Howard Steele Stansbury

Birth: He was born in 1866 at Huntsville, Alabama.  

Family Information: Husband of Mary Dathene (Roach) Stansbury.

Father of Mary Elizabeth and Howard Roy Stansbury.  

Description:  

Pre-Colony History: In 1920 and 1921 he was living in Tampico, Tamaulipas in the Republic of Mexico -- in 1920 working as the manager of the colonial club at Tampico; in 1921 working as the superintendent at Panuco, Vera Cruz, Mexico for a railway.

In 1930 he was living with his wife and children at Fulton, Kentucky and working as a salesman of paint and roofing material.  

Home in Colony: In January 1937 there was a re-shuffling of homes in the colony -- the Stansburys took a home that had been vacated by the Ike Price family, right in the heart of the village. Lionel and Vivian Crossland took theirs.  

Job in Colony: In July 1934 the regular crew at the print shop included: Lloyd Potter, Harold and Mary Emery, Ben Low, Roy MacDonald, Anna Loutrel, George Leevey, Afton Lewis, Howard Stansbury, Mr. Ranft and Irene Hewitt.

Esther Allen, Mrs. Weatherwax and Bertha Richter helped out on the "Colonist" and "Democrat" days, plus both DeForest and Marvin Sanford could be seen there a good share of the time.

In 1935 Walter Robison was finishing the printing of the Colonist while Howard Stansbury, Mrs. Doehlert, Mrs. Emery and Vivian Crossland wrapped them for the mail.

Other Info: On May Day, 1935, some dissatisfied colonists -- most of them younger members who had not yet earned their right to vote on colony decisions -- held a meeting while Pickett was out of town and elected a new Board of Directors that didn't include George Pickett. Doc Williams, an on-again / off-again colonist from the early years in California, was elected President; Eugene Carl, a new member who'd only been at the colony about three months -- he was still a probationer and consequently didn't even have voting rights in colony matters, was elected Executive Director; and Walter Robison, also a recent arrival, was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors.

This new board tried to make improvements to colony life, but after the first year, finances were in such a state that the court appointed a receiver to help them straighten out their affairs. Two different receivers tried to calm the colonists and persuade them to work together, but this proved fruitless.

In May 1937, Ferguson -- the second court-appointed receiver -- appointed two groups to work with him in an advisory capacity as he tried to get the colony's finances sorted out -- first a membership committee who would settle questions about returning members, which might or might not be allowed. This committee consisted of H.S. Stansbury, chairman; George Pickett, E.O. Joynes, R.K. Williams and Carl Gleeser. The second was expected to organize the industrial work so as to ensure that everyone had a job somewhere. That committee consisted of Dr. Williams, chairman; Chester Page, Chester Peecher, Charles Worden and Crockett Campbell.  

Post-Colony History: In 1940 he was living in Vernon Parish, Louisiana with his wife and children and not employed.  

Death: He died in 1944 at Beaumont, Texas and was buried there at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.  

Sources: US Census: 1930, 1940; "Llano Colonist": July 7, 1934, July 13, 1935, August 24, 1935, January 30, 1937, May 1, 1937; Texas Death Certificate; FindAGrave.com