Matthew UMPHREY (1 Nov 1822-5 Apr 1897) +
Mary NOBLE (1828-28 Dec 1866)

Samuel (15 Jul 1846-16 Oct 1912) — m. Elsa Ann “Elsie” Wismer on 29 Mar 1870

Catherine (9 Nov 1847-3 Sep 1921) — m. William H. Wilson on 7 Apr 1867

Elizabeth (5 Nov 1850-11 Jul 1940) — m. Alfred Wiltsie on 3 Nov 1868

John Franklin (8 Aug 1852-12 Feb 1922) — m. Caroline F. Soule in 187x

Mary (24 Jul 1854-27 Aug 1920) — poss. m. Thomas Kerr Brown in 1882; m. Eli Foot on 30 Oct 1886

Ellen (27 Mar 1857-1 Jul 1942) — m. Emery Pitt Blackman

Martha (????)

Angeline (1861-26 Jun 1887) — m. John Clark

Lucinda (Apr 1864-1901) — m. Frank Pierce on 27 Aug 1883

Matthew was born in York County (now Toronto), Ontario, Canada to Samuel Umphrey, Sr. and Lucinda Woolery. His age in records varies. The date of birth given above comes from a short autobiography. It conflicts with the date of birth claimed by his brother Samuel, but I don’t know which brother has it right.

Mary was born in Markham Township, Ontario County, Ontario. Her parents were Austin Smith Noble from Hampden County, Massachusetts and Mary Lightly from the US, who married in Ontario. Ontario County was later dissolved, with part of it going to York County.

The couple married in Oct 1845 in Ontario (now York) County, Ontario.

I can’t find Matthew and Mary in the 1850 US census or the 1851 Canada census, although Matthew’s parents in 1851 were still in Brock Township, York County, Ontario. Many Ontario farmers moved west into Michigan in the decade before the American Civil War. Matthew and Mary Umphrey were among them, as were some of Matthew’s siblings. By Matthew’s own account, he came to Michigan in 1855, and “purchased 320 acres of wild land in Delaware Township, Sanilac County, where he was one of the earliest settlers.”

The 1860 census listed Matthew “Humphrey” (39) in Lexington Township, Sanilac County, Michigan with wife Mary (32), and children Catharine (11), Elizabeth (9), John (7), Mary (5), and Ellen (3). All of them were listed as born in Canada. I don’t know where son #2 Samuel, our ancestor, was. Also with the family was Israel Umphrey (14), relationship undetermined but not claimed as a son in Matthew’s autobiography. Likely Israel was a nephew, but I can’t verify that.

Mary Noble Umphrey died in 1866. She is buried in Long Cemetery, Lexington Township, Sanilac County. The tombstone has her age on it, but that part is sunken into the earth and can’t be read. I am relying on Matthew’s statement that she was born in 1828.

On 3 Apr 1868, Matthew (45) married Ontario-born Catherine Flynn (~1851-Feb 1875). He was still living in Lexington Township at the time.

The 1870 census listed Matthew (49) in Delaware Township, Sanilac County, some miles north of Lexington, with wife Catherine (19). The census doesn’t say she’s his wife, which is why I at first thought the 19-year-old must be his daughter. But his daughter Catherine, who was 22, was married and out of the house. Others at the same residence were son Samuel (24) and his new wife Elsie (15!!!), John (17), Mary (15), Ellen (13), Angeline (9), and Lucinda (7), plus farm laborer “Trueman Nobels”, a nephew of Matthew’s late wife.

Matthew and wife #2 Catherine had two children I know of:

Emma (Jul 1868-????) — m. David H. Martin on 20 Nov 1890

Margaret “Maggie” (19 Aug 1873-8 Oct 1958) — m. John Clark on 1 May 1891

In autumn 1871, the Umphrey farm in Delaware Township was destroyed by a wildfire that swept the county. (See the description in the autobiography below.) It was part of the largest and deadliest wildfire in American history; it also extended into Wisconsin, and survivors called it “the night America burned”. The family was forced to move to a smaller property in Lexington Township.

Catherine Flynn died in February 1875. On 13 Aug 1875 in Elk Township, Sanilac County, Matthew Umphrey (52) married for a third time to Ontario-born Mary Keller/Kelly Keefe (~1834-????), widow of Ireland-born Thomas Keefe/Kief (~1835-23 Sep 1875) and resident of Elk Township, which is inland from Lexington Township. They had one child:

Anna E. “Annie” (3 Apr 1876-11 Jan 1926) — m. Lyman W. Trask on 2 May 1895

In 1877, they moved to Elk Township, where the 1880 census listed Matthew (59). He said his father was from New York and his mother from Canada, slightly different from what he later said in his autobiography. With him were wife #3 Mary (allegedly 40) and children Lucinda (18), Margrett (7), and Ann E. (4), all born in Michigan. Lucinda was the last child of wife #1, Margaret was the daughter of wife #2, and Ann was the daughter of wife #3. Also present were step-children Jane Keith (12), Elen Keith (9), and James Keith (6). Emma was living in Argyle with her grandfather, John Flynn.

