David
W.
Humphries

DAVID HUMPHRIES was born on May 27, 1897 to David and Isabella Humphries in the town of Stockton, New Jersey, which in 1899, merged with the City of Camden. His father worked as a stationary engineer.

The family was, according to the 1890 City Directory, living on North 26th Street near Erie Street in Stockton. Stockton consisted of all the land in present-day Camden north of the Cooper River, that is, all of what today is known as Cramer Hill and East Camden. Erie Street was renamed Saunders Street not long after the merger to avoid confusion with Erie Street in North Camden. 

David Humphries was the second oldest of the nine surviving children of the David and Isabella Humphries, the family having lost four prior to the 1900 Census. The surviving children were older sister Mary and younger siblings Isabella, Alma, Elwood, Jennie and Walter. Two other children were born in the early 1900s, Esther and Catherine. Sadly, the elder Humphries died not long after the 1906 Camden City Directory was compiled. 

The 1900 Census shows the Humphries family living at 11 South 35th Street, next door to longtime Camden Fire Department member Benjamin Kellum. David Humphries worked as a foreman at a leather factory when the 1910 Census was compiled. He was still living at 11 South 35th Street as late as 1914. 

When David Humphries registered for the draft on June 5, 1917 he had already married. he and wife Rhoda were then childless. David Humphries worked as a machinist at the Victor Talking Machine Company plant in Camden. The couple resided at 136 North 30th Street. He was called to service and saw action in France as a member of Battery C, 311th Field Artillery Regiment, 79th Infantry Division. His ran at discharge was Private First Class. He had returned to his wife and their home at 136 North 30th Street by January of 1920.

When the 1924 and 1929 City Directories were compiled, the family lived at 2925 High Street, and they were still at that address in April of 1930. A son, David W. Humphries, was born in May of 1925. During these years their neighbors included a brother fire fighter, Harry J. Allebach, who lived at 2931 High Street. The Humphries family was still at that address in 1931.

The family had moved to 56 South 28th Street when the 1940 Camden City Directory was compiled. When David Humphries registered for the draft in the spring of 1942, he and his family were still at 56 South 28th Street and he was still with the Fire Department. Shortly thereafter they moved again, to 14 Leonard Avenue. David Humphries appears to have left the Fire Department by 1943. He died on February 22, 1947. The Humphries' were still living at the Leonard Avenue address when the 1947 Directory was compiled, but apparently his son, David W. Humphries, moved to 208 North 35th Street shortly thereafter.

David Humphries' son, David W. Humphries was appointed to the Camden Fire Department on December 30, 1950. He reported for duty the following day to Ladder Company 3 at North 27th Street and Federal Street in East Camden. He was by this time married and was living at 208 North 35th Street. 

Rhoda Humphries is listed at 3017 Mickle Street in the 1956 and 1959 New Jersey Bell Telephone Directories. Se died in September 1,1964 and was buried next to her husband at Beverly National Cemetery. David W. Humphries, a career Camden fire fighter like his father, passed away on April 19, 1974.

David Humphries' younger brother, Elwood R. Humphries, was a Camden police officer from the late 1920s into early 1940s.

Camden Post-Telegram * December 30, 1920

Peter B. Carter - Thomas Nicholas - Walter Browning - George B. Wade - William W. Patterson
Francis Ford Patterson Jr. - Charles H. Ellis - David Jester - Joseph Forsyth

Engine Co. 1 - Alfred E. Green - Charles Errickson  Charles W Cooke - Leroy Hatchett

Engine Co. 2 - Howard Landon - John K. Voll 
Edgar Ellender - Harold Lohrang - Chester Andrus  Harry G. Layton

Engine Co. 3 - Charles B. Haines - Charles Clements
August Haverkamp -  Frank Kuda - Louis Quinton

Engine Co. 4 - Frank A. Obermann - Walter B. Gray
Albert Raeuber - Fred Schucker - Harry Kleinfelder

Engine Co. 5 - Richard A. Farris - Frank Fennrio

Engine Co. 6 - William H. Reed - Manuel J. Kane Edward Perairia - Thomas Shanahan
Rocco De Varro

"Frank Fennrio" is for the moment a mystery

Engine Co. 7 - August Scholl - Nicholas Romaine
Lawrence H. Mathews

Engine Co. 8 - Samuel Oshushek - Edward C. Crane Adam Mead - Frank Sapp - William J. Taylor Sr.

Engine Co. 9 - Kennard Naylor - Daniel McSurdy John Mohrfeld

Engine Co. 10 - William Schwartz - Hugh Rementer Harry Greenan - Rocco Abbott

Hose & Chemical Co. 2 - Laurence Newton
Edward Hauser - William Getner

Ladder Co. 1 - Thomas Cunningham 
Leonard Megee

Ladder Co. 2 - John Gaylor - Walter White

Ladder Co. 3  David Ellis - George W. Attison
John Mulligan - David Humphries - Albert Dukes

Tennie G. Hutchison Jr. - Ladder Co. 4 - George A. Quimby

Hook & Ladder Company 3: Captain Joseph B. Ayres, FF Dave Humphries, Al Dukes, John Mulligan, Bill Mountney, Bill Hopkins. Hose & Chemical Company 1: Captain Charles H. Robinson, FF William E "Pud" Jaeckel, George Townsend, Ken Naylor, Howard Gick. Engine Company 9: Captain John H. Vickers, FF Irv Lederman, Newton Ash, Joe Gentlesk, Al Palmer