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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Otago & Southland Provincial Districts]

Humphries, James Edward

Humphries, James Edward , Farmer, Waimumu Estate, Waimumu. Mr Humphries was born in 1849, in Wiltshire, England, and received his education in Victoria, where he had been brought when he was six years old. He gained experience of batchering page 1098 and stockdealing, and spent some years on the Australian and New Zealand goldfields. He was at the Hokitika diggings for over a year, and in 1869 went to Queensland, where he visited Gympie, Charters Towers, Rockhampton, and the Bowen. Mr Humphries was subsequently at Goulgong, in New South Wales, and at Pleasant Creek and Ararat, in Victoria. In February, 1877, he settled in Mataura, where he conducted a butchery business for sixteen years, and also had a branch at Gore part of the time. In 1893, Mr Humphries took up Waimumu Farm, and has added to his property from time to time until it now consists of 1,200 acres of freehold, on which a stud flock of Border Leicester sheep are grazed. He has been prominent in connection with the dredging industry, having promoted the Waimumu Extended and Waimumu Queen Dredging Companies, both of which had dredges operating on his land. He served on the Mataura Licensing Committee for several years, and advocated the rope-window-fire-escape system in connection with hotels. Mr Humphries was married, in 1879, to Miss Morton, of Pomahaka, and has five sons and six daughters.