An 1894 Michigan census listed Matthew (71), Mary (59), James (19), and Annie (17) Umphrey in Burleigh, Iosco County, Michigan, well north of Sanilac County. As previously noted, James was Mary’s son by her previous marriage, and Annie was her daughter by Matthew.

Matthew died in 1897 in Burleigh, Iosco County, Michigan. He is buried in Richland Cemetery, Prescott, Ogemaw County, Michigan, likely because that’s where at least two of his daughters were living. His death record misnames his parents as James and Mary – I think they confused his wife’s and stepson’s names with his parents. It also gives an exact age indicating he was born in 1819, but I’m sticking for now with the date of birth he himself gave. Mary K. was still there in 1897, but I don’t know what became of her after.

Autobiography

Matthew, like his brother Samuel, wrote a short autobiographical sketch for Portrait and Biographical Album of Sanilac County, a book published in 1884. His text, which appears on page 230:


Matthew Umphrey, farmer on section 15, Elk Township, was born in York (now Toronto), Canada, Nov. 1, 1822. His parents, Samuel and Lucinda Umphrey, were natives of New York, of New England ancestry, who were of Scotch and German descent. They died in Ontario County, in the Dominion, and were both about 73 years of age.

Mr. Umphrey was bred a farmer and remained upon the home place until he was 23 years old. He then made a purchase of 100 acres of land on concession ninth, in Ontario County, and became actively interested in agriculture. He retained the ownership of this a few years, when he sold out and secured 200 acres on concession seventh, in the same county. He lived on the latter until he had reclaimed 90 acres from its natural condition. In 1855 he came to Michigan and purchased 320 acres of wild land in Delaware Township, Sanilac County, where he was one of the earliest settlers. The tract was situated in the vicinity of Forestville, in the township of Delaware, where he remained about 15 years. Meanwhile he was an actual resident of Lexington Township four years, where he improved nearly 80 acres of land, and then returned to his farm in Delaware Township. He established a sawmill on his place and engaged extensively in the manufacture of lumber.

In the fall of 1871 the fire which devastated the county of Sanilac destroyed a large amount of lumber which he had in stock, his horses, cattle, stock generally, farm buildings, including everything on the place in the shape of a structure, – fences, fixtures, and every vestige of property of which he was the owner, save the ground it occupied, – the loss aggregating $12,000. One of his sons was burned nearly to death, and the lives of his family were saved only by seeking refuge on the lake, which was 80 rods distant. They were practically unclothed, and stood waist deep in the water eight hours, waiting for the heat to abate, before it was safe to venture to the shore. The loss was severe, but his determination to re-establish once more his fortunes was intact. He had a little property in Lexington Township, of which he took possession, and there remained until the fall of 1877, when he removed to Elk Township. He settled on section 15 and now owns 240 acres located on sections 14, 15 and 22. He has 150 acres cleared and otherwise improved, and is fast resuming his former position as a leading agriculturalist of Sanilac County. He is a Democrat in political connections and action.

Mr. Umphrey was first married in October, 1845, in Ontario Co., Can., to Mary Noble. She was born in the same county, of American parentage, in 1828, and became the mother of nine children, all of whom survive her save one. They are named Samuel, Catherine, Elizabeth, Mary, Ellen, Angeline, John and Lucinda. Martha is deceased. The mother died in 1867, in Lexington Township, universally lamented. The husband was a second time married in 1870, in Lexington, to Catherine Flynn, who was born in Ontario in 1853 and died in February, 1875, leaving two children, – Emma and Margaret. Mr. Umphrey was a third time married Aug. 8, 1875, to Mrs. Mary Keefe, daughter of Fred and Elizabeth (Post) Keller. Mrs. U. is a native of Ontario, where she was born, in Colburn County, Nov. 5, 1840. By her first marriage she is the mother of eight children, two of whom are deceased. Their names are Fred, John, Mary, Jennie, Ellen, and James. Richard and Catherine are deceased. Anna is the only child of her second marriage.

Children

Samuel Umphrey (1846-1912)

Samuel has his own entry in the family tree.

