The Humphrey Family History: A Tale of Connections and Generations

1. Harry & Olive Humphrey Harry Baker Humphrey 1873 - 1955 Olive Agatha Mealey 1875 - 1962 Llewellyn M Humphrey 1903 - 2001 Robert R Humphrey 1904 - 2002 Helen Humphrey (Heidi) 1906 -2010 Isabel Humphrey (Tedda) 1906 - 1991 Harry B Humphrey 1911 - 1996 John W D Humphrey (Gee) 1915 - 2006

2. Garnett & Viva January Garnett Peelle January 1883 - 1967 Viva Mae Morton 1883 - 1969 Roberta January 1909 - 2004 Return

3. Robert’s Family Robert Regester Humphrey 1904 - 2002 Roberta January 1909 - 2004 Shirley Joan (Schoof) 1932 Lois Anne (Angus) 1935 Alan Baker Humphrey 1939 Beth Pelle (Grady) 1944 Return

4. Spouses Shirley 1932 Lois 1935 Alan 1939 Beth 1944 Carl H Schoof 1921 - 2004 Robert Angus 1936 Jane Simonson 1946 Ed Grady 1936 Return

5. Alan’s Family ---------m. 1959 d. 1972 --------- ----------m. 1973 ---------- Elizabeth Jane Simonson 1946 Loretta Bridget Lyons 1940 Alan Baker Humphrey 1939 Alan Baker Humphrey, Jr. 1959 Gwendolyn Joan Humphrey 1960 Bridget Loretta Humphrey 1962 Robert Thomas Humphrey 1963 Dylan Wells Humphrey 1976 - 2008 Ross Edward Humphrey 1980 Return

6. Tiger’s Family Alan Baker Humphrey Jr. 1959 Eleanor Boba 1957 Gary Humphrey Boba 1993 Alida Boba Humphrey 1996 Return

7. Gwen’s Family Kenneth James Pridgen 1955 Gwen Joan Humphrey 1960 Matthew Alan Pridgen 1995 Return

8. Robbie’s Family Robert Thomas Humphrey 1963 Diane Lisa Amend 1964 Return Magdalena Jean Humphrey 2002

9. Gigi’s Family Bridget Loretta Humphrey 1962 Colleen Ann O’Rork 1952 Return

10. Lois's Family Lois Anne Humphrey (Angus) 1935 Robert Joseph Angus 1936 Troy Rae Angus 1967 Traci Anne Angus (Dean) 1971 Return

11. Tracie's Family Traci Anne Angus 1971 Eric Christopher Dean 1971 Tyler Christopher Dean 2002 Taylor Anne Dean 2005 Return

12. Troy's Family Troy Rae Angus 1967 Jennifer Downey 1979 Mircalla Lindsey Downey-Angus Return

13. Tedda’s Family George Harold Godfrey 1888 - 1982 Isabel Estella Humphrey (Tedda) 1906 - 1991 Susan Wadsworth Godfrey 1940 Malcom David Godfrey 1940 Return

14. Llewelyn’s Family Mary Lorraine Register Humphrey 1907 - 1953 Llewelyn Mealey Humphrey 1903 - 2004 Margret Otilla Disher Humphrey 1907 - 1994 Eugene Register Humphrey 1933 David Ford Humphrey 1934 - 2013 Edward Sydney Humphrey 1935 Return

15. Heidi’s Family John Mark McLernon (Mac) 1898 - 1956 Helen Wadsworth Humphrey 1906 - 2009 Harold Paul Hass 1918 - 1999 Roberta Irene McLernon 1932 - 1998 Patricia McLernon 1934 Sheila Jean McLernon 1938 Return

16. Sheila’s Family Frank Whitlow 1939 - 2004 Sheila McLernon (Gerhart) 1938 Dale William Whitlow 1959 Sherrie Jean Whitlow (Jones) 1961 Return

17. Dale’s Family Dale William Whitlow 1959 Shelley Stokes 1957 Travis Wayne Whitlow 1990 Tyler William Whitlow 1990 Return

18. Sherrie’s Family John W Jones 1960 Sherrie Jean Whitlow Jones 1961 Katie Lynn Jones Pascoe 1986 Shannon Liegh Jones 1988 Return

