, two sons and two daughters. John J. Humphrey, the oldest but one of this family, had excellent educational advantages in the public schools and at Dennison University, but says he liked fun too well to lose any time in acquiring an education. At the age of fifteen he began clerking in a country store, and by the time he was twenty years of age he became a partner with his father in a store in his native town of Granville. In 1866 he came to Missouri, and the following year to Lamar, engaging with Dr. Charles Van Pelt in general merchandising, which he continued until 1872, when he changed his line of business to hardware, stoves, furniture, etc., and, his brother becoming a partner, the style of the firm was changed to Humphrey Bros. In 1871 he married Miss Mary E. McCutchen, a native of Cooper County., Mo., and to them were born six children, five living, two sons and three daughters. June 26, 1888, Mrs. Humphrey died. While in college one of Mr. Humphrey’s professors, in a moment of irritation, said to him, that he would never be anything or have anything. Visiting Mr. Humphrey two or three years since, he was compelled to take back his prophecy, as Mr. Humphrey is one of the leading merchants and citizens of Lamar.