Catherine Umphrey (1847-1921)

Catherine married Civil War soldier William H. Wilson in 1867. They settled in Michigan, where their eight children were born:

Nora (31 Jan 1869-16 Feb 1949) — m. George Wager, Sr. on 3 Jul 1885

Cora (21 Nov 1870-5 Aug 1886) — m. John H. ?Larkin?

Frances (23 Jun 1873-????)

William Henry, Jr. (7 Apr 1875-26 Nov 1915) — m. Susanna Caroline Scott in 1897

John (6 Jun 1878-19 Dec 1957) — m. Effie Hiltz on 25 Feb 1917

Anna (1881-1959) — m. Russell VanSickle on 10 Oct 1900

Nettie (23 Nov 1883-1954) — m. Francis E. “Frank” VanSickle on 27 Aug 1905

George J. (16 Jul 1886-5 Feb 1959) — m. Beatrice Nichols on 7 Sep 1917

In 1870 and 1880 they were in Delaware Township, Sanilac County. In 1886 they were in Turner, Arenac County. By 1900 they were in Mills & Richland townships, Ogemaw County, and seven of their eight children were still living – Cora had died in 1886. Catherine died in 1921, and is buried in Richland Township Cemetery, Prescott, Ogemaw County, Michigan, the same cemetery as her father.

Elizabeth Umphrey (1850-1940)

Elizabeth married Alfred Wiltsie (19 Sep 1847-27 Mar 1929) on 3 Nov 1868. They lived in Delaware Township, Sanilac County. They had six children:

Ida Janette (11 Nov 1870-21 Apr 1886)

Edward H. (1873-19xx) — m. Hannah Allen on 3 Jan 1897

Delbert (27 Oct 1883-18xx)

Ada May “Addie” (~1876-20 Mar 1886)

Dulhack J. (~1884-27 Mar 1886)

Edna E. (18 Apr 1887-19xx) — m. George Lehman in 193x

Something really bad happened in the spring of 1886, mostly likely a fatal illness that was going around. The 1894 census of veterans showed that, of the children, just Edna and Edward were still alive, and the 1900 census, in which only Edna was still with her parents, confirmed it. Alfred died in 1929. Edna remained with her mother even after Edna’s marriage in the 1930s. Elizabeth died in 1940 in Reno, Iosco County, Michigan at the home of Edna and her husband George, and is buried with Alfred in Johnson Creek Cemetery, Whittemore, Iosco County.

John Franklin Umphrey (1852-1922)

John Franklin Umphrey married Caroline Frances Soule (6 Jun 1858-6 Oct 1938) from Yale, Michigan in the mid-1870s. (She was the younger sister of his cousin Wellington Umphrey’s wife.) They lived at first in Delaware Township, Sanilac County, and later settled in Gibson Township, Bay County, Michigan. Known children:

Matthew Peleg (1 Mar 1876-27 Apr 1944) — m. Martha A. Willer on 28 Aug 1898

Martha Zenetta (14 Sep 1878-9 Aug 1957) — m. Hugh Demaray on 27 Apr 1899

Elizabeth (22 Feb 1882-26 Jan 1946) — m. Thomas Wright Wood in 1928

Susan (24 May 1888-1 Jul 1933) — never married

In 1910, daughters Elizabeth and Susan were staying with Martha and her family in Flint, Genesee County, but I don’t know where John and Caroline were. In 1920, Susan was back with her parents in Gibson Township, but Elizabeth, also unmarried, was boarding with a different family in Flint. John died in 1922 and is buried in the Gibson Township Cemetery, Bentley, Bay County. In 1930, Caroline was living in Bay County with her daughters Susan (single) and Martha (widowed), and near son Matthew and his family. She died in 1938 and is buried with John. I can’t find Elizabeth after 1920.

Mary Umphrey (1854-1920)

Mary married Eli Foot (20 Apr 1852-3 Jul 1918) on 30 Oct 1886. They lived in Ogemaw County. Known children:

Hannah (7 Sep 1887-????) — m. James Koole on 21 Sep 1922

Mae (24 Nov 1889-????) — m. (cousin) George Wager, Jr. on 12 Nov 1913

Emily M.

Ellen H. (1892-????) — m. Josiah Sedore on 30 Jan 1912

James A. (~1894-????) — m. Levan/Lorene Emmons on 24 Sep 1919

William

I can’t find the family in the 1900 or 1910 census. Eli died of injuries from a fall in 1918. In 1920, Mary was living with her newly married son James in Prescott, Ogemaw County, Michigan. She died of a stroke later that year. She is buried with Eli in Richland Township Cemetery, Prescott, the same cemetery as her father.

