The Humphreys family in America - citizen hylbom blog

THE HUMPHREY FAMILIES
OF
HINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, AND NORTH YARMOUTH, MAINE.
Though not absolutely and clearly proven, it yet seems to be quite probable that the
numerous families of Humphrey formerly residing in and around Hingham, Mass., and even now
located in and around North Yarmouth, Me., are descended from Lieut. -Gov. John Humfrey, the
"Assistant," of Svi'ampscott (Lynn), Mass. (whose history we have given in pages 66-91 of this
work), through his son Thomas, of Dover (1660), and later of Pemaquid, Me.
As no mention of this Thomas is made by Lincoln in History of Hingham, we may infer
that he was a resident of some other town. Savage, in his N. E. Gen. Dictionary, thus mentions
him, as already quoted by us on page 90:
"Thomas Humphrey, Dover,* 1660; mar. Dec, 1665, at Hingham, a dau. of George
Lane; b. lived at Pemaquid f 1674, when he swore fidel. to Mass. as 8 Sept., 1665; took as good
an oath to the royal commissioners."
Hannah Lane,! whom he married (according to Hobart's Diary) 23 Dec, 1665, was the
daughter of George Lane, of Hingham, Mass., and (on the same authority) was baptized in Feb.,
1639. George Lane's will (Suffolk Records) mentions his grand-children George, William, Ebenezer
and Joseph,** who were children of his daughter, Hannah, wife of Thomas Humphrey.
Mr. Charles N. Marsh, the excellent Town Clerk of Hingham, writes us, under date of
2 Apr., 18S3: "I find nothing relating to the name of Humphrey on the records at an earlier
date than 1687-8, at which time it says, 'Thomas, son of Thomas and Elizabeth, was born Feb.
2, 1687-8."
Capt. Jamks J. Humphrey, of Yarmouthville, Me., in his Genealogy of the Humphrey Family
of North Yarmouth (8vo, pp. 23, published at Yarmouth, Me., 1882) credits this Thomas, b.
1687-8, as the eldest son of George Humphrey. It is possible (as far as dates and ages go) that
this George Humphrey, the grantl-son of the above-mentioned George Lane, by his daughter
Hannah, was married by 1687; though we have, in Hingham Records, no record of the fact, or
of any children credited to him. If so, the connection of the North Yarmouth Family of Hum-
phrey with the Lieut. -Gov. John Humfrey Family would be pretty fairly proven. But, in the
absence of any such proof that George had a family, and in view of the fact that the Thomas,
born 2 Feb., 1687-8, is, upon the Hingham Records, unmistakably credited to "Thomas and
Elizabeth," we prefer to consider Thomas as the head of our Family 1.
* As to the "Dover," it may mean that he came from Dover, Eng., but we incline to the belief that Dover, N. H , was intended,
t Pemaqnid was then in Massachusetts; is now a part of the town of Bristol, m the State of Maine.
} Some have credited him (on what authority we know not) with having married Sarali Lane, an elder sister of Hannah, and who
was baptised (according to Hobart^s Diary) in 1638.
•• HinglMin (Mass.) Records also give record of a JosEril and Makv Humphrey, who had the following Children:
I. Mary, b =0 Mch.. 1697-8.
II Joseph, b 14 Apr., .705. d 24 Jan., i7.!3-4.
Ill Abigail, b. 10 . 1711; died 20th o( s:inic month.