The Humphreys family in America - citizen hylbom blog

2592. IV. Franxes Smith,? b. 13 Apr., 1827, St. Augustine, Fla. ; married there, 12 Nov.,
1850, Charles Floyd Hopkins, Passed Midshipman U. S. Navy, afterward ]\Iajor
of Artillery, and Colonel of the loth Reg. Florida Infantry, in the late Civil war.
Res. St. Augustine, Fla. and (1884) Jacksonville, Fla.
^593- V. Catharine Lakned,' b. 10 Jan., 1829, at the Seminole Agency, Fla.;— unmarried.
Res. (1884) on the homestead, in St. Augustine, Fla.
2594 VI. Edward Center,' b. 10 Apr., 1836; d. i July, 1862, u: 26; marrietl Mary Ellen
Byrd. Family 380.
2595. VII. Charles Downing,' b. 1 May, 1S38; d. 25 Apr., 1877, oc. 39; marrictl Sallie
Drysdale. Family 381.
FAMILY 185.
2596- May*^' Humphreys, ["Si] (//i»!. Raiben,^ Esq. OUva-,* Jimalhau.'' I.icul. Samuel^'
Michael,') was born 15 July, 1792, in Canton, Ct. He married, in Proviilcnce, R. 1.. 4 Nov.,
1S29, Mary Anne (dau. of George Washington and Mary Kennedy Philbrook) Hoppin, of Providence,
R. I., born there, in 1803; died in 1873, sc. 70 years. Mr. Humphreys died in New York
City, 7 Dec, 1866, sc. 74 years. The following appeared in the New York Evening Post,
December 8th, 1866:—
"There died yesterday, at his residence in this city, Mr. May Humphreys, whose career
as a merchant and man of business deserves more than this passing notice. Mr. Humphrej's was
born in New England, and his father was an officer in the Revolutionary army. At an early
period of life he entered into business at Baltimore, and was present, as a volunteer, at the battje
of Bladensburgh in 1814. He subsequently settled in Philadelphia, where he carried on a large
business, in the course of which he had frequent occasion to visit the West India Islands, and
particularly in Jamaica; was well known and esteemed by the resident planters and merchants of
those by-gone days, one of whom, Michael Scott, the author of that well-known book 'Tom
Cringle's Log,' first published as a serial in BAichvooif, was his intimate frientl.
"Subsequently, I\tr. Humjihreys married and resided in Philadelphia, becoming one of the
directors of the L^nited States Bank in its palmy days, and, being most esteemed by its
president, the well-known Nicholas Biddle, was entrusted by him with the management of the
large cotton operations of the United States Bank in 1838-39, and, going over to Liverpool, in
the end of 1837, established the house of Humphreys & Biddle, the junior partner of which was
a S(m of the then famous financier.
"At one time in 1838, ^Ir. Humphreys held the enormous stock of two huntlred and fift)-
thousand bales of cotton for the United States Bank; and in October, 1S3S, having sold one tlay
si.\ thousand bales to certain speculators, with the agreement that he would sell no more for a
week or ten days, thS market instantaneously rose so much that the increased value of his stock
required additional fire insurance in spite of the reduction of the six thousand bales.
"When Mr. Humphreys arrived in Liverpool, he was regarded with some jealou.sy and
dislike as an interloper who was taking away the business of the old established iiouses; but he
had been but a few months there, before he had entirely overcome this feeling by his tact and
urbanity, and he managed the immense interests committed to his care so ailmirably and with
such punctilious honor and liberality, that he won golden opinions even from his competitors
in business.
"After closing up the cotton operations of the United Slates Bank. Mr. Humphreys re-
• Remained eleven ycirs. .is .i merchant, in Liverpool, England, ace. lo the Cnlriini.il irisli>rr >/ ^t,\rc^UHI. A'. )'.
533