This collection (6 items) is made up of correspondence and writings related to the family of Jay Humphrey Filley of Bloomfield, Connecticut. The Correspondence series (3 items) includes personal letters that Filley wrote to his wife Julia (October 14, 1857) and his son Alfred (October 12, 1860), concerning his finances and business affairs. An undated photographic postcard has an image of a plaque commemorating Alfred Filley's donation of land to Filley Park in Bloomfield, Connecticut.
The Writings series consists of a brief poem by Jay Humphrey Filley ("Request," January 31, 1828) and a 2-page essay by Julia Newberry Filley (February 27, 1856). The essay relates to Julia's interaction with a medium and her belief that mediums could communicate with deceased persons, such as Julia's father-in-law, Oliver Humphrey, and brother, Albert Newberry.
The Autobiography (14 pages) concerns the life of Jay Humphrey Filley, focusing on his education, business pursuits, and religious beliefs. The autobiography also includes genealogical information.
Jay Humphrey Filley was born in Bloomfield, Connecticut, on March 13, 1810, the son of Oliver Filley and Annis Humphrey. He had five siblings: Oliver Dwight, Marcus Lucius, Giles Franklin, Annis Jeannette, and John Eldredge. After attending the Wesleyan Academy in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, between the ages of 18 and 21, he returned to Bloomfield, where he became a teacher. He later worked in the tallow candle business with his brother-in-law, Lucius Newberry, and owned a stove manufacturing business with Newberry and his brother Marcus. In 1858, he became a tobacco farmer. Filley and his wife, Julia A. Newberry (d. 1881) married on September 25, 1833, and had three children: Marcus Dwight (1836-1839), Louis James (b. December 24, 1840), and Alfred Newberry (b. July 18, 1844). Jay Humphrey Filley died on March 17, 1883.
