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Genealogy of Samual Leroy Humphrey (1900–1935)
Birth and Family Background
Samual Leroy Humphrey was born on August 10, 1900, in Coos Bay, Oregon. He was the son of Chauncey “Chancey” LeRoy Humphrey and Mabel Katharine Smith. Chauncey and Mabel married in May 1894 in Coos County and had eight children in total. Samual was one of their younger children, with several older sisters and brothers (including Mary Ann, Minnie Pearl, Edith Edna, Charles, William, Elvin, and a younger sister Mabel Katharine). The Humphrey family resided in the Coos County area throughout Samual’s childhood. Tragically, Samual’s father Chauncey died in November 1912 at the age of 44, reportedly in a railroad accident [6] (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/88458179/mabel-quick). After Chauncey’s death, Mabel (Samual’s mother) later remarried (becoming Mabel Quick) and lived until 1955.
Census Records
Several U.S. Census records document Samual’s presence in Coos County during his life. In the 1910 census, Samual (about 9 years old) appears with his family in Coquille, Coos County, Oregon, where his father Chauncey was listed as the head of household. The family had moved from the Fourmile area of Coos County (where they lived around 1900) to Coquille by 1910. This 1910 enumeration would have shown Samual living with his widowed mother and siblings on the eve of his father’s death [3] (https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/21TQ-XT5/chancey-leroy-humphrey-1868-1912).
In subsequent decades, Samual likely continued to reside in Coos County. Although specific entries have not been retrieved, he would be expected in the 1920 census (at about age 19) possibly living with his widowed mother Mabel and younger siblings in Coos County. By 1930, Samual was about 29 and may have been listed as a head of household or living nearby in Coos County (perhaps near the Coos Bay/Marshfield area or in neighboring towns). These later census records were not immediately found in online databases, but multiple genealogy sources confirm that Samual spent his life in Coos County, Oregon [5] (https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/results?firstName=samuel&lastName=humphrey).
Marriage and Children
Samual Leroy Humphrey married Elsie Mae Barton in the early 1930s. Elsie Barton was born around 1911. The exact date and location of their marriage hasn’t been found in publicly indexed records, but it likely took place in Coos County given both families’ residence there. Together Samual and Elsie had at least one child, a daughter named Virginia Humphrey, presumably born in the early 1930s. Virginia was the only known child of Samual and Elsie, according to family information provided. (It’s possible that an announcement of the Humphrey-Barton marriage or Virginia’s birth was published in local newspapers, but specific notices have not been located in available archives.)
Military Registration
Although Samual Humphrey did not serve in the military, he came of age during World War I. In compliance with the law, he registered for the World War I draft in 1918 when he turned 18. His draft registration card (dated September 12, 1918) would have recorded his full name, birth date (confirming Aug. 10, 1900), residence, and next-of-kin. Typically, young men in Coos County listed a parent as the nearest relative – in Samual’s case, likely his mother Mabel, since his father had passed in 1912. This WWI Draft Registration Card serves as a military-related record verifying Samual’s birth and residence in Coos County during 1918 (the actual card image is available through genealogical databases) [5] (https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/results?firstName=samuel&lastName=humphrey). Aside from this draft registration, there is no indication that Samual saw active military service, as the war ended shortly after and he was not known to have enlisted.
Death in 1935
Samual Leroy Humphrey died on August 7, 1935 in Coos County, Oregon, at the age of 34. This date is recorded in the Oregon vital records (his death falls within the Oregon State Death Index and a state-issued death certificate for 1935) [7] (https://sos.oregon.gov/archives/Pages/records/aids-vital_listings.aspx). According to the index, his death occurred in Coos County; however, the exact circumstances of his death are not explicitly stated in the index or in other readily available genealogical sources. Despite thorough research, no detailed obituary or newspaper report has been found in online archives to explain how Samual died. Local newspapers of the time – such as the Coos Bay Times or the Coquille Valley Sentinel – likely carried a death notice or obituary in mid-August 1935, but those particular issues are not digitized or easily accessible. Thus, the cause of his premature death remains unclear from the records examined. (It may require obtaining his full death certificate or searching microfilmed local newspapers at an Oregon library to discover if it was due to an accident, illness, or other cause.)
Samual’s passing at a young age left his wife Elsie a widow with their young daughter Virginia. Elsie Barton Humphrey’s later life isn’t detailed here, but presumably she remained in the area or possibly remarried in subsequent years. Little Virginia would have been only an infant or toddler in 1935, and might be mentioned as a survivor in any obituary for Samual (which would typically list his immediate family).
Burial and Grave Site
After his death, Samual L. Humphrey was laid to rest in Coos County. A cemetery index shows “Humphrey, Samuel L. — 1900–1935” recorded in the K.P. Cemetery [8] (http://sites.rootsweb.com/~orcoos/cooscmij.htm). “K.P.” stands for the Knights of Pythias Cemetery in Bandon, Oregon. This suggests that Samual was buried at the Knights of Pythias Cemetery near Bandon in Coos County, which is consistent with his family’s presence in the southern Coos region. It’s possible that his gravestone is inscribed with his birth and death years (1900–1935) and maybe a brief epitaph. The same index also lists a “Mabel Katharine Humphrey 1910–1944” buried in the K.P. Cemetery [8] (http://sites.rootsweb.com/~orcoos/cooscmij.htm), who appears to be Samual’s younger sister. Samual’s mother Mabel, however, was buried in a different cemetery (Sunset Memorial Park in Coos Bay) when she died in 1955 [6] (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/88458179/mabel-quick).