19. Bobbies’s Family Roberta Irene McLernon 1932 - 1998 Gayle Farwell 1921 Heidi Joanne Farwell 1959 James Todd Farwell 1960 Return

20. Heidi Jo’s Family Heidi Joanne Farwell 1959 Steve Scholl Megan Scholl Return

21. Pat’s Family Patricia McLernon 1934 Melvin C Greer 1930 - 2005 Deborah Jean Greer 1954 Tracy Mac Greer 1960 Melvin Edward Greer 1966 Return

22. Eugene’s Family Eugene Register Humphrey 1933 Velma Ruth Galbraith 1940 Lewellyn Mealey Humphrey II 1959 Michael Eugene Humphrey 1961 Gregory Scott Humphrey 1963 Return

23. David’s Family David Ford Humphrey 1934 - 2013 Judith E. Stoltenberg 1941 - 2006 Travis David Humphrey 1971 Kimberly Joy Humphrey 1973 Return

24. Travis’s Family Travis David Humphrey 1971 Ann Humphrey 1971 Trenton David James Humphrey 2005 Tyler Cyrel-Ford Humphrey 2006 Return

25. Kim’s Family Kimberly Joy Humphrey 1973 Darren Ronald Blades 1973 Addysen Joy Blades 2005 Andrew Ford Blades 2007 Return

26. Edward’s Family Edward Sydney Humphrey 1935 Deborah Kathleen Leonard 1957 Bobby B. Humphrey 1973 Return

27. Gee’s Family John William David Humphrey 1915 - 2006 Marian Blackburn 1918 Barbara Jeannette Humphrey 1943 David Llewellyn Humphrey 1946 Return

28. Harry’s Family Harry Bartholomew Humphrey 1911 - 1996 Vivian Laura Linder 1917 - 1996 David Rowland Humphrey 1940 Judith Kathleen Humphrey 1941 Return

29. David’s Family David Rowland Humphrey 1940 Larrie Louise Dermedy 1943 Patrick Andrew Humphrey 1964 David Baker Humphrey 1969 Nicholas Daniel Humphrey 1982 Return

30. Judy’s Family Judy Kathleen Humphrey 1941 Richard Huerta 1968 Pamela Rigsby 1961 Tina Anderson 1962 Debbie Marie Hirt 1967 Brenda Scott 1968 Bobbie Scott 1969 - 2012 Return

