WI BIO - Dane Co - HUMPHREY, Daniel
Biographical Review of Dane County, WI. Chicago: Biographical Review Pub. Co. 
1893, Vol I, pp 290-291

Daniel HUMPHREY, of Mazo Manie [Mazomanie], Dane County, WI, was born in 
Prescott, Ontario [Canada] on 07 Jan 1820, a son of James and Mary (McDOUGAL) 
HUMPHREY. The mother was born in Glengary, Ontario [Canada] of Scotch 
parentage, and the father was a native of Johnstown [Fulton County], NY. 
James and Mary (McDOUGAL) HUMPHREY were the parents of twelve children, ten 
of whom lived to years of maturity.

Daniel HUMPHREY, our subject, received a good education and was reared on his 
father's farm. At the age of eighteen he began lumbering in Canada, rafting 
his products to Quebec, which he continued about three years, and for the [p 
291] following three years was engaged in towing lumber from Montreal to 
Quebec. He was next employed in constructing the road from Ogdensburg [St. 
Lawrence County, NY] to Boston [Suffolk County, MA], next received the 
contract for grading and ballasting the Prairie du Chein [Grant County, WI] 
division [see submitter note at end of paragraph], in 1858 assisted in 
grading and relaying a railroad track from Havana to Matanzas on the Island 
of Cuba, and remained there until the news arrived of the bombardment of Fort 
Sumter. [The first railroad in WI ran from Milwaukee, to Waukesha in 1851. 
The line was completed to Prairie du Chien, Grant County, WI, where the 
Wisconsin River flows into the Mississippi River, in 1857.]

Daniel HUMPHREY then embarked for his native land, on the "Quaker City." He 
came immediately to his farm of 260 acres in WI, which he had purchased while 
grading the railroad in WI, and engaged in agricultural pursuits from 1861 to 
1888. In 1888 he sold his farm and erected his residence on a part of the 
old homestead, where he has since lived in retirement. At one time Daniel 
HUMPHREY erected a cheese factory on his place, ran it a number of years, and 
then sold out to a stock company. He reserved considerable stock and was 
elected President of the concern, which position he held for about ten years. 
He is a lover of good stock and at one time raised large numbers of Holstein 
cattle and blooded horses.

Daniel HUMPHREY was married at Janesville [Rock County], WI, 26 Feb 1855, to 
Sophronia HAMILTON, a native of Allegany County, NY, but who removed to 
Milton [Rock County], WI, with her parents when a child. Daniel and 
Sophronia (HAMILTON) HUMPHREY have one child, Jennie, now [text published 
1893] the wife of W. M. CURTIS, a lumber dealer of Mount Horeb, Dane County, 
WI. Daniel HUMPHREY gives but little attention to politics, and has never 
sought public office. Both he and his wife are members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church of Mazomanie [Dane County, WI].

Submitted by Cathy Kubly