Oad empires
Thare wm o Oordova Street when c1e. Gad Humphreye pioaed eat
lasd on the west aide of Maria Sanehes Oreek near the bridge to his
hoe to replace thb pluatat la establisahent that had been btulond ad
pUwlgod by IMt4mas a mile Irom Fort Kiag The house with its wids Il
new is
bee stood aboit where the btildiag at the north west oorner of Btid
and Cordova sc g/.
Theto wer few heases i that emotion ,and those not e o sle
WlUe in
that a man aooustemed to ~ua*jair wi d Opaoes was lkely to tnd
his neighbors too elese.
01. ltmphreys aas born in loaneitiout In 1788. ilis ife wa8
Mary Stoddard Lanr of Pittafield ,Mass, a fit helpmate ft~ a man bot
to spend the beit ys~e of hi3 life in ..otive military servio and
Xndian oantroversy He was in t .a 1812 w r and. wounded at the eop~
tuon of York ,Upper iaiAda He rose steadily in thie 3say until the poa
peaoe estableshment reei1tod in a:; si;rt titae of rest for him B3t
the president sent him t, Flerida as Indaln x ent in 183X. Huphaeys
brought hi wife and t-o little l*Axhter3 witi a third ohild sean to
be born It mst have boen a diffi ilt life aooualomad as Mrs. l apha y
va to the f..tes of an ofioers wife's existence. For eight yeas
half a mile ftom the oanto nnt at
the fHaIphreyr stad at th"ir plant.tioe ft~iatx* tkh Fort Kag and the
grater pat of -the plaoe vai run .s a sugar plantation. Unphtey made
t9iends with the Indians was a big man voighed aSO poundd iaupe
*si i XIddn n minds. He I described as having a memory In keeping nith
in nine weeks so that
his physi'au and is oaid to .ave learned 8eminelne so no interpretr ae
needed .
Ixx1xaxfa Several chil ,rn 'ere born xftaixtah while thle hllmphrey
vr(MPs If h n V"t aStt bu; "atly Teon. a 11 O_ "7ly 7M" Mn.tfo.
3 M~st EiAtiona
0.4 Nimphoys
&G betuth. SOmIaele AgonoCY Oath-rine -'.d cnoather dr gtita did Set
SAM7,, .OAS Of them biaaaae z teacac in St, Agostine and is reoualls
by several pupils for har clever discipline ,
Humphrrse servd untll 1830 .e irc'ian e gent but reinained o
the pl&htation rftowward until linsi I finMlly destroyed it,
A 8tory is told of Jh*%preys thnt grpve rise to the *XPt051ssi
'001. Ihphrsys Rnd Jolm !H:A,-, irumie'1iks wras a leader among
the Indi%us e Tine nc'mo -rhen flicks vinit to tb4e 3K1o or to the sgents
own house. 1ik-lf a mile y beoaa -a~ss ~zd -less freqiwlt. Then ame a
day vrhea ikiks sad his Indisna C-ppeareoc in ahughty msed s They wont
to lbua~whrey 1es and ;.,Ala hiM3 Idniizza waited out an the jgwund HLc*s
$%rede up the high stops to the porch Pnd -ihee Invited in by the OW3as&
BIioke refuZed to sbake hlv-ds Inotead he n~trdce avorops the room to the
speoial big c~tl.Aw in whiih tkto colonel, alnvayi set during talks end
deopped into iUf t m&&mnci4 *My chis4 nmy house I my lmnd You no like
Mejalisiug that the time h&d pl:a.t for soft wiordis Huerphroys told HiOks
to take -,.nothet seat Hicks repeated 1i40 stntrtlmst of *rrtsrhip of
everything more strongly thrp, i.t P i!'st 0 humphrey. knew it was sat1'S
or else the Indians would be &at of hand iesohing eover tih big man
plot"d up !ickse walked to the piaxsa rAiI with his and threw him *Tor
down vxeng the surprised Indianns whe had ooms expooting saything but Sb
downfall. of their leAwer, Itamkkugxkkmukl=xxit x Piokiag Anm up the
bead got away while haphrasy prep :e.re or ment any trouble. In a few
ays Riock appeared eswas more in quite a different amed and f "a that
SiUM 1iks and Ramphroys got along particularly ,7*l1*
After **I, Hamphteys opne to St* nAgvetiae he beoam influential
sad f r last teo years was jucu
f_- P OI
& MIett dIdtien Levson
*ad mPvpbto 9,
ft was a member of the 01ty Ouwioll mayor for a time end wauog the
paqers foumd I& the olty vr.ult by the stiZf of the ;Atcr.c'a. ;1 eooris
and State Archives SurveyA are invoiuee reocupts and ikuiatories
fsOm U.*S Arsenals 'nd : e a ctusee nt A.lbmy I.Yo ??hiLadelphia I 80111*
kill ..d Loton onoe reooeds of Ool. Iiuriphrya in 1816 T.iz invenWt to
In his 4W writing: whln lie was a H~r.3sr at Pittafield In uixrgs #f
Colt i.nd Mbrs, hIumplirey'e were Eraicn~p.rents of .Fr, ,h arls Floyd
IRspkins ormerr postwzster of 3t. Augustine Gtrout graudob.ildtLa are
Charles itopkins Jr., Rr, 11borge !Topkins, 'rs. howard E.t* ftwwkino X
Mrs* J*.U. 17.gr i; m And Y're. Arthur Seckett,
Cole Fqphzepy died in 1839 While the cld; colonel pasasod
away just in time to ai8s the tragedy oi the War bt-,ean .the State$
the ir-mily had a representative in a son-in-.1tl e Pftath of Gsaatlos
r, 1hopkins who hba deianed atitr tit. 1oaiain Tar anud married Frandis
RuMhty danughter oi Colonel Ga4,
:Atrs, iusphryseys ootinwd to live in tae Bridge stret bhow
with h.r &Lugbters She liv4^ twenty years after her asbiand's death.
8Oh ie 3S51b2d 1: cs8nz eA e)eALio'L lovely* A potpagriaoh of
Its, Fs.eo1k ..nd Irts, hiamplirsyn t ike in wh..,t is now tue g.--;.den of the 01O
Spashia Treasury abeosv Mirso H -;iphreys still 6a fine lookLnj .ivotac with
refined $ace and pleasing erpreesion urxidr the laoe trimmed long tie cam
she is e.aring.
Next west of the on J'rlde street was the Atwood plaee
With a fide grove. A tragio affTjir &dipa3red by old folks tells
cona-0rne a death of one of tVe laodrly from rilow fe'rr The story rwm
that the y.-vuntt -,on of tl-e fa-ifyl brtixely a.rranzed a fti v rpi .,1pyt and. ore
:rrjftjrs; t': ; ~~c su~ t: "'-'4
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