Researchers and family historians can visit the Knights of Pythias Cemetery in Bandon to find Samual’s gravesite. As of this writing, Find a Grave and similar websites have memorial listings for many family members: for example, Samual’s mother Mabel Smith (Humphrey) Quick has a memorial noting her marriage to Chauncey and the family’s history [6] (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/88458179/mabel-quick). Samual’s own Find a Grave memorial (if created) would likely provide his birth/death dates and possibly link to his parents, spouse, or child. However, no photo or detailed biography of Samual’s grave has been posted online yet. The basic genealogical facts of his burial – name, years of life, and cemetery name – are confirmed through the Coos County cemetery transcript [8] (http://sites.rootsweb.com/~orcoos/cooscmij.htm).
Additional Records and Notes
Marriage Record: A formal marriage certificate or license for Samual Humphrey and Elsie Barton would be a valuable record. A search of Oregon marriage indexes (particularly in Coos or adjacent counties) around 1929–1932 could locate the exact date of their wedding. Many Oregon counties maintained marriage registers, and FamilySearch or the Oregon State Archives might have these on microfilm. As of now, the marriage is documented indirectly via family tree sources [5] (https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/results?firstName=samuel&lastName=humphrey).
City Directories: If available, city or county directories in the 1920s–1930s might list “Samuel (or Sam) Humphrey” in Coos Bay, Marshfield, Bandon or Coquille, along with his occupation. This could shed light on his profession. (For instance, was he a logger, a mill worker, a fisherman, etc. – common jobs in Coos County? Without the directories or an obituary, we do not know his exact occupation.)
Military Records: Aside from the WWI draft registration noted above, Samual was too young for World War I service and passed away before World War II. Thus, he has no military service record. If he had lived into the 1940s, he might have been required to register for the “Old Man’s Draft” in WWII (for men born 1897–1901), but his 1935 death precluded that.
Obituary/Newspaper: The lack of an immediately accessible obituary means we don’t have personal details like his cause of death or funeral arrangements. If family lore or local history sources are consulted, one might uncover the story of his death. For example, if his death was accidental or sudden, local papers often published a news piece. The Coos Bay Times in August 1935 or the Bandon Western World might have mentioned it. Future research at libraries or requesting archived newspapers could be fruitful. Until then, no confirmed cause of death can be reported from the records we have — only the date and place.
Sources
- Vital Records & Family Data: Ancestry.com index listing for Samuel Leroy Humphrey (born 10 Aug 1900 in Coos Bay, died 7 Aug 1935 in Coos County) with parents Chauncy LeRoy Humphrey and Mabel Katharine Smith. This provides his birth and death details and parents’ names as recorded in family trees or vital record indices.
[1] (https://www.ancestry.co.uk/genealogy/records/results?firstName=samuel&lastName=humphrey) - FamilySearch Family Tree: Entries for Samual’s family, including father Chancey LeRoy Humphrey (1868–1912) and mother Mabel Smith (1877–1955). These confirm the marriage in 1894 and list the children: e.g., Mary Ann (1895–1964), Minnie Pearl (1897–1982), Edith Edna (1898–1985), Samuel Leroy (1900–1935), Charles Alfred (1901–1944), William H. (1903–?), Elvin R. Humphrey, and Mabel Katharine (1910–1944). The family lived in Fourmile and Coquille, Coos Co. during the 1900 and 1910 censuses.
[2] (https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/M6V2-VJH/mary-ann-humphrey-1895-1964)
[3] (https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/21TQ-XT5/chancey-leroy-humphrey-1868-1912) - FindAGrave & Cemetery Records: Coos County Cemeteries transcription showing “HUMPHREY, Samuel L. – 1900–1935 – K.P.” (Knights of Pythias Cemetery, Bandon). Also, Mabel Katharine Humphrey (1910–1944) is listed in the same cemetery. The Knights of Pythias Cemetery in Bandon, OR is identified by that abbreviation.
[4] (http://sites.rootsweb.com/~orcoos/cooscmij.htm)
[5] (https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/results?firstName=samuel&lastName=humphrey)
[6] (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/88458179/mabel-quick) - Oregon State Archives – Death Records: The Oregon State Archives holds death certificates for the period including 1935. Samual’s death certificate from 1935 (filed in Coos County) can be obtained from the Archives; this would provide an official record of his death date, place, and cause of death. The Oregon Historical Records Index confirms that statewide death registers and certificates exist for that year, though the index entry itself typically includes only name, date, place, etc., not cause.
[7] (https://sos.oregon.gov/archives/Pages/records/aids-vital_listings.aspx) - Additional Index Record:
[8] (http://sites.rootsweb.com/~orcoos/cooscmij.htm) - Additional Search:
[9] (https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/results?firstName=samuel&lastName=humphrey) - Alternate Ancestry Database:
[10] (https://www.ancestry.mx/search/categories/42/?name=Seth+Leroy_Humphrey)
