My Family Tree

Agnes Fyfe was born around 1821, the daughter of William Fyfe, ferry-man and farmer, and Jean Arthur. Her parents emigrated from Scotland, and Agnes was born after they arrived on the Island. Married to a younger man, she sometimes took a few years off her age on census records. Charles gave his age as 55 in the 1881 census, and Agnes 56; in 1891, Charles claimed to be 60 and Agnes 65.

Agnes' father operated a river-crossing ferry, and the community the family settled in was called Fyfe's Ferry (later Stanley Bridge). According to A History of Long River, when William Fyfe was too busy to run the ferry the women of the family operated it. The local history Springfield 1828-1986 mentioned that one daughter, Elizabeth, was rowing the scow when Joseph Mayne, who had no money to pay the fare, needed to cross the river. He gave Elizabeth his watch as security. Joseph and Elizabeth were married in 1837, and, the story continued, rode away with her new husband on horseback.

Perhaps this was how Agnes met Charles.

Agnes and Charles had no children of their own, but they adopted two children, and took in Bennett McEachern after his mother's death.

Humphreys Mrs. Charles
Pioneer 23 April 1900, page 4, col. 8 At Margate on February 4th, in hope of the bright inheritance, Mrs. Charles Humphreys, aged 78 years