31. SOME NOTES ON THE HUMPHREY (HUMPHREYS) FAMILY By Harry Baker Humphrey Origin It seems to be established on thoroughly dependable authority that the first Humphreys were Scandinavians and that they may have lived on a "Peaceful Island”. The name Humphrey had its origin in the ancient Scandinavian words Holm frid (mod. Swedish Holm frid) meaning peaceful Island and suggesting that the first member of our now multitudinous family may have sought and enjoyed the privacy of his own island. Another and less authoritative attempt to explain the origin of the name of our family is that offered by somebody whose ear may have been more keenly sensed to sound than to fact. His opinion was that Humphrey came from homme yrai, the French for true or sincere man. But, however plausible such an accounting for our name may seem, the fact remains that the first Humphreys were Scandinavians. To be sure, there were members of the family in Normandy in the 11th century and long since. But that part of what is now France had already been overrun by the roving hordes from the land of the Norse. It is not improbable that some of the descendants of the original Holm frid may have found their way into Normandy. At any rate, the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 left Humphreys in that unpeaceful isle. These same members of the family and possibly others who came later out of Normandy started a family tree whose vigorous seed established the name on the court and church registers of England, Scotland, Wales, and subsequently in Ireland. Spelling of the name From all accounts I have thus far been free to examine the names Humphrey and Humphreys are synonymous. I have found in some instances both spellings employed by members of the same family; though, as a general practice, those of a given family line adhere to one spelling or the other, from one generation to another, indefinitely. Variants from the original are such names as Humphry, Humfrey, Homfray, Umphry, Humphries, Humphery, Humphre-ville and Onfroi. The name Pumphrey is the shortened form of the Welsh ap Humphrey (son of Humphrey) and may, therefore, be regarded as a variant of Humphrey, just as Powell (ap Howel) is a variant of Howell. Pronunciation of the name Our standard dictionaries give but one pronunciation for the name Humphrey, namely, Hum (as in hum, hump) fri = Humfri. The Cockney English pronunciation is Umf ri and many there be who bear the name Humphrey, yet pronounce it incorrectly. On the other hand, the Humphreys are legion whose pronunciation of the name does not ignore the initial H. I have been mildly admonished, even criticised, for having departed from the more or less traditional pronunciation of our name. Yet, I can see no good reason why I should not pronounce it correctly. In doing so I shall be none the less a member of the family. In the days of my boyhood I attended school in a neighborhood where there were many children of French-Canadian parentage who answered in their Parish church and in their homes to such family names as Pepin, Chouinard, Bourgeois, Plourde, and Caron. To this day one may hear these names (even find them so recorded on school registers) as Pippin, Sweenor, Bushway, Ploode, and Coral, or sometimes Corron, originally so pronounced and so written — yes, printed — by neighbors and teachers of non-French lineage who had neither the ear nor the patience to pronounce French names correctly, But though these neighbors and teachers and their progeny, even to the nth generation continue to mispronounce these splendid old French names they would still he wrong. And why. perpetuate an error' 'Thy continue to pronounce Humphrey as though it was Umphrey? There is no genuine authority for it. To say: “We have always so pronounced it", does not make it right. Family traits It is with no little hesitancy that I approach a subject so beset with the temptation to lay claim to all the virtues and to refer to them as hereditary and more or less peculiar to the Humphrey family. It would obviously be difficult to prove that such qualities as integrity, moral courage, the art instinct, judicial sense, were family traits or characteristics in any hereditary sense. These qualities or characteristics are not—-can not be peculiarly those of any one family line of such ancient origin as our own. And yet, I have heard it said and have read from the printed page such, statements as The Humphreys are preeminently artistic. The family has to its credit a long and enviable roster of artists, architects, musicians, writers. The Humphrey family has been outstanding in its production of Clergymen, college presidents, jurists, and teachers. Now one difficulty with such generalizations is that they may not bear comparison with those recorded for families bearing such names as Barton, Williams, Bartholomew, Henderson, Regester, Smedley, and others too numerous to mention. In other words, almost any such characterization applied to the Humphreys might easily and equally be applicable to many other families. If we confine our observations solely to our lineal household, the Humphreys of the Dudley, Massachusetts branch of the family it is still difficult for us to say with certainty whether a given characteristic is peculiarly that of the Humphrey side of the house. We must not forget our mothers. And yet, I believe it can be truthfully said that the majority of our family, as far back as we have any record, has been characterized by the following traits and qualities: “mental conservatism; hospitality; the spirit of the pioneer; marked Industriousness; integrity, dependability, love of nature, of philosophy, history, and the beautiful in art and literature: sound business sense; and a profound instinct for the home and for family stability and excellence. The Dudley, Massachusetts, branch of the family has been preeminently agricultural. There have been in the family no artists, no musicians, no writers, no clergymen, no teachers, no scholars, no business men of truly outstanding merit; yet, some of them may have been of more than average ability and distinction. In agriculture, even, we have produced not more than two or possibly three "master" farmers. One of these was, in his day, an outstanding genius in his chosen field and would today undoubtedly be rated as a master farmer of the first rank. My research into the published or other records of the Humphreys of Dudley has failed to disclose any suicides, any idiocy, any predisposition to such diseases as tuberculosis, diabetes, insanity, etc. Our people, being largely of the New England puritan household, have adhered consistently and rather rigidly to certain principles of moral rectitude. Indeed, I might say that the reaching of such principles within our family has become traditional. As a consequence, there have thus far been no murderers to hang on the family tree; no gamblers worthy the name; no victims of delirium tremens; no "Jail birds" and, so far as I can ascertain, no saints. Some of the Humphreys of our branch have quarreled with their wives but they usually have yielded to feminine entreaties before matters got into the divorce courts. As a family, we have been much addicted to hard work; have worried too much; have been thrifty; and have been too cautious in business matters to amass great material wealth. We are not belligerent, though we have not always been wise enough to avoid resort to arms in case of war. As a family, we have despised hypocrisy and have never joined such organisations as the Ku Klux Klan or the I.W.W's (Industrial Workers of the World?).