The Humphreys family in America - citizen hylbom blog
The Humphreys family in America - citizen hylbom blog
The Humphreys family in America - citizen hylbom blog
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clock and watch work. In the month of March, 1833. at the age of sixteen, <strong>in</strong> company with<br />
Monroe Taylor, he left the paternal abode to seek his fortune among strangers. He adopted<br />
J.<br />
the profession of school-teach<strong>in</strong>g for a few years; but, <strong>in</strong> 1841, commenced sell<strong>in</strong>g goods for<br />
Monroe Taylor <strong>in</strong> Delphi, N. Y., where he cont<strong>in</strong>ued three years, the last year hav<strong>in</strong>g charge<br />
J.<br />
of the store and do<strong>in</strong>g a large country trade; was a merchant <strong>in</strong> Phoenix, Oswego Co., N. Y.,<br />
from the spr<strong>in</strong>g of 1S49 to 1852. In 1854, '55 and '56, was contractor to enlarge four sections<br />
on the Oswego Canal, N. Y. After this he was for many years General Agent and Commercial<br />
Traveler for J. Monroe Taylor, for whom he has designed and super<strong>in</strong>tended the build<strong>in</strong>g of five<br />
factories, at different times, for the manufacture of Gold Medal Saleratus, Bicarbonate of Soda,<br />
Cream Yeast Bak<strong>in</strong>g Powder, and other chemicals. He is the <strong>in</strong>ventor of special, valuable pro-<br />
cesses <strong>in</strong> the manufacture of these goods, which render them so justly popular throughout<br />
this country. He has never used ardent spirits or tobacco <strong>in</strong> any form, and, with the co-oper-<br />
ation of his good wife, has never found it necessary to house a camphor bottle dur<strong>in</strong>g thirty-six<br />
years of married life.<br />
Mr. Humphrey is deeply <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong> astronomical subjects, also <strong>in</strong> the laws govern<strong>in</strong>g<br />
physical phenomena, and enterta<strong>in</strong>s some theories which are the result of his own observations<br />
and calculations.* Res. (1884) <strong>in</strong> Delphi. Onondaga Co., X. Y.<br />
Children :<br />
3483. I. George Clarence,^ b. 13 Nov., 1848, Pompey Hollow, N. Y. ; married <strong>in</strong> Delphi,<br />
N. Y., 12 Nov., 1879, Emma C. (dau. of Archibald and Margaret Brady) Losey,<br />
of Delphi, who was born <strong>in</strong> Pompey, N. Y. He entered Cornell University, but<br />
was obliged to withdraw on account of ill health; is now a farmer. P. O. ad-<br />
dress (1884) Delphi, N. Y.<br />
34S4. II. Walter Henry,' b. 16 Feb.. 1852, Phoenix. X. Y. : died<br />
te. 5 years.<br />
there, 6 Sept., 1857,<br />
3485. III. Florence Viola,' b. 11 June, 1855, Phoenix, N. Y. ; married, at Delphi, X. Y., 25<br />
June, 1879, Oliver Leverrier (son of Oliver) Bush, of Rose Valley, X. Y. He<br />
is a farmer. Mrs. Bush is a portrait and landscape pa<strong>in</strong>ter; is giv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>struction<br />
<strong>in</strong> her art at Wolcott, N. Y., (1884). <strong>The</strong>y reside <strong>in</strong> Rose, Wayne Co., N. Y. ChiU:<br />
3486. i. Humphrey Leverrier,' b. 28 Nov. 18S1, Rose Valley, N. Y.<br />
• At the age of eighteen he <strong>in</strong>vented a method of f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g the time of night, very nearly, without the aid of an <strong>in</strong>strument, by tak<strong>in</strong>g the<br />
position of the Little Dipper, composed of seven stars <strong>in</strong> the constellation Ursa M<strong>in</strong>or. <strong>The</strong> pole-star named Polaris represents the center<br />
of the dial, and the farthermost star <strong>in</strong> the Dipper the po<strong>in</strong>ter. This po<strong>in</strong>ter makes the circuit of this dial once <strong>in</strong> twenty-four hours, and<br />
also an additional circuit from east to west once <strong>in</strong> a year, caused by the earth's annual revolution around the sun. This po<strong>in</strong>ter will be<br />
found at four quarterly periods dur<strong>in</strong>g each year as follows: At the w<strong>in</strong>ter solstice, December 21st, vertically beneath the star Polaris about<br />
n<strong>in</strong>e o'clock P. M.; at the spr<strong>in</strong>g equ<strong>in</strong>ox, March 21st, horizontally east of Polaris about nme o'clock P. M.: at the summer solstice,<br />
June 22d, vertically above Polaris about n<strong>in</strong>e o'clock P. M.: at the autumnal equ<strong>in</strong>ox, September 21st, horizontally west of Polaris at n<strong>in</strong>e<br />
o'clock P. M. For example ; Suppose the position of the po<strong>in</strong>ter on the night of July 29th was found to be above and 25 degrees west<br />
of Polaris, what time of night would it be ? If 360 degrees 24 hours, 25 degrees= i hour and 40 m<strong>in</strong>utes t 9 hours == 10 o'clock<br />
and 40 m<strong>in</strong>utes, which would be the time of night if the position of the po<strong>in</strong>ter had been taken on the 22d of June <strong>in</strong>stead of the jgth<br />
of July. We therefore deduct ior the time elapsed s<strong>in</strong>ce the last quarterly period, June 22d, two hours for each month and four m<strong>in</strong>utes<br />
for each day. because of the earth's annual circuit around the sun, or, to be more e.xaci. deduct for each day elapsed s<strong>in</strong>ce the last<br />
quarterly period 3 and 69-73 m<strong>in</strong>utes, thus: From June 22d to July 29th is 37 days x 3 and 69-73 == u6 m<strong>in</strong>utes, or 2 hours and 26 m<strong>in</strong>utes,<br />
which be<strong>in</strong>g subtracted from 10 o'clock and 40 m<strong>in</strong>utes = 8 o'clock and 14 m<strong>in</strong>utes, as the time of night July 29th. Mr. Humphrey<br />
has several times been called up <strong>in</strong> the night to test the accuracy of his method, and has never varied more than five to fifteen mmutes<br />
from the true time.<br />
He is a firm believer <strong>in</strong> an open polar sea, a mild climate <strong>in</strong> the <strong>in</strong>terior of our earth, and <strong>in</strong> the theory of concentric spheres,<br />
and that all spheres are formed by the law of our great Architect from concentric r<strong>in</strong>gs thrown oft' from the central mass of mailer<br />
(from which every solar system has been formed) while <strong>in</strong> a molten, plastic and gaseous state, and rapidly revolv<strong>in</strong>g upon their axes,<br />
thereby exert<strong>in</strong>g a centrifugal force sufiiciently strong <strong>in</strong> opposition to the law of gravity to prevent condensation to the extent of leavmg<br />
a hollow center, as <strong>in</strong> the case of Saturn and its r<strong>in</strong>gs. He also believes that the location of several magnetic poles from sixty-eight to<br />
eighty degrees north prove a vacancy of matter at what we call the pole; that the dipp<strong>in</strong>g of the pole-star towards the south from :<br />
vertical po<strong>in</strong>t overhead, while little more than eighty-three degrees north, <strong>in</strong>dicates an cyelet-slfcped 01<br />
planet, and that explorers <strong>in</strong> that region were actually round<strong>in</strong>g over towards the axis of the earth mor<<br />
the case if the earth was only flattened at the pole.