Capt. Humphrey Keyes

A Patriot of the American Revolution for VIRGINIA. DAR Ancestor # A065383

The following story was told by a great-grandson of Edward Gantt Pyle, published in "The Pyle-Pile Family in America." Humphery Keys was a businessman in Boston. He married Marcella Wade and they had two sons, John Wade Keys and Frank Keys. Humphery Keys owned some ships and on one of the voyages was captured by Turkish pirates and held slave for 9 years before escaping and making his way back home to Boston.

When he returned, he found his wife, thinking he was dead, had married another man with whom she wished to stay. Humphery took his two sons and moved south where he operated a ferry across the Shenandoah. Young Sarah Hall, aged 17, would ride the ferry for fun. When her wealthy father discovered his favorite daughter (of 14 children) wanted to marry the older Humphery, he was horrified. But married they were and had 8 children including Lucretia Keys.

Humphrey probably moved south to Virginia to join with his father, who had moved to Virginia a few years earlier and established the ferry.

- From Genealogy of Robert Keyes and Solomon Keyes and Their Descendants" (Asa Keyes, 1880):

"Humphrey Keyes was a Sea Captain, married in New England, probably in Boston, Marcella Wade, had two sons, was wrecked off the coast of Turkey, and taken captive by the Algerines. He escaped and returned home after some years, to find that his wife supposing him dead had married another, with whom she passed the remainder of her life. After her death, Capt. Humphrey married in Virginia, Sarah Hall, born 1745, consequently ten years old at the time we first hear of Gersham at his ferry on the Shenandoah. Her three brothers were the founders of Halltown, in Jefferson Co., and in ‘notes on Jefferson Co., Virginia’ printed in Va., 1857, we find that ‘Sarah lived with her parents in a little dale near a fine orchard, at the foot of the hill where Rion Hall now stands.’ The same record states that Capt. Humphrey Keyes was proprietor of Keyes Ferry in 1775. Capt. Humphrey died April 19, 1793, so says an old family record, now in possession of Jno. T. Keyes, Bristol, Tenn., which record gives also the birth of John, son of Humphrey."

HUMPHREY8 KEYES (SARAH7 EAGER, LYDIA6 WOODS, LYDIA5 RICE, AGNES4 BENT, JOHN3, ROBERT2, JOHN1) was born August 29, 1721 in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, and died April 19, 1793 in Keyes Ferry, Berkeley County, Virginia. He married (1) MARCELLA WADE April 26, 1744 in Charlestown, Massachusetts. She was born 1723 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, and died Abt. 1762. He married (2) SARAH HALL Abt. 1762 in Virginia. She was born Abt. 1745 in Virginia, and died December 31, 1822 in Berkeley County, Virginia.

http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/f/i/e/Rod-J-Fields/BOOK-...

"Humphrey Keyes was a Sea Captain, married in New England, probably in Boston, Marcella Wade, had two sons, was wrecked off the coast of Turkey, and taken captive by the Algerines. He escaped and returned home after some years, to find that his wife supposing him dead had married another, with whom she passed the remainder of her life. After her death, Capt. Humphrey married in Virginia, Sarah Hall, born 1745, consequently ten years old at the time we first hear of Gersham at his ferry on the Shenandoah. Her three brothers were the founders of Halltown, in Jefferson Co., and in ‘notes on Jefferson Co., Virginia’ printed in Va., 1857, we find that ‘Sarah lived with her parents in a little dale near a fine orchard, at the foot of the hill where Rion Hall now stands.’ The same record states that Capt. Humphrey Keyes was proprietor of Keyes Ferry in 1775. Capt. Humphrey died April 19, 1793, so says an old family record, now in possession of Jno. T. Keyes, Bristol, Tenn., which record gives also the birth of John, son of Humphrey."[1]

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Keyes-542

Humphrey Keyes (1721 - 1793)

Captain Humphrey Keyes

Born 29 Aug 1721 in Marlborough, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay

Son of Gershom Keyes and Sarah (Eager) Keyes

Brother of Frances Keyes, Lucrece (Keyes) Flagg, Levina (Keyes) Swan, Elizabeth (Keyes) Maynard and Ruth Keyes

Husband of Sarah (Hall) Keyes — married [date unknown] [location unknown]

Husband of Marcella (Wade) Keyes — married 26 Apr 1744 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts

Father of John Wade Keyes, Humphrey Keyes, Nancy Keyes, Sarah Keyes, Lucretia (Keyes) Pile and Eliza (Keyes) North

Died 19 Apr 1793 in Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States

Profile last modified 12 Nov 2020 | Created 24 Jul 2014

Sources

↑ Genealogy and history of the related Keyes, North and Cruzen families Author: Stipes, Millard Fillmore. Publisher: Jamesport, Mo., The Author 1914. Pages 17 & 18.

See also:

Virginia, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1607-1890 [1]

Early Records, Hampshire County, Virginia [2]

Humphrey Keyes in the West Virginia, Wills and Probate Records, 1724-1985 [3]

Massachusetts, Marriages, 1695-1910 index, FamilySearch, Humpry Keyes and Mercy Wade, 26 Apr 1744; citing reference v 3 p 450; FHL microfilm 740995.

[https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FH4Z-4YV index, FamilySearch, Humpry Keyes and Mercy Wade, 26 Apr 1744; citing reference v 3 p 450; FHL microfilm 740995.Google books "Descendants of Josiah Flagg of Berkeley Co. West Virginia" By Joseph Walker Flagg printed in NEHGR July 1891, vol. 45, page 212ff