Michael Humphrey, of Lyme Regis

From http://humphreygenealogy.com/

3/21/05  -  We have most likely determined the parents of Michael Humphrey: The Mormon Church (LDS) has microfiche of Bishop's transcripts of Church of England records thought previously to have been destroyed in the English Civil War in the 1640's.  Microfiche 1239204, bundle 1A, contains records from 1579-1635, documenting the baptisms, marriage, & burial of many of Michael Humphrey's family in Lyme Regis. Michael was baptised in Lyme Regis, Sept 10, 1620, and his father's name was Michael. His brother Samuell was baptised Nov 27, 1631, & sister Susan (Susannah), Dec 2, 1627. These records show the death of a first wife, Susanna in 1607, and we have separate records showing the marriage to Martha Pride in Bridport, very near Lyme Regis, July 4, 1615, and the baptism of Michael Humphrey, the father, in Honiton, Devon, 15 miles NW of Lyme Regis, January 31, 1577. Except for the marrige of Susannah Humphrey to Thomas Wise in Lyme Regis, 1655, there's no further mention of the family there.  We know from legal records that Samuell moved to Saint Malo, Brittany, France in the 1650's, possibly with his mother Martha.

LDS IGI files show Samuell marrying in St Malo, but nothing further. There are several records of litigation with Henry Rose, Samuell in St Malo, & Michael in Simsbury Connecticut, in the 1650's & 60's, and a published letter, Oct 1648, to Michael from his mother, also signed in a PostScript by his brother Samuell (age 17), and sister Susannah (age 21),  to corroborate the activities of the family at that time. For many decades this letter was thought to have been signed by the father & mother, a Samuel & Susannah, but the original signature is missing, the last 10 lines of the letter were lost some time before 1883, and the signatures of Samuell & Susannah, are for the Postscript, "Know this, that we are healthy & live well", which appears on the envelope of the letter, not in the letter itself. The book, "Humphreys in America", by Dr. Frederick Humphreys, 1883, published this letter with the P.S. signatures adjacent to the end of the letter, as if these were the original signatures in the letter.

So the available evidence all points now to Michael Humphrey & Martha Pride as the parents, from Honiton, Devon, near Lyme Regis, of our immigrant ancestor Michael. We're now looking for the father Michael's parents, possibly in/near Honiton.

This has been know since before 1999