Ellen Umphrey (1857-1942)

Ellen married Civil War soldier Emery Pitt Blackman (21 Feb 1836-4 Jul 1917) from New York on 24 Oct 1880. It was his second marriage. They had at least one child, although the dates suggest she was a daughter of the previous wife, Mary A. Blodget, whom Pitt married in 1857:

Maude P. (Aug 1878-????) — m. Grant S. Voorhees on 31 Mar 1904

In the 1900 census, they were living in Mills and Richland Townships, Ogemaw County, near Ellen’s younger sister Lucinda and her family. Emery died in 1917. Ellen died in 1942, and is buried in Richland Township Cemetery, Prescott, Ogemaw County, Michigan, the same cemetery as her father and her husband.

Martha Umphrey (????)

I have no information about Martha except that she died before 1884.

Angeline Umphrey (1861-1887)

Angeline married John Clark on 1 Dec 1881. They lived in Richland, Ogemaw County. Known children:

Nettie (18 Apr 1884-26 Aug 1945) — m. Joseph Lomason on 9 Aug 1911

Jennie (18 May 1886-????)

Angeline died in 1887 and is buried in Richland Township Cemetery, Prescott, Ogemaw County, the same place as her father and three of her sisters. In 1900, her husband John had remarried to someone named Maggie, had three more children, and was sharing his place in Mills & Richland Townships with Angeline’s sister Lucinda and her family.

Lucinda Umphrey (1864-1901)

Lucinda married Massachusetts-born Franklin Arthur “Frank” Pierce (Feb 1855-19xx) on 27 Aug 1883 in Standish Village, Arenac County. He already had a son named Charles Emery Pierce (28 Jul 1883-3 Nov 1977) by a previous wife, Ida May Blackman. Ida must have died in childbirth, because the marriage to Lucinda was a month after. They settled in Richland Township, Ogemaw County, Michigan. Children included:

Bernece (5 May 1884-9 Oct 1960) — m. Alfred Edward Belanger on 1 Jun 1906

Franklin Arthur, Jr. (17 Aug 1888-after 1942) — m. Alice Colvin Stone on 11 Mar 1930

Emma B. (10 Aug 1891-after 1940) — m. Nelson Axford Mills on 22 May 1912

unnamed son (21 Dec 1900-21 Dec 1900)

In the 1900 census, they were staying with the family of Lucinda’s brother-in-law John Clark and his new wife Maggie in Mills and Richland Townships, Ogemaw County, although 17-year-old Charles was at a boarding house in Arenac County. They were also near Lucinda’s sister Ellen Blackman. I have information that Lucinda died in 1901. I don’t remember where I got that, but it would have been soon after the birth of her stillborn child at the end of 1900. A Franklin Arthur Pierce (9 Feb 1851-16 Sep 1937) from Connecticut died in Ogemaw County, Michigan. Could have been him, despite the mismatch in year and place of birth. But, dammit, birth certificates for the children said their father Frank was from Michigan. I can’t be sure this was all the same Frank.

Children with Catherine Flynn

Emma Umphrey (1869-????)

Emma married Ontario-born David H. Martin (~1857-191x) on 20 Nov 1890. They had two children:

Russell J. (5 Sep 1895-19xx) — m. Addie Locke on 8 Apr 1916

Maude Marie (1898-190x)

They lived in Almont, Lapeer County, Michigan, and later in Koehler, Cheboygan County. By 1920, with David gone, Emma was living with son Russell and his family in Prescott, Ogemaw County. In 1930, she was a live-in servant to Henry Zeran in Richland. I can’t find her after that. Son Russell was still in Prescott in 1940.

Margaret “Maggie” Umphrey (1873-????)

Maggie married John Clark (~1848-19xx) on 1 May 1891. They were living in Richland, Ogemaw County in 1910. Known children:

John Coleman (1892-19xx) — m. Marguerite Bailey on 16 Dec 1919

William E. (1894)

Harvey (12 Mar 1898-8 Aug 1943) — m. ???; died in Detroit

Irwin (1901)

James (????-17 Feb 1904)

Everett H. (1906)

Can’t track this family after 1910.

Children with Mary Keefe

Anna E. “Annie” Umphrey (1876-1926)

Annie married Lyman W. Trask (1858-22 Apr 1927) from Pennsylvania on 2 May 1895. They lived in Ogemaw County. They had two children:

Lloyd William (1898-????) — m. Alza Robillard on 26 Sep 1921; m. Muriel W. Gergeon on 9 Sep 1924

Mildred Pauline (23 Apr 1900-12 Oct 1986) — m. Stanley J. O’Neil on 2 Jul 1923

By 1920, the family had moved to Hillman, Montmorency County, Michigan, and had a couple of boarders in addition to the children. When Annie died in 1926, she was living in Detroit. Lyman died a little more than a year later.

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