The Humphreys family in America - citizen hylbom blog

world'; had paid all my bills, and had a few—very few— dollars left for contingent expenses."
He had defrayed all the cost of his education without aid, excepting that some of his clothing
had been furnished by his mother. He preached his first sermon at Cornwall, Ct., and before a
meeting of ministers. A week or two later, he was requested to preach, as a candidate, in the
Congregational church at Fairfield, Ct. ; and he was shortly after unanimously invited to become
the pastor of that church and societ)-. When Mr. Humphrey found that the measure knoun as
"The Half-Way Covenant "--which he regarded as most pernicious because "it gave church mem-
bership to those who made no pretensions to personal holiness"—had gained a strong footing in
the Fairfield church, he frankly told the leading members of the parish that he could not accept
the position as their pastor on such a basis. It was a strong proof of their confidence in the
young minister and of the earnestness of their desire to secure his services, that they authorized
him to prepare a Confession of Faith, embracing all the leading orthodox doctrines, doing away
entirely with the Half-Way Covenant; and that this ecclesiastical basis was adopted unanimously
in a meeting of the church previous to his ordination, which took place March i6th, 1807.
The burning of the town of Fairfield during the Revolutionary war (commemorated elsewhere
in this work in the poem by General David Humphreys,*) had swept away the old church
and parsonage. Owing to the poverty of the people they were obliged, in rebuilding these, as
well as their own houses, to adopt the plainest style consistent with comfort. At the time of
Mr. Humphrey's settlement among them, enterprise and progress were at a low ebb, and the
parish was small. Throughout the ten years of his ministry his zeal and labors for the temporal
and spiritual welfare of the people were untiring. About a year after his settlement Roger Minot
Sherman came to live in Fairfield, and was ever after a warm friend and an important helper to
him in his work.
On the 20th of April, 1808, Mr. Humphrey was married, in Farmington, Ct., by Rev.
Noah Porter, the brother of the bride, to Sophia Porter, only daughter and youngest child of
Deacon Noah and Rachel (Merrill) Porter, of Farmington. The family to which she belonged has
had its abode through successive generations, since 1652, in Farmington Valley. There were three
sons in the immediate family of Sophia Porter. The oldest was Robert, who was a missionary,
teacher and preacher in Central New York, as early as 1801, when that part of the State was
mostly a wilderness. He was also principal of the Oneida Academy at Clinton, N. Y., out of
which Hamilton College grew. The second son was Edward, who was a teacher and preacher in
Connecticut; and the third son was Noah, who was the honored and influential pastor of the
Farmington church for more than sixty years. It was at his house that the first meeting of the
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was held, September loth, 1810. There
were five members of the committee for organization, previously appointed at Bradford, present :
Governor Treadwell (the chairman), Samuel Spring, Jonathan Lyman, Samuel Worcester, and
Calvin Chapin. ISIr. Porter received the committee at his house, by special request of Governor
Treadwell, and was present at their deliberations. In alluding to it he saj'S that the Board had
hardly gone from his house when his aged father, who was living with him at the time, pledged
himself to give five hundred dollars to the new enterprise, though this was probably a fourth or
fifth of all that he possessed. One of Noah Porter's sons, Noah, is well known as a distinguished
metaphysician, and as President, fur many years, of Yale College, while others of the family fill
honored and responsible positions.
Sophia Porter, who became the wife of Heman Humphrey, was born in Farmington, Ct.
December 27th, 1785. She is described as attractive in person, with a gentle dignity and grace
of manner, and as expressing in her countenance the loveliness and nobility of character which
distinguished her. She was a woman of transparent sincerity, of warm and tender affections, and
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