Stanley Family In NewsPapers

  Articles about Stanley Family From American Papers
1860 April 4th New York Times
A tribe of gypsies numbering between 3 & 4 hundred are encamped at Forest Grove near Cleveland, This is the tribe, the death of whose King STANLEY has attracted so much notice. LADY STANLEY wife of the late King is a superior looking woman. She is tall and majestic in appearance with regular and really beautiful features and converses fluently in half a dozen different languages. She is with the tribe now encamped at Forest Grove as are also her sisters 2 dark eyed Gypsy Beauties. The appointments of the tribe are extensive embracing some 50 horses a large number of baggage wagons tents.
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1860 May 2nd Marysville Ohio
Tribe of Gypsies numbering between 3 or 4 hundred are encamped at FOREST GROVE near Cleveland The Herald say : This is the tribe the death of whose KING STANLEY has attached so much interest, LADY STANLEY wife of the King is a superb woman, She is tall and majestic in appearance with regular and really beautiful features and converses fluently in half a dozen languages She is with the tribe now encamped at Forest Grove as are also her sisters 2 dark eyed Gypsy Beauties
The appointments of the tribe are extensive embracing some 50 horses a large number of baggage wagons tents etc .
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1867-July 31st - Hagerstown Maryland
A GYPSY FUNERAL - A singular trait of the Gypsies is reported by the Dayton Journal
It seems that some time ago a man named Stanley the king of the tribe in this country was buried at Woodland Cemetery, Since then no matter where a member of the tribe in this country has died the remains have been conveyed to the same place for interment. Last fall and winter 4 children of the tribe died in Texas and the remains were sent to the vault in Woodland until a sufficient delegation from the tribe could be gathered to celebrate the ceremonies properly.
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1878 THE STANLEY GYPSIES
SOMETHING ABOUT THEIR WANDERINGS AND SETTLEMENT IN OHIO
The STANLEY tribe of Gypsies who have made their home in Dayton are probably as well known in Cumminsville Hamilton and the whole south-western part of this state as in Dayton.
They are one of the oldest tribes known that were prominent in England more than 200 hundreds years ago and prided their selves then on their antiquity.
OWEN STANLEY the head of the American branch of the family emigrated to this country from Berkshire in 1856 and on his death in Indiana was brought back to Dayton LEVI STANLEY son of Owen and widower of the deceased Queen is the recognized head of the tribe, the Stanley's believe or claim that they were the 1st family of Gypsies to emigrate to this country, there were Gypsies among the earliest English emigrates to this country, but Gypsy history is not trustworthy.
Those tribes of early English emigrants were of Welsh Gypsies and wandered in Canada 50 years ago. The Canadian Gypsies are nomadic tinkers and basket-makers, the Americans are principally horse traders. In the latter occupation the Gypsies seem to have acquired a skill possessed by no other people in civilized life. There seems to be a sympathy existing between half civilized people and the brute creation which culture destroys.
It is most likely true that the Stanley's were the 1st important family to arrive here and brought the 1st properties and became house dwellers especially in Dayton Ohio.
They have purchased 4 or 5 farms a few miles east of Dayton and acquired the old Smith Mansion, this was bought by MRS JEFFERYS of the tribe a short time before her death with the intention of her children occupying it as a residence.
The Stanley tribe pride themselves on being law abiding and tax payers, from Dayton they start out on their fall and winter trading over the west and south and to this place they return in the spring for home work or for tours through the north.

1879 NO EXPENSE SPARED IN GYPSY FUNERALS
At the funeral, Dr. Daniel Berger, recalled that at other gypsy funerals Queen Matilda was one of the most attentive listeners. 'She also had the Bible read to her daily and was frequently found in the act of prayer. She gave other evidences of a devout faith and I have good reason for believing that she died in full hope of eternal life,' Dr. Berger said.
The final parting at the grave was a scene of the most pathetic character,' he continued. 'King Levi Stanley and his people were thoroughly heartbroken and lingered long by the still open grave after the great crowd had begun to melt away. The two younger daughters, Missouri and Matilda, like the children of nature that they were, cast off all restraints of conventionalism and, leaping down into the grave, remained for some time upon the great marble slab which hid their dear ones from them, pouring forth a prolonged torrent of affectionate and tender expression. With much difficulty they were at last persuaded to come up out of the grave. 'An expensive granite monument, surmounted by a statue of the queen, marks the place where her body rests. The monument was cut out of a great granite boulder which Levi found at the entrance to the George W. Smith farm at Lockville, Wayne Twp. The owner made Levi a gift of the boulder.'
Dr. Berger, speaking to the historical society, recalled some of the other gypsy funerals he had conducted. On Palm Sunday in 1877 he held a triple funeral. After a brief illness, Mrs. Amelia Jeffrey died at her farm home just north of Dayton. Her husband, Thomas, who was in perfect health, was so grief-stricken that he simply went to bed and died within two days. The family ordered two expensive caskets and the baby, whose birth was the cause of the mother's death, was laid beside her in the casket.
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1879 Aug.1st Mrs. Mary Stanley Smith died at the age of 110 or perhaps even older. She had been born in England and lived there under the reigns of four different sovereigns: The first was George III and the last was Queen Victoria.
'No one who saw this venerable woman in her later years,' wrote Berger, could be disposed to doubt the fact of her extraordinary age, so deeply marked was she in all her lineaments by the hand of the great sculptor Time.
