STANLEY RESEARCH
(STANDLEY, STANLY)

Contents

The Life of Noah L. Stanley
Who Were Floyd Stanley and Bettie Mullins?
Great, Great, Great Grandmother Bettie

Trying to find irrefutable facts concerning Noah L. STANLEY has proven to be one of the most challenging areas of my research. I have spoken with a few relatives that knew him, and more that knew of him. The information they have given me can be summed up as:

Noah was the father of Felix STANLEY and Aunt Rosie

Noah was married about five times (Maybe twice to one woman)

Some wives names were Lizzie, (Mary ?) Ellen, and Mandy

He had children by Ellen SALYER; Willie, Nathan, and Moses

Noah had "shakes" in his last years

Noah died late in 1941

His Certificate of Death lists Noah's birthdate as 16 Jul 1873, the year of which was probably calculated using a presumed age. His gravestone is engraved with the date 16 Jul 1878. The truth of these dates might be found in Noah's Family Bible, but that book has been lost for sometime. The Bible is believed to have last been in the possession of his step-daughter Dolly COLLINS. I have not been able to locate or contact her family.

Searching through the Dickenson County Virginia Courthouse records we found a series of recorded events concerning the marriage of Noah L. STANLEY and an Isabelle DEEL. It seems the two were married at a young age, and separated shortly thereafter. It's not currently possible to tell whether the Noah described in the court records is the same Noah STANLEY. I have found no other Noah L. STANLEY in the area that this may have been. The only other Noah L. STANLEY I've been able to find was born to Joseph F. and Mary J. STANLEY on 1 Apr 1883. This second Noah is too young.

Grave of Noah L. Stanley
Photo by T. Lindquist

Noah's first definitive appearance is in the 1900 Dickenson County Virginia Census, in the Kenady Magisterial District, on sheet 6. He appears with what is probably his second wife, as follows:


Stanley, Noah (E. ?)   Head  Male    Jul 1875  24  VA VA VA

Stanley, Nancy E.      Wife  Female  Aug 1871  28  VA VA VA

Stanley, Felix S.       Son  Male    Oct 1891   8  VA VA VA

Stanley, Roseybelle     Dau  Female  Oct 1893   6  VA VA VA

Noah next appears with his third wife, Martha Ellen SALYER, in the 1910 Virginia Soundex in Russell Co., Virginia.


Stanley, Noah      36  Virginia

Stanley, Ella      31  Virginia

Stanley, Willie     8  Virginia

Stanley, Charlie    4  Virginia

Stanley, Nathan     2  Virginia

I have found no record to support that Noah married Nancy Elizabeth GILLIAM twice, despite family history.

Between 1910 and 1920, Noah Stanley married Flora Milton. Their Marriage License is on file at the Wise County Courthouse. This fourth marriage did not last long, and Noah filed for divorce late the next year. Flora was charged with adulterous behavior and sentenced to five months in jail.

Noah L. STANLEY appears again in the 1920 Wise County Virginia Census, Richmond District, sheet 34, dwelling 44, family 44. I was unable to find this record at first since it appears in the Soundex as "Stanly, Nona". Looking at the original Census record however, it is not difficult to decipher "Noah" from the jumbled cursive. The place is entered as "Linden Mining Camp", but someone later crossed that out. He is listed with his last wife, Amanda COLLINS, and children from her previous marriage.


Noah Stanly     Head  46  USA   VA   VA  drayman for co. store

Mandy Stanly    Wife  39   TN   TN   TN

Grady Collins   SSon  18   TN   TN   TN  coal miner

Eithel Collins  SDau  14   TN   TN   TN

Ody Collins     SSon  13   TN   TN   TN

Bell Collins    SDau  11   TN   TN   TN

Dolly Collins   SDau   9   TN   TN   TN

Clarncy Collins SSon   6   VA   TN   TN

Opha Collins    SDau   3   TN   TN   TN

Willie Stanly    Son  19   VA  USA  USA  driver for store

Charlie Stanly   Son  14   VA  USA  USA  none

The last record of Noah L. STANLEY is his Death Certificate. He died in Wise Co Virginia, Lipps District, Toms Creek on 17 Sep 1941. His wife and informant are listed as "Manda Stanley", his last wife. On this same document Amanda has given us the only "clear" reference to Noah's parents. They are listed as Floyd Stanley (bp. Dickenson Co, Va.) and Bettie Mullins (bp. Dickenson Co, Va.).

