Family History of the Larrabee Bridge

Family history of the Larrabee Bridge

     James Humphrey came to America from England in 1775, according to the Southwest Memorial Record. James was married to Amy Harding of Providence, Rhode Island. In England the Humphrey family was titled. James served in the American Revolution and spent the rest of his life in New England. Amy may have been of Welsh descent.

     James and Amy had a son William who served in the War of 1812. William was married to Betsey Clausen of Richmond, Va., daughter of Josiah Clausen of Scottish decent. William farmed near Richmond all his life. He and Betsey had twelve children, ten of whom grew to adulthood. They were Diantha (a mute), twins Lucy and Laurs, Truman R., Caroline, William, Amy, Alonzo, Nancy, and Jesse.

     Truman R. Humphrey was born December 3, 1813, in Vermont, died 1911, and in spite of saying that William had farmed near Richmond the same source states that William was from Surrey, New Hampshire. Truman became a wagon and a plow maker, later studied medicine and practiced in several communities. Truman Humphrey came to Hokah, Minnesota, in 1859, and to Brown County in 1865, where he farmed and served also as a physician. He had been married to Elizabeth Merrill, daughter of William Merrill of New Hampshire, and after her death he was married in 1854 to Mary J Sawyer of Boston, a daughter of Sylvestris and Sarah (Clark) Sawyer.

.    Truman R. Humphrey and Sarah had three sons, Truman A., William R. (who died in infancy), and Ed, who was in charge of the home farm. Ed was born in 1861 at Hokah. He was married in 1888 to Emily Herniman, daughter of John Herniman of Sleepy Eye. She was a sister of Mrs Martin Casperson and of the first Mrs. Adolph Jensen. The Ed Humphreys had three children, Lloyd, Glenn, and Lorraine.

     Amy Humphrey, daughter of James and Betsey, and sister of Truman R. Humphrey., was married to Alva S Larrabee in1847. He had been born in 1816 in New York on Tecumseh’s old grounds. Alva Larrabee was the son of Benjamin who was a member of an old American family founded by the three brothers who had come from France. Alva S. Larrabee and Amy Humphrey Larrabee went to Winnebago County, Wisconsin, then went to Albert Lea Minnesota, in 1861. They came to Brown County in 1864 and settle back of the Cotton Wood River. Their home was on the side of a hill and faced approximately east. A road eventually ran below the house and crossed a nearby bridge (hence the Larrabee Bridge). Beyond the bridge was the Dineen home and a little further south the home of Eric Larrabee. Alva S. Larrabee had a farm of 200 acres according to the Southwest Memorial Record, which states the entire family of Alva and Amy was: a girl who became Mrs Adelbert Lambert, Eric whose farm was across the river, Edward H., born October 9, 1849, who operated the home farm and was never married; Ai A. Larrabee who was manager of the Klossner & Mueller Agriculture Implement  Store in Sleepy Eye and who was married to Nellie Howe whose father was Ayres Howe; Edna was Mrs. Lemuel Richards or Mrs. L. R. Richardson; Bert H., who was a druggist in Sleepy Eye and later on the west coast and whose wife was Mary Frank (sister of Lena & Sophie Frank). The children of Ai Larrabee and Nellie were Easter, Edna, Harold, and Ayres H. Larrabee.

     Eric Larrabee was born June 10, 1848, died January 7, 1928, five days after his wife. He had been born in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, came to Freeborn County at age 13, then to Brown County at the of 16 on Reservation Land. At 21 he went out working for other people. He served many years as a township officer and on district school board. He was active in Republican politics. Eric married to Alice June Hall, born August 9, 1853, in Waukon, Wisconsin, died January 2, 1928. She had brothers Art and William Hall and sisters Mrs. H. Rhodes and Mrs. Jake Dilley. Eric farmed in Brown County 1889 until moving to town in 1914.

     Eric and Alice Larrabee had Jennie, Amy, Ward, and Ruth. Amy was married to John Sennett and had several children. Jennie was married to Ira Kelly and they had Grace, Olive, Dean, and Neil. Ruth was married to Albert Schewe (there are two by this name, not related). She had several children, including Virgil.  Ward Larrabee was married to Bessie Kelly, sister of Ira, and they had a son Neil. Bessie Kelly Larrabee was born August 5, 1880, was married June 27, 1900, and died 1931. Ward and Bessie farmed until 1915, at one time on his grandparents’ farm, another time near Iberia, then moved into town.

     You can find many of the Larrabee family in the Iberia Oak Ridge Cemetery. Today you can find the Larrabee bridge on County Rd 10, just southeast of Sleepy Eye, crossing the Cottonwood River.