The Humphries Family

First Generation
John Humphries, ( ) 1796.
Margaret Humphries

Second Generation
William Humphries
Isabel Humphries

Third Generation
(Children of William and Isabel Humphries)
William Humphries 1797-1879
Harve Humphries - went west
Mary Humphries
John Humphries
Jesse Humphries

William Humphries (1800-1879), married Ruth Persinger and lived all his life in Rich Patch, as far as is known.

Mary Humphries married George Wright and later married Hamilton Bess, and lived for several years in Rich Patch, until several of the children wre grown, and the youngest girl was about 12 years old. Her name was Rebecca. Mrs. Hamilton Bess died and was buried in Rich Patch at the Humphries Cemetery. Hamilton Bess moved his family to Potts Creek sometime prior to the War Between the States, to the community which is called Bess, named for Jesse V. Bess, son of Hamiltion, who was postmaster there for several years. They lived in a small house near the old church called Pinnell's Chapel.

John married Isabel ___________, and went to Jackson Township, Ohio, about 1830, as shown by letters he wrote to his kinfolk in Alleghany.

Harve went west and nothing more has been learned about him.

Jesse married Eunice Simmons, and lived in Rich Patch all of his life. The story has been told that Jesse Humphries' marriage to Eunice Simmons was bitterly opposed, and, in her anger, her mother made a vow that she would never set her foot inside Jesse Humphries' house, and asked God to strike her dead if she ever did. She was a God fearing woman, as was shown in the after years, by the sacred keeping of the vow. She would go to see her daughter, go near enough to talk, but never went inside the door. Jesse and Eunice became very prosperous from a very humble beginning. A nephew of Jesse's, who had a great deal of repect for him, told this story:
When Jesse was married, he seems to have owned land, but had no house, and in those days men busied thiemselves in clearing land, so, in the beginning of Jesse's married life, he and his wife lived in a very small house, built of rails, until they could get a start, so they worked happily together and became very prosperous and outstanding people of the county. Jesse met a tragic death. He was killed on Sunday by a bull he ws feeding. He lived at the junction of the Lowmoor-Blue Spring Run road and the Covington road in Rich Patch.

Fourth Generation
William Humphries, Jr. had the following children:
Oliver, 1849, married Caroline Stull;
Anderson, married Mary Bennett;
John, married Frances Skagg;
Harve, married Mary Jane Quickle, and Elizabeth Bowen;
Lizzie died young, was not married;
Sampson married Ruth M. Quickle, Ruth A. Byer, and Louis C. Blaker;
Henry married Anne Simmons and Samantha Steers;
William went west and was never heard from afterwards;
Charles K. married Nancy Simmons;
Granville married Charles Fridley;
David M. married Martha Jane Byer;

Jesse had the following children:
Logan Smith Humphries married Elizabeth Matheny;
William Allen Humphries married Mariah A. King;
Charles L. married Rebecca B. Stull;
Martha Anne and Jane never married;
Almira V. married Samuel Willard;
Nettie F. married Jacob L. Fridley;
Joe Layne never married;
Hugh Payne married Mary M. Craft;

All lived the greater part of their lives in Rich Patch. Not much is known of John and Harve because they left and went west, and did not keep up a close correspondence with the rest of the family. There are a few old letters that John wrote to his sister and brother-in-law, Hamilton Bess and Mary, one to his brother, Jesse. Mary's children moved from Rich Patch to Potts Creek. Her children by her first marriage were:
George Wright married ____________.
Martha, never married.

Mary's children by her second marriage to Hamilton Bess, were:
Martha, never married, died young;
Jesse V., married Alwilda Byer;
James (twins) married Miss Smith, Montgomery County;
William, married Elizabeth Fridley;
Charles L., married Mary Bess;
John Lee, married Mary Fletcher Lynch;
Rebecca B., married Henry L. Hall;
Cynthia, never married, died young;