The communication mentioned above spurred him to other investigations to find out for himself what there was in it. "Merion in the Welsh Tract" gave some facts; the chart of "Roland Ellis" furnished some help. Such caused further search, until at last he was satisfied the family was very ancient, running back to A. D. 848. This was not known until he had examined a work entitled "Americans of Royal Descent," which revealed that which had been sought, not only connection with the Royalty of England, but connection with the "Magna Charta Barons of England."

Crests furnish important links when tracing the connections of families. The following is taken from "Fairbaines Book of Crests of Families of Great Britain and Ireland,” published at Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1892: "Crest of Humfreys, Humphreys, Humfrey, or Humfry, of London and Wales-A lion sejant, resting dexter paw upon nag's head, couped ermines."

The following description of a seal in the possession of Charles Humphreys, son of General Humphreys, is given, showing the connection of the family with that of the Humphreys of London and Wales: "Lion sejant, dexter paw resting upon nag's head." An impression of this seal was found among the family papers. With the seal was found the box in which it rested, and upon the box was printed "H. Gretton, Seal Engraver, No. 40 Fenchurch Street, London." Underneath the crest are the initials "C. H." Evidently this seal was the property of Charles Humphreys, member of the Continental Congress, whom we shall have occasion to mention farther on.

Samuel Humphrey, son of Hugh Humphrey, married Elizabeth Rees, March 20, 1658, as appears from a memorandum written in a note book which belonged to Daniel

Humphrey, son of Samuel, who came to the Province of Pennsylvania in the year 1682. It is as follows: "I find in the original Register Book, a copy of the certificate of Samuel Humphrey, who was married before a Justice of Peace as follows. J. Morris Wynne, one of the justices of the peace of the county of Merioneth, certifies that 'the 20th day of March, 1658, Samuel Humphrey of Llongely, now in the County, and Elizabeth Rees, of Llaneguyn, in the yd County, were in the presense of Robert Owen of Dolgelle, in the yd County, ege, Hugh Evans of Llanelltyd, in the yd County Gent, Grifith Jhons of Dolgelle, in the yd County Gent, and others as witnesses at Dolgelle aforesaid, duly married before me, according to the late Act of Parliament. Witness my hand and seal, the 20th day of the 3rd month, 1658. Sd. Morris Wynne of Moil Gloy. Witnesses, sd. Hugh Evans. sd. Berth Lwyd' ".-Daniel Humphrey, His book, 1683. The children of this marriage were: Lydia, b. Jan. 26, 1659, who married Ellis Ellis, of Haverford plantation, June, 1695, d. Feb. 29, 1784. (This was the third marriage in Pennsylvania.) Daniel Humphrey, b. June 15, 1660, married Hannah Wynne, Aug. 11, 1695, dau. of Thomas Wynne, of Philadelphia. Benjamin, b. May, 1662, married Mary Llewellyn, 1694, d. 1738. Children of this marriage: Owen, who married Sarah Hughes; Mary Elizabeth, b. April 18, 1710, married first, David Parry; second, Judge Smith, no record of children, d. Jan. 31, 1790. Joseph, b. May, 1662, married Elizabeth Medford, Oct. 10, 1684, d. July 12, 1693. Rebecca, b. Feb. 24, 1664, married Edward Rees, d. Feb. 17, 1733; Ann, b. March, 1666, married Edward Robert, March, 1689, d. ; Gobitha,

b. Aug. 1667, d. June 10, 1687.

Daniel, married Hannah Wynne, Aug. 11, 1695, and had Samuel, b. May 3, 1696, d. Feb. 24, 1784; Edward, b. 1698,

d. Jan. 2, 1776; Joshua, b. 1710, married Sarah Williams, Sept. 11, 1742, d. 1793; Charles, b. 1712, d. Jan. 18, 1786; married Abraham Daws,

Hannah, b.
1785; Martha, b.
Elizabeth, b.

d. Aug. 1,

;

d.

married Stephen Paschal, d.

d. Jan. 31, 1790; Rebecca, b.

July 24, 1790. Joshua, married Sarah Williams, Sept. 11, 1742, and had, Ellinor, b. Feb, 8, 1748 or 1749; Joshua, b. June 17, 1751, married Mary Davids, Jan. 18, 1776, d. Jan. 12, 1838; (Mary Davids, b. Dec. 28, 1751, d. Aug. 27, 1805;) Daniel, b. Nov. 19, 1753, married ; (children, Edward, married Anna Bond; Sarah Mary, married Mr. George; Margaret, married Mr. Carlisle;) Hannah, b. Feb. 5, 1755, d. Dec. 4, 1813; Rebecca, b. Sept. 15, 1756, d. ; Sarah, b. Nov. 12, 1757, -; Jane, b. d. 1759; Sarah, b. Sept. 3, 1760,

d.

d.

