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–Not graded
History · Humphrey

Humphrey dates to 1836, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1900 on, and the census since 1840.

1836founded
0on the National Register
17%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Humphrey’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Humphrey began

When was Humphrey founded?

1836

Humphrey dates its founding to 1836 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1840.

First census: 444 in 18402020 census: 703190 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1852.The full story ↓

What stands out about Humphrey’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19004 editions of the USGS map, 1900 to 1961. Watch Humphrey change.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,065 in 1870; 703 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsEstablished in 1836: 190 years of Humphrey.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Humphrey’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Humphrey’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District Descri…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Humphrey on the map, 1900 to 1961

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Humphrey. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Humphrey on the 1900 USGS mapHumphrey on the 1938 USGS mapHumphrey on the 1943 USGS mapHumphrey on the 1961 USGS map1900Salamanca sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Humphrey.

People over time

Humphrey, census by census

02004006008001,0001850190019502000Peak: 1,065

Peaked at 1,065 in 1870; 703 people lived here in 2020.

19 censuses, 1840–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Humphrey’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Humphrey came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Humphrey.

Read it all →

The area that would become the town was first settled circa 1815. The town of Humphrey was established in 1836 from a part of the town of Allegany.

The first permanent settler was named Russell Chapell. Who arrived from Schenectady County in 1815, settling on lot 56, on the banks of Sugartown Creek. Here, him and his wife built a log house, making them the first official settlers. Slowly over the next ten years the settlement grew.[1]

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Humphrey in 1901

Passages that mention Humphrey, cut from the printed page as they were published.

late R. H. Shankland. Many years ago the elder Mr. Allen was coroner (they had coroners in those days) he was obliged to go up into the town of Humphrey to investigate a case, he called for his friend Mr. Shankland to accompany him. It took them two or three days to ''investigate" but they had a go…
Historical and biographical history of the township of Dayton, Cattaraugus County, New York1901 · page 45Read the page →
Read the text

late R. H. Shankland. Many years ago the elder Mr. Allen was coroner (they had coroners in those days) he was obliged to go up into the town of Humphrey to investigate a case, he called for his friend Mr. Shankland to accompany him. It took them two or three days to ''investigate" but they had a good visit, even

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Humphrey, 1836 to 1941

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1836
    FoundingHumphrey is established
  3. 1850In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - New York - Cattaraugus County - ED 5-24, …
  4. 1852Post officeThe Humphrey post office opens
  5. 1852Post officeThe Humphrey Center post office opens
  6. 1870CensusPopulation peaks at 1,065
  7. 20th century
  8. 1900On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1935Post officeThe Humphrey post office closes
  10. 1941Post officeThe Humphrey Center post office closes
By decade

Humphrey, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1850s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1850s1 item
1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - New York - Cattaraugus County - ED 5-24, ED 5-25, ED 5-26, ED 5-27, ED …18501940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - New Y…
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - New York - Cattaraugus County - ED 5-24, ED 5-25, ED 5-26, ED 5-27, ED …
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - New York - Cattaraugus County - ED 5-24, ED 5-25, ED 5-26, ED 5-27, ED …, 1850

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Humphrey’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Humphrey

Nobody well known was born in Humphrey itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Jeff FaheyAmerican actor · b. 1952
Louis ZamperiniItalian-American middle distance runner and Wor… · b. 1917
R
Ray EvansAmerican songwriter · b. 1915
Charles IngallsFather of author Laura Ingalls Wilder · b. 1836
William E. MasonAmerican politician · b. 1850
Brian DunklemanAmerican comedian, actor and television persona… · b. 1971
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Humphrey had its own post office from 1852 to 1935. Another post office, Humphrey Center, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Humphrey
1852–1935
Humphrey Center
1852–1941
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Humphrey Center
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Humphrey
ColeSaint Pacificus Catholic

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Great ValleyIts storyB−IschuaIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFranklinville2 historic placesAAllegany1 historic placeB+HinsdaleIts storyB

Questions about Humphrey’s history

What year was Humphrey founded?

In 1836, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Humphrey’s post office opened in 1852, and the census of 1840 counted 444 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.