SAMUEL STANLEY

STANLEY, FEIGLEY, STEVENS, BAKER, GRAY, PRICE, MARTIN

Posted By: Volunteer (email)
Date: 7/19/2008 at 09:47:20

Samuel Ringold STANLEY is a representative of the business interests of Stuart, Iowa, where he is successfully engaged in grain dealing. He is a wide awake, enterprising man, sagacious and far sighted, and Guthrie county numbers him among its valued citizens. The record of his life is as follows. He was born at Marion, Marion county, Ohio, August 6, 1836, and when a child of six years his parents removed to Rock Island, Illinois. They had previously lived in Indiana and Michigan, but eventually settled in Rock Island in 1842, at which time the city was but a hamlet containing not more than a dozen business houses and scarcely a greater number of residences. The country round was wild and uncultivated, an in this frontier settlement Mr. STANLEY spent his boyhood days. On the paternal side he is of English ancestry, while his mother's people were of German lineage. His father, James G. STANLEY, was born at sea. The grandfather was captain of an English merchantman, and the wife accompanied her husband on a number of his voyages. He and his crew, together with the ship and cargo, were lost at sea. James STANLEY was reared in Maryland, and his wife who bore the maiden name of Sarah FEIGLEY, was there born in 1802. Their marriage was celebrated in the same state, whence they started on their Westward journey, living in several different localities in the Mississippi valley. The father died in Illinois, in October 1853, at the age of sixty-seven years, but the mother is now living in Lawrence, Kansas, at the age of ninety-four years.

This worthy couple were the parents of nine children, five sons and four daughters, and all the sons served in the Union army at the same time. William was wounded at the battle of Chickamauga, and died from his injuries. Greer M. died in 1887 from disease contracted in the service. Mary Ann is the widow of Henry STEVENS, and resides at Lawrence, Kansas. Susan is the widow of George A. BAKER, and lives at Lisbon, South Dakota. Samuel R. is the next younger. Sarah is the wife of John HOLM, a resident of Illinois. John died of the measles while in the army. Martha Jane is the wife of John A. GRAY, of Wykoff, Minnesota. James P. is engaged in the lumber business in that State.

Mr. STANLEY of this review continued his residence in Rock Island county, Illinois, during the greater part of the time until August 1, 1861, when at Geneseo, Illinois, he enrolled his name among the boys in blue. He had enlisted on the first call for three-months troops, but the quota was full were the company was called forth to action, and it disbanded until the latter part of the summer. It was then sent to hold a post at Lexington, Missouri, and while there its members were taken prisoners by the rebel General PRICE. On being paroled they were sent to St. Louis, and were mustered out October 18, 1861. This company was independent of any State organization, though assigned to the Fourteenth Missouri Cavalry. After the discharge another company was immediately reorganized and went to Leavenworth, Kansas, where it was assigned to the Eighth Kansas Infantry, under command of Colonel John A. MARTIN, who afterward served for two years as Governor of that State. With the Twelfth and the Thirteenth Wisconsin Regiments, the Fifty-first Illinois, and the Seventh Kansas, it formed brigade under command of General R. B. MITCHELL, and went from Leavenworth to Columbus, Kentucky, in June 1862.

The next move of this command took the troops to Corinth, Mississippi, after which they went with General BUELL on his famous Kentucky campaign and participated in the battle of Perryville, returning to Nashville, November 1, 1862, when General ROSECRANS took command of the Army of the Cumberland. the regiment to which our subject belonged was with the forces of General MCCOOK as a part of the Twenty-first Army Corps, and went on the Tullahoma and Chickamauga campaigns, participating in all engagements of these famous expeditions. They met the enemy at Chattanooga and Mission Ridge, and in the late fall of 1863 joined General BURNSIDE at Knoxville, whence they were ordered to Dandridge, East Tennessee, but again returned to Knoxville. Mr. STANLEY there re-enlisted as a veteran volunteer, and the old organization was retained. In the spring of 1864 he started on the Atlanta campaign under SHERMAN, and after the evacuation of the city of Atlanta the Eighth Kansas Infantry became part of the Fourth Army Corps, and returned to Nashville under General THOMAS, participating in the battles of Spring Hill and Nashville, the rebel forces being under command of General BRAGG, who was threatening SHERMAN'S rear. They followed BRAGG into Alabama, and fought the battle of Franklin, November 30, and December 15 and 16 the battle of Nashville. They returned back to Alabama, and went into winter quarters at Huntsville, where they remained until March 1865. They then returned to East Tennessee, and in May were ordered back to Nashville, where on the 20th of June, an order came for the Fourth Corps to proceed by rail to Johnsonville, thence by steamer to New Orleans, and on the morning of July 5 they went aboard a ship bound for Matagorda bay. Thence they proceeded to Green Lake, where the remained a month, and at San Antonio, Texas, on the 28th of November 1865, Mr. STANLEY, with his regiment, was mustered out of the service. The troops had been sent to the South in order to watch MAXIMILIAN, who was then operating in Mexico. After being mustered out, Mr. STANLEY then returned to Leavenworth, Kansas, where the troops were finally paid off and discharged, January 11, 1866. His service covered a period of four years, five months and eleven days. He can boast holding at the present time four honorable discharges, the first by reason of being a paroled prisoner of war, the second to enable him to re-enlist as a veteran, the third to receive a promotion as First Lieutenant of his company, and lastly because the war was over and his services were no longer needed. He filled all of the various official grades from private to Captain, was promoted to the First Lieutenancy in 1863, and was made Captain in 1864, commanding his company from that time forward until the close of the war. Meritorious conduct on the field of battle won him this honor and his military record is one of which he may justly be proud.

Mr. STANLEY at once returned to his home in Illinois and engaged in farming for one years. In the fall of 1866 he came to Iowa, locating in Boone county, where he made his home for two years, and in March 1869, arrived in Stuart. His arduous army service had made such inroads upon his health that he was unable to longer engage in agricultural pursuits or other manual labor, and for about six years after coming to Stuart he lived a retired life in consequence of his impaired health. At length he embarked in grain dealing, which he has followed almost continuously since, and has built up an excellent trade in this line, making large shipments.

On the 14th of February 1866, was consummated the marriage of Mr. STANLEY and Miss Ellen SMITH, a daughter of George and Mary SMITH, prosperous farming people of Henry Co. Illinois. The lady was born April 4, 1844, in Ashland, Ohio, and there acquired her education. The wedding was celebrated in Geneseo, Illinois, and their union has been blessed with one child, Nellie M., now the wife of Alexander TURK, a resident of Tama, Iowa, by whom she has two children--- Minnie R. and Mahlon S.

Mr. STANLEY is a stanch and uncompromising Republican, who does all in his power to promote the interests of his party, but has never sought or held office. He is a member of Maxwell Post, No. 14, G. A. R., of which he has served for two terms as Commander. He joined this post on its organization. He also belongs to Stuart Lodge No. 214 I. O. O. F., in which he has filled all the offices. His wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Woman's Relief Corps. Mr. STANLEY is a representative of a family noted for loyalty to the country, and in all the relations of life he displays the same fidelity to duty that he manifested when on Southern battle fields he followed the old flag.

From, A Memorial and Biographical Record of Iowa, Volume 1; 1896: Page 299:

( A special thanks goes to Holly Vonderohe who found this in her local library)