Levi and Matilda Stanley

Who was Levi and Matilda Stanley?

Levi Stanley and Matilda Joles Stanley were accorded the honorific titles of King and Queen of the Gypsies. Levi explained that the title was merely an indication of his people's love and trust and not more.

Levi was the son of Richard Stanley and Harriet Worden, who preceded as King and Queen. Matilda was the daughter of Ephraim Joles. Levi had a brother named Benjamin who had decided to settle down in New England. Benjamin was disowned by their father and a curse was put on him and the next three generations to follow. When Levi became infirm in old age, their son Levi Jr. "Sugar" Stanley succeeded as King.

Born in Reading, Berkshire, England, Levi and Matilda and their families came to the United States in 1856—"when Buchanan was king," as they put it—along with others of their people and soon settled near Troy, Ohio. Shortly thereafter, they selected Dayton, Ohio as their headquarters for the summer months, and it became the center for the Gypsies of the country. Each year as they departed Dayton for warmer climes, their caravans would go in procession down Main Street.