Barbour County, West Virginia Biography of Alfred N. HUMPHREYS ************************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: Material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor. Submitted by Valerie Crook, , March 2000 ************************************************************************** The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 357 ALFRED N. HUMPHREYS is a mining engineer by pro- fession, has been identified with practical mine operations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and, briefly, in the North- west, but the bulk of his work has been done since he became a resident of Philippi. He has done much to de- velop the coal measures of the Tygart Valley. Mr. Humphreys was born in Luzerne County, Pennsyl- vania, February 15, 1880. His grandfather, Robert Humph- reys, was of Welsh ancestry and probably a native of Wales. He married Catherine Emerich, whose grandfather, John Emerich, was a partner of John Jacob Astor in New York City, where large landed interests are said to belong to John's heirs. The children of Eobert Humphreys and wife were: Alfred N., Sr., John, Frank, Mrs. Christian Bach and Mrs. Joseph Fogel. Alfred N. Humphreys, Sr., was born at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, had a college training, and as a young man entered the profession and business of coal operating and mine engineering in Eastern Pennsylvania. Eventually he became general manager of some large coal properties, and had extensive financial interests in them. He died at Pittsburgh in 1910, at the age of sixty-three. He was a republican, a Knight Templar Mason and Shriner and a member of the Episcopal Church. He married Elizabeth Gillespie, who is still living at Pittsburgh. Her father, John Gillespie, was a merchant in Luzerne County, Penn- sylvania, where he died in early life. Alfred N. Humphreys, Jr., was the only son of his parents, and his seven sisters were: Mary H., wife of George F. Brendlinger, of Pitts- burgh; Miss Harriet R., who died in 1909; Eliza G., wife of Charles S. Sowash, who died in Bakersfield, California, in 1912; Miss Lenore G., of Pittsburgh; Miss Florence, of Pittsburgh; Miss Anna, of New York City; and Constance C., wife of J. Frederick Knoblock, of Chicago. Alfred N. Humphreys spent the first ten years of his life in the place of his birth, and then grew up at Irwin, Pennsylvania. He was educated in the public schools there, and took a coal and mine engineering course in Fordham University of New York. From university he went into the service of the Westmoreland Coal Company of Irwin as an engineer, and did general engineering work at the several mines of that company for five years. He per- formed work of a similar character two years for the Ellsworth Coal Company in Washington County, Pennsyl- vania. From there he came into the New River field of West Virginia, and for about a year as superintendent of two 500-foot shaft mines of the New River Coal Company. Following this came his experience in the Northwest, at Billings, Montana, where for a year be was superintendent of the Bituminous Coal Company's mines. Returning to West Virginia, Mr. Humphreys then established his home and business headquarters at Philippi. He operated at Philippi a property under the name of The Humphreys Collieries Company, continuing for about three years and increasing the daily production to 300 tons. This property was opened in 1908, and Mr. Hum- phreys was president of the company and is still in that office. Since 1912 the property has been leased to the Humphreys Coal Company. He was associated with several other enterprises, and in 1919 opened property two miles below Philippi, under the name of the A. N. Humphreys Coal Company, of which he is the active head. Mr. Humphreys is a member of the city council of Philippi, a member of the Kiwanis Club, is a republican, having east his first vote for Colonel Roosevelt in 1904, and, while a man of unusual social qualities, he is not affiliated with any secret order. At Philippi, in September, 1910, Mr. Humphreys mar- ried Miss Grace Heatherly, daughter of James E. and Laura E. Heatherly. Her mother is still living at Philippi. Mrs. Humphreys was born at "The Pines," the country home of the Heatherly family near Philippi. Her father was one of the extensive farmers in this region. Mrs. Humphreys is a graduate of Broaddus College. Her sister is Mrs. E. A. Bowers, and her only brother is Wayne W. Heatherly. Mrs. Humphreys is active in the Missionary Baptist Church.