Noah's Signature

The above signature appears in one of his divorce filings at the Wise County Courthouse. It was signed by Noah in 1920. Looking at the signature, it is easy to see why others have thought that his name was Nash Stanley.

Who Were Floyd Stanley and Bettie Mullins?

Noah L. STANLEY's parents are listed on his Certificate of Death as Floyd STANLEY and Bettie MULLINS. I have had little luck finding this couple, most likely because they never married. The more research I have done the more it has become apparent that Noah STANLEY was an illegitimate son.

They may have been William Floyd STANLEY and Elizabeth "Bettie" Elmira (STANLEY) MULLINS. If Noah is their child, he would have been born slightly before each married their respective spouses, Elizabeth WRIGHT and "Flat John" MULLINS.

Noah's Grandparents?
Noah's Ancestry
TMGW v2.3 Screenshot In the 1880 Buchanan County Virginia Census, a young Noah appears in the family of Lovell STANLEY and Isabel Louvina (WRIGHT) STANLEY; Bettie's parents. At this time, Bettie had married "Flat John" MULLINS and begun a family of their own. The four year old Noah is listed as "Son", although I have found no written accounts that mention Lovell STANLEY and Isabel Louvina WRIGHT as having had a child named Noah. Researchers familiar with the family of Lovell and Isabel cannot account for the child, Noah. If Noah is the son of Elizabeth and William Floyd, why would he be living with his grand- parents?

While corresponding and speaking with other researchers, I have found two different references claiming that Elizabeth "Bettie" Elmira STANLEY had a son named Noah. Neither researcher however, can find the source for that information. One suggested that Noah may have been the informant of Bettie MULLINS' death whereupon his relation to the deceased is recorded. The Certificate of Death held by the Virginia Department of Vital Statistics lists the informant as John MULLINS, but a county record may also exist.

Great, Great, Great Grandmother Bettie

Recently, I have spoken with Jimmy H. WALLACE, a researcher of the MULLINS and STANLEY lines. Mr. Wallace's mother was a granddaughter of Elizabeth STANLEY and "Flat John" MULLINS. Mr. Wallace's mother told him on more than one occasion that Elizabeth STANLEY had a son before her marriage to Flat John. That son's name was Noah L. STANLEY. He explained further, that at the time of Noah's birth Elizabeth lived with her parents, Lovell and Isabelle (WRIGHT) STANLEY. When Elizabeth married "Flat John" MULLINS, Noah stayed with his grandparents. Noah can be found with his grandparents in the 1880 Buchanan County Virginia Census.


Standley, Lovell     W M 53           Farmer         VA VA VA

   --   , Isabel L.  W F 52  Wife     Keeping House  NC NC NC 

   --   , Lovell     W M 12  Son      Laborer        VA NC NC

   --   , Noah       W M  4  Son                     VA NC NC

Codl    , William    W M 18  Servant  Laborer        VA VA VA

Standley, Franklin   W M 20  Son      Laborer        VA NC NC

   --   , Belindy    W F 21  Dau-Law  Keeping House  VA VA VA

   --   , Mackiviry  W F  1  G-Dau                   VA VA VA

Wright  , Johnathan  W M 80  Fath-Law                NC NC NC

   --   , Mary J.    W F 82  Moth-Law                NC NC NC

Shortly thereafter, I also received a letter from John C. Mullins, the editor of the Southwest Virginia Ancestor magazine. In his letter he explained that his aunt, Thelma Mullins, could recall a conversation with her mother regarding Noah. She said:

"My great grandmother Elizabeth "Betty" Stanley, who married "Flat" John Mullins, did indeed have a son Noah Stanley before her marriage to "Flat" Mullins. He was the Noah Stanley, age four, listed in the household of Lovell Standley and Isabel Louvina Wright Standley and shown as son of Lovell & Louvina."

John C. Mullins went on to say that he was "comfortable in stating" that Noah STANLEY was the son of Elizabeth "Betty" STANLEY, daughter of Lovell STANLEY and Louvina WRIGHT. He was unable to comment on who Floyd STANLEY might be.

It seems I have found Noah and his mother, and can now link him into a longer and larger family of STANLEYs. To this date however, I cannot be sure who Floyd STANLEY was. Mr. Wallace suggested that it was probably William Floyd STANLEY, son of William D. STANLEY and Anada Emaline LONG, but did not know for sure. It is of interest, that the household preceeding the one included above, consisted of William Floyd STANLEY and his family.