Early Life
Humphrey Marshall was born in Orlean, Virginia in 1760. He was the son of John and Mary (Quisenberry) Marshall and apparently named in honor of his maternal grandfather, Humphrey Quisenberry. Marshall's father was a man of meager means despite being a member of a prominent Virginia family. Little is known of Marshall's early years, but one tradition holds that he had no formal education during his childhood and that his cousin Mary (later, his wife) taught him to read. Eventually, John sent Humphrey to live with his brother, Thomas Marshall, and to be educated by the same Scottish tutors that educated Thomas' children. Among Thomas' children (Humphrey's cousins) were future Chief Justice of the United States John Marshall, future federal judge James Markham Marshall, and noted educator Louis Marshall. In addition, one of Thomas' daughters, Nancy Marshall, married future U.S. Attorney Joseph Hamilton Daveiss. After receiving his education, Marshall became a surveyor.
On January 4, 1778, Marshall enlisted as a cadet for a three year term in the Virginia State Regiment of Artillery for service in the Revolutionary War. The unit was under the command of his uncle Thomas, who held the rank of colonel. Marshall was assigned to the company of Captain Elisha Edwards. Most of his service records have been lost, but according to his pension application, he held the rank of third lieutenant later in 1778, first lieutenant in 1779, and on December 18, 1789, he was promoted to the rank of captain lieutenant. When the three-year commitment of Marshall and his fellow soldiers expired, their unit was disbanded; on February 6, 1781, Marshall was designated a supernumerary officer. He ended his military service in 1782, and was rewarded with 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) of land on the western frontier.
In 1782, Marshall moved to present-day Kentucky and became deputy surveyor of Fayette County, again serving under his uncle Thomas. Settling in Lexington, he purchased a lot there in 1783. On September 18, 1784, he married his cousin, Thomas' daughter, Anna Maria ("Mary") Marshall. The couple had two sons, future Congressman Thomas Alexander Marshall and John Jay Marshall, father of Congressman and Confederate general Humphrey Marshall. They also had a daughter who, in infancy, was killed by lightning.
Shortly after the creation of Woodford County, Marshall moved within its borders and was appointed county surveyor by Virginia Governor Beverley Randolph. In this capacity, he surveyed and claimed significant additional tracts of land, becoming one of Kentucky's most wealthy citizens. According to tradition, Marshall was known to boast that he could ride from Frankfort to Versailles, a distance of some 20 miles (32 km), and never enter a tract of land that he didn't own. He was also supposed to have boasted that he measured his silver coinage by the peck, not having time to count the individual coins.
Marshall did not believe in rule by the masses, frequently expressing his disdain for the common people. His sharp wit and lack of tact in writing did little to endear him to his neighbors. Like most of the members of his family, he subscribed to Federalist principles, despite the fact that the majority of Kentuckians associated with the Democratic-Republicans. He was also ostracized by many of his neighbors for being zealously antireligious. He wrote pamphlets denouncing religion of all kinds and published them at his own expense. His later descendants were so embarrassed of his antireligious writings that they had his personal papers burned.
Read more about this topic: Humphrey Marshall (politician)
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