The Life of David Humphreys CHAPTER I Ancestry CALFORNIA The Birth of David Humphreys-The Old Humphrey House The Rev. AVID HUMPHREYS, the "beloved of Washington," DAVID was born in Derby, Connecticut, July 10, 1752. If tradition is to be believed, and tradition still lingers round the name of Lady Humphrey,' that tenth of July was an exceptionally hot and sultry day, and the flowers and flower beds which Lady Humphrey loved to tend were drooping, parched and wilted, beneath the windows of her stately house when her fourth son was born to her. The room in which David was born, so runs tradition, is Both forms of the name-Humphrey and Humphreys-appear in the records of the family. During and after the Revolution the Colonel usually followed the latter form. the large front one, on the first floor on the east side of the house. Built prior to 1730, this dwelling still stands pathetic amid its neglected grounds, yet bearing marks of its ancient stateliness. It is built in the prevailing style of the first third of the eighteenth century, and while not much removed from the road, yet stands on a high bank, which thus gives it an appearance of height and dignity that it would not otherwise have. Only two great elms now remain of the row which fringed the boundary of the property along the road. No trace of the gardens is left save some irises, narcissi and other flowers of the bulb variety-which defy man's ingratitude and come up year after year in the bed on .the east side of the house and beneath the parlour windows. Scarcely any marks of the ancient elegance of the old house now remain. On the window panes, here and there, are a few of the ancient lead ornamentations which descended like garlands from the top panes. On these leaden ornaments, traces of gilding can still be faintly seen, proving, however, that the house in its day must have been designed with more than the usual elegance of finish customary at that period. The old brass knocker was wrenched off the door by some vandal, as recently as the spring of 1902. The frame is of massive oak, and its roof is supported by timbers still sound. It is two stories high with the garret overhanging the second story. Up through the centre runs the great square stone chimney. Within, the rooms are spacious, the parlour being seventeen feet square. The front hall is devoid of any special decoration, the staircase being boxed in with a small closet beneath. The mantels are handsomely carved and even now the house shows that it was one of those belonging to people of distinction and refinement. |