Excerpt ▼from Family Group Record on Dr. John Humphreys and Jane Warren.
Included with letter dated December 10, 1990 from Ruth Humphreys to Archie Humphreys
“Doc. John Humphreys was granted, by Colonel Thomas Talbot in 1827, one hundred acres of land lot 14N, Talbot Road in Orford
Township, County of Kent. At that time "Western District" Ontario, or then also known as "Upper Canada", it was subject to settlement
duties.
Settlement Duties:
The settler must clear half the road in front of his land, clear 10 acres
elsewhere, build a log cabin 18' x 24', live on the land 5 years, and
pay the settlement duties. Colonel Talbot was very strict with his settlers in that all requirements must be met before he would grant
them a certificate that must be turned in before a Crown Patent (deed) would be issued. Also, none(?) British Subjects must take the Oath
of
Allegiance before him.
Dr. John Humphreys wrote a letter (Petition) February 17, 1848, stating that he had
completed the settlement duties, his farm had been
inspected by the Justice of Peace and it had passed the inspection, now he was ready to take the Oath of Allegiance and pay the settlement
duties. I have a letter from Colonel Thomas Talbot stating he had taken the Oath of Allegiance before him. (I have a very poor photo copy
of this petition and the hand written statement by Thomas Talbot that John Humphreys had taken the oath of allegiance before him. These
documents were forwarded by Ruth Rolina Humphreys to Amy Humphreys and she forward them to me. M.H.) Evidently something
happened as the next letter I have was written March 29, 1848 by a lawyer in Chatham stating that he was on a sick bed and was not
expected to live and would they give the farm to his wife Jane (Warren) Humphreys and if he lived give him all the privileges possible. It
was not until 1852 that he got the Patent (Deed). I have written for the Crown Patent but they say it was lost in post." (We perhaps can
assume that this was the time frame that Dr. John suffered his fall upon the ice and became incapacitated. M.H.)
Excerpt ▼from a letter written from Ruth Rolina Humphreys to Archie Humphreys in 1990.
"The 100 Acres from the crown in 1827 was in Duart, about 10 miles from where I (Ruth Humphreys) lived as a child."
To learn more about Colonel Thomas Talbot, the "Baron of Upper Canada" click on the web site below.
At the right is a copy of a portion of a book, (pages 43 and 44), entitled A Centennial Chronicle of Kent Doctors written by Victor Lauriston in 1967. The book was commissioned by the Kent County Medical Society for the purpose of doing "honour to the memory of those confreres who have gone before, and to record as an essential part of this county's history a reference to all members of the medical profession who have lived or practised in Kent up to the present time." This book contains many spelling errors. I received a copy of these pages from Bill Humphreys.
Excerpt ▼from Commemorative Biographical Record of Amariah Brooks (Dr. John Humphreys' son-in-law)
sent to Archie Humphreys from Ruth Humphreys in 1990.
"Dr. Humphreys was a surgeon in the war of 1812. He came to Orford Township in 1814 and farmed also following his profession. He died in 1873, aged ninety-six years, his widow surviving until 1890, and reaching the age of 85. They were consistent members of the English Church. They had the following children born to them: Charlotte, wife of Hiram Owens, lives on the old homestead: Martha died young: John died in Michigan: Susan wife of James Scott, died in Michigan: Jane became the wife of James Tinney, of Zone township: Maria was the wife of Amariah Brooks: Joshua is a ranchman in (North) Dakota: William is a farmer on the old homestead in Orford township."
The following narrative, below, was written by my Uncle, Donald Humphreys Malcom, youngest son of George William (Billy) Malcom and Minnie Matilda Jane Humphreys Malcom, in the year 1997-98. This note was written to his grandson, John Harvey.
Uncle Don wrote:
"Your Mom (Don's daughter Sarah) suggested that since you came along so late in our lives, and since I am getting pretty old, I should write down what I know or have been told about the family history. If it does nothing else, it gives me something to do on rainy days when I can't play golf, and hopefully it will give you a few laughs and perhaps a better sense of well being when you get to the age where these things count. I don't know too much about my mother's family background. I do know that my great grandfather, John Humphreys, was born in England about 1801 (1774). In order to get a medical education, he enlisted in the Army for 21 years and in turn the Army sent him to medical college to become a surgeon. After college, he joined his regiment and eventually was sent to Canada where he met and married Ann (Jane) Warren. I don't know how many children they had but one of them was my grandfather, Joshua H. Humphreys who was born in 1841.
At the right is a photo I took of Dr. John's gravestone in the Duart, Kent County, Ontario cemetery in the summer or 2005. I have sharpened the image so that the viewer can read most of the words and dates. We did not see a separate tombstone for Jane Warren Humphreys, his wife who died after him in 1893, but assumed that she was buried beside him as other documents state that she was also buried at the Duart Cemetery. The cemetery was peaceful and well cared for.
At the left is a wonderful photo (sent to me by Bill Humphreys) of Jane and one of her daughters, grand daughters or other female relative. We do not know who it is but wish we did. A good lesson for all of us to record the names of those persons in the photo for posterity on the back of the photo. Now we have recently discovered NEW information. The woman on the left with Jane is Emma, Joshua Humphrey's wife.
My cousin Norma sent me the photo below that is identified as Emma Althea Lake Humphreys, the wife of Joshua Humphreys, and Jane's daughter-in-law. In the photo, the boy on Emma's lap is identified as Frederick, Joshua and Emma's first born son.
