 Upon enlistment, he was 19 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, and light complected with light hair and gray eyes.After his military service, Stanley taught school and studied law under General Thomas Bowie; he was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1869.Stanley married his first wife, Ella Lee Hodges (January 1841 – October 1, 1881) on November 26, 1871; the couple moved to Laurel and had no children.