Henry F. Stanley

Henry F. Stanley


Henry Stanley (1805) was the son of John Bacon Stanley (a merchant trader and the Marshal of Dublin).    This Henry Stanley was the father of three sons by Anna Warner, Henry Frederick, Francis Edward and Frederick William.   (As an interesting note on name relationships, John Bacon Stanley's second wife, Barbara Lynch's father was Henry Francis Blosse Lynch.)

It is uncertain as to Henry's profession.   He may have been an attorney at law, an architect or a merchant.   Research has revealed that he may have been a merchant trader, following his father's trade.  The marriage documents of his son Henry Frederick Stanley and his wife Isabella Haines, indicate that he was an "architect."   However, we have been unable to confirm Henry senior's "real" profession.   Since Henry Sr died when Henry Frederick was young, the junior Henry may have confused the trade of his father with that of his grandfather,  Peter Warner <> who was an architect-builder and who was instrumental in the design and building of St. Mary's Catherdal in Natchez, Mississippi.

During our investigation on Henry Stanley, Sr., special interest was given to a Dr. Murdock who was the associate to Edward Bacon Stanley (son of Sir Edward Stanley and the nephew of John Bacon Stanley) at the Meath Hospital.   This Dr. Murdock was instrumental in recommending Henry Frederick Stanley (son of Henry F. Stanley Sr) to the Dublin police force.   This Dr. Murdock was also a resident in the same neighborhood as the senior Henry Stanley.

Research is continuing relating to the family of Henry Stanley.   Our study indicates him being descended from Edward Stanley of Athlone who is a descendant from the "first" Stanley, Adam de Stanleigh of the year 1125.  The Stanley presence in Ireland may extend back to the 14th century and earlier.   Sir John de Stanleigh, who served Henry IV in Irish battles, had been appointed Lieutenant of Ireland in 1413 and may have been among one of the first Stanleys to settle there.

Another noted service was by Robert Stanley, a great-great-grandson of Sir John de Stanleigh, who served as Captain in King William's Army.   Robert fought in the Battle of the Boyne on July 1, 1690, and at Athlone Castle in 1691.  Stanleys have been predominant in the military and legal professions in Ireland and were in service to the English Crown.

Since it has been most difficult to locate any records on the marriage of Henry Stanley, Sr. and Anna Delilah Warner (1834) and the births of their three sons, one speculation has developed.   Namely, Henry may have never married Anna Warner.   Henry was considerably older than Anna.   It is said, as a young girl, Henry Sr had visited her father at their home.   On leaving, he patted Anna on the head.   She told herself “one day I will marry that man.”   In the absence of any official record of marriage, the union between Anna and Henry may have been one of convenience.   Henry and his first wife Elizabeth Vincent had two children, a daughter Lydia and a son George.   For whatever reason, Anna may have become a mistress to Henry.   This may explain the lack of any official records on their marriage or births of their three sons.

(As a further note on family name relationships, it is also interesting to note that Henry’s daughter, Lydia had sons named:  “Frederick,” “Henry,” and “Frederick William.”)

In seeking the answers to the life of Henry Stanley, we have had to face the fact that numerous records in Ireland have been destroyed for the period that spans much of the life of Henry...from 1830s to1860s.  

A few years after the death of Henry Stanley, it is said that Anna Delilah sought assistance from other Stanley family members in Dublin.   They would not support her family but agreed to take in Henry Frederick Stanley, the eldest son and help him finish his education.  Thereupon, Anna came to America to be with her father, Peter Warner.  It seems whatever means that Henry F. Stanley had left Anna, had run out and she had very little choice.   She did not come to the US until after the Civil War.   That was almost nine years after the death of Henry F. Stanley.   She did not remarry until she came to the US.

Henry Stanley died in 1856 at his address on Grand Canal Street in Dublin.   Henry is buried in Mt. Jerome Cemetery in Dublin.


 

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