'Funerals among the Stanley gypsies are usually made a kind of state occasion. No expense is spared to give them suitable dignity and make them a proper expression of regard for their dead. The familiar funeral coaches, the undertaker's hearse, a long procession, a rich casket, the greatest profusion of flowers, all form a part of the event.
'The women appear dressed in their best, frequently in silks, satins and velvets, the garment often severely wrinkled from packing away in boxes and trunks. Jewellery in greatest abundance is worn, fingers and hands being adorned with massive gold. The gypsy woman who possesses money does not hesitate to purchase costly things, especially things of ornament, when she has set her heart on them.'
Many visitors to Woodland Cemetery seek out the graves of the gypsies with their carvings and expressions of sentiment.
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1880-MAY 8th KING STANLEY- the ruler of all the gypsies in this country lives in the midst of a settlement of his people near Dayton Ohio, his daughter who was to become Queen at his death has lost her heritage by Eloping with a man not a Gypsy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1881-MAY 12th MISS Britannia BIER of Wagram Licking County who died recently was daughter of the Late Gypsy Queen ,the remains were placed in a vault to await the gathering of the Clan.
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 1882 August 17th The Herald Dayton- John Bryer A Gypsy died in London Madison County last Sunday aged 654 years. Deceased was born in Taunton Somersetshire England. He has resided for a number of years at Magram Licking county , where the remains will be interred next Sunday August 20th . Bryer was a Gypsy of Considerable prominence and belonged to the STANLEY tribe of this county. His life has been interesting full of Romance. The funeral will be conducted by Gypsies from Dayton in the manner peculiar to this class of People.
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1882-AUGUST 26th* John Bryer the Old Gypsy King who has been camping near London Ohio for some months past died two weeks ago last Sunday He was a Native of Taunton Somerset-shire England. The Gypsies all over the country were notified and a great many of them were present, the large band that passed through this place last week were no doubt on their way to attend the funeral. Another article same person : At close of the Week a large number of Gypsies were congregating at Columbus Preparatory to attending the Funeral of John Briar one of their number who died recently at London Ohio
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1881-DECEMBER 9th
Justice weaver of Lafayette Indianapolis had the honour of marrying EDWARD BREWER to ELIZABETH STANLEY both being members of a band of English Gypsies. When all was ready for the ceremony the bride compelled the groom to make an oath on the bible that he would never touch a drop of Liquor without her sanction.
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1882 May 30th Albany New York*THE LOVE OF A GYPSY PRINCE
Cincinnati May 30th - Three miles north -west of Dayton a community of Gypsies own farms on which they reside in winter. In summer only a number sufficient to cultivate the land remain, while the rest go wandering about the country SUGAR STANLEY known as the Gypsy King is one of the largest land and property owners in the settlement. His son RICHARD STANLEY a handsome well formed youth of 23 has fallen madly in love with a MISS CAYLON the daughter of a farmer near Brooksville Montgomery County, he first met her a year ago when encamped near Brooksville.
The young lady came to Dayton recently where Richard has been devoted in his attention to her. The Gypsy King and all of Richard's other relatives are bitterly opposed to this state of affairs. The father says it is contrary to the rules of the race for anyone to marry out of it. He called for Richard's arrest a few days ago ,but the case was dismissed.
Yesterday Richard applied to a magistrate for protection against his father's persecutions ,but as the application was not formally made nothing came of it. He was accompanied to the magistrates office by a brother of his sweetheart,he says his father has knocked him down , pointed a pistol at his head and threatened to kill him. He says further that is is tired of Gypsy life and means to abandon it, the father has selected a gypsy girl for him whom the young prince says he detests, the King says he will sell out and leave the country and show Richard no more mercy.
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1882 April 22nd
There was a notable Gypsy Funeral in Dayton Ohio on Tuesday the bodies of the 16 year old wife of BUSH STANLEY A 3 year old son of LEVI STANLEY whose death occurred in Bolivar County Mississippi 2 weeks ago before Christmas and CHARLOTTE STANLEY who died 7 years ago being all interred in the same grave. The Dayton Democrat says that the attendance was quite large tenet dwellers having come from all parts of the country- from New York to Mississippi- to be present at the funeral of one of the Gypsy family to whom have common consent the prerogatives of Royalty have been conceded although unclaimed by any rights.
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1886 April 18th *QUEEN OF THE GYPSIES
( this is Grand-daughter of Owen & Harriet Stanley- Her mother was Phillie Stanley/Jeffery - their daughter )
DAYTON OHIO APRIL 18th JENTIE JEFFRY HARRISON
The young Gypsy Queen who died in child birth at Jackson Mississippi December 31st was buried in the Gypsy plot at Woodland today with all the funeral honours accorded in the gypsy burial service
At her death the body was embalmed and sent here to wait the gathering of her subjects at the burial . She was the daughter of HENRY & TALLIE JEFFERYS who own large tracts of land in this country and are related to the STANLEY TRIBE who reign over about 20 tribes that make their summer camp in this valley.
She was 25 years old very beautiful and idolized by her subjects, she succeeded Matilda Stanley who died in Tennessee in 1884 and is buried here.
OWEN & HARRIET STANLEY the 1st King & Queen are also buried here, at the funeral a young girl of gypsy origin dressed in bright colours cried “ Good Bye Gentie God-bye sweet Queen”.
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