; Clement, b. Oct. 8, 1774, married thrice, no record of these marriages, d. -; Joshua, married Mary Davids, Jan. 18, 1776, and had, Clement, b. Jan. 22, 1777, lost at sea Aug., 1803, or 1805, Samuel, b. Nov. 23, 1778, married Letitia Atkinson, March 31, 1808, at Cumberland Island, Georgia, by Peyton Skipworth, d. Aug. 16, 1846; (she b. at Spirit Creek, near Augusta, Georgia, July 16, 1786, and d. Jan. 24, 1859, at Washington City, District of Columbia); Sarah, b. Nov. 2, 1780, married Henry Hollingsworth, Oct. 6, 1806, d. Dec. 26, 1857; Elizabeth, b. Dec. 17, 1782, d. Aug. 7, 1793; Mary, b. June 23, 1784, d. March 9, 1822; Ann, b. Dec. 26, 1786, d. June 20, 1838; Joshua, b. Dec. 9, 1788, d. Nov. 30, 1810; Rebecca, b. Jan. 7, 1791, d. Dec. 6, 1872, at Port Reading, Pennsylvania; Martha, b. Jan. 13, 1793, d. March 28, 1865, at Port Reading; Charles, b. Jan. 6, 1796, married Lowery Wister Price, d. June 29, 1870; children: Charles, b. June 17, 1838, d. 1841, very young; Margaretta, b. Dec. 5, 1797, d. June 20, 1806.

Samuel, married Letitia Atkinson, and had, Clement, b. Dec. 31, 1808, d. Aug. 21, 1852, in San Francisco, California; Andrew Atkinson, subject of this biography, b. Nov. 2, 1810, married Rebecca Humphreys Hollingsworth, daughter of Henry Hollingsworth, June 19, 1839, d. Dec. 27, 1883; Joshua, b. Jan. 3, 1813, married Margaret Chandler, Nov. 29, 1842, d. Nov. 10, 1873; Jane Murray, b. Nov. 21, 1815, married Captain J. M. McCrabb, Fourth United States Infantry, d. Dec. 21, 1897; (children, Alfred, b. Dec. 4, 1838, d. at Montgomery, Alabama, Nov. 17, 1859;) Catherine Miller, b. Aug. 2, 1818, d. ; Samuel, b. Nov. 22, 1820, d. July 26, 1822; Mary, b. Sept. 5, 1823, married George Yonge, of Macon, Georgia, Aug. 29, 1843, d. April 12, 1866; (children, Letitia, b. Aug. 29, 1844, married Nov. 22, 1866, J. C. Wrenshall;) William Penn, b. March 17, 1828, married Oct. 27, 1870, Mary Stincen; children, William Penn, b. Sept. 11, 1871, Mary, b. Dec. 11, 1875, d. Jan. 5, 1877, Alice, b. March 25, 1879, living.

Andrew Atkinson Humphreys married Rebecca Humphreys Hollingsworth, June 19, 1839, and had Henry Hollingsworth, b. July 5, 1840, married first, Caroline H. Stewardson, April 2, 1872, and second, Grace Graham Wilder, July 13, 1892; Charles, b. May 12, 1844, married Katie Park Gass, d. March 25, 1905; (children of this marriage, Charles Park, Maude, Henry Gass, Cecil Hollingsworth;) Rebecca Hollingsworth, b. Aug. 5, 1849, d. April 24, 1879; Letitia Atkinson, b. Feb. 23, 1856, living.

Referring to pages 561 and 562 of the "Americans of Royal Descent," it is found by consulting pedigree No. 157, these Wynnes were descended from "Rhys ap Tewdor, the Great Prince of South Wales." Consult also Burke's Peerage, London, England, 1872, page 1232, under the heading

of the "Family of Wynn's." Dr. Thomas Wynn of Bronvadog, near Caerwyr, b. 1630, came to America, with William Penn, in the ship Welcome, 1682 or 1683, settled in Sussex County, Pennsylvania (now Delaware County); married Mary, daughter of Samuel Buttall, or Buttell, of Plymouth, and had among other children a daughter Hannah, who married Daniel Humphrey, son of Samuel and Elizabeth Humphrey.

The story of the family of the Humphreys is not complete until the blood of Scotland and Ireland is mingled with that of England and Wales. By reference to family papers, we find that Thomas Atkinson, of the Province of Ulster, County Donegal, Ireland, and of Prehend, the ancestral home of this family, married a Miss Knox, and in those family papers mention is made of a Sir John Knox as educating his nephew Andrew Atkinson, one of the sons of Thomas Atkinson, who was born Jan. 22, 1762, at Prehend, Cavan Garden, Ireland, who married Jean, or Jane, Murray, daughter of Sir Archibald Murray, Seventh Baronet of Black Barony, Scotland, b. Feb. 17, 1764, d. Oct. 20, 1836.

Andrew Atkinson and his wife came to America about the year 1785, living first on Spirit Creek, Georgia, near Augusta. From thence he moved to Florida, bought a plantation and raised flax. This plantation was on the Saint Johns River below where now stands Jacksonville, of that state. There Atkinson lived, calling his home Prehend, after the seat of his mother's family, the Knoxes, who lived in the vicinity of Londonderry, Ireland. The youngest sister of his mother (Letitia or Angel) was killed Nov., 1761, when a fortune hunter named John McNaughten, attempting to carry her off, shot her in an effort to kill her father. They were on their way in their carriage to Dublin, but a