Barton County, Missouri Biographies-John J. HUMPHREY

History Of Hickory, Polk, Cedar, Dade And Barton Counties, 
Missouri, 1889.  Published by Goodspeed. Pages 907, 908

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-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 hardward, 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 16, 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.

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