Willie Stanard

On May 6, 1887, the American Cornet Band led a parade down the streets of Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, to Recreation Park, home of the Alleghenies ball club of the National League.1 Two teams, neither of which belonged to the Senior Circuit, took the diamond that day. The Pittsburgh Keystones—a squad entirely made up of Black players, including future Hall of Famer Sol White—stepped onto the world stage of baseball against the New York Gorhams on the second day of the National Colored Baseball League’s inaugural season.2 There is no doubt that league president Walter Brown had high hopes for this upstart confederation of all-Black teams. Alas, the league was already on the verge of disintegration, and its total collapse was less than two weeks away. One of the players that suited up that afternoon was a center fielder from Virginia named William W. “Willie” Stanard.3

Born to Joseph and Lucy Stanard (née Banyard) on April 6, 1867, in Washington D.C., William Stanard came into the world as Reconstruction was just beginning.4 His paternal linage can only be traced back to his grandparents who are listed by their initials: “L” for his grandfather and “A” for his grandmother.5 Their son Joseph was born about 1847 in Spotsylvania, Virginia.6 Stanard’s maternal side is better documented. His mother’s parents, William and Rachel Banyard, were both born in Spotsylvania about 1805.7 Daughter Lucy was born about 1849, also in Spotsylvania. Surprisingly, though both parents were living with his maternal grandparents in the 1870 census, Stanard is not listed, though there is a George Stanard, who may have been a younger brother.8 Stanard’s father’s occupation is listed as “farm laborer” in that year’s census. While sparse, this information provides a look into Stanard’s pre-baseball life.

There are some gaping holes in Stanard’s baseball story, such as how and when he got to Pittsburgh and how many, if any, teams he played for prior to 1887. There is also no known photograph of Stanard. However, we do know that he was one of five left-handed hitters on the 1888 Keystone team.9 While it’s possible he was a lefty when it came to throwing, there is no documentation to that effect.

Stanard first appears in baseball’s historic record on April 18, 1887, when the Keystones took on a baseball club from Steubenville, Ohio, in an exhibition game. The Keystones defeated Steubenville, 7–4, in a game for which there is no extant box score. The first box score to contain his name comes on April 20 when the Keystones took on the Reading ball club in another exhibition game. The box score credits Stanard with two runs, though ultimately the Keystones lost, 20–4.10 The following day, the Keystones took on Reading again. There is documentation of the game, but the box score has been torn away from the primary source, and the outcome and information about the game is unknown at this time.11

Stanard’s first recorded non-exhibition game came on May 6, 1887, for the Keystones’ opening day in the National Colored Baseball League. The pomp and circumstance of the American Cornet Band and parade created a festive atmosphere for those in attendance. According to the Pittsburgh Post, 1,000 spectators came to Recreation Park for the Keystones’ professional debut.12 Stanard was the leadoff batter (and thus first batter in Keystones franchise history) that afternoon. He hit a triple as the Keystones lost to the Gorhams, 11–8.13 Little did Stanard and the team know that in the following days financial problems and a lack of interest in the league would lead to its demise.

On May 7, the second game against the Gorhams was called due to rain.14 The next team up for the Keystones was the Boston Resolute on May 9 and 10; however, the team postponed its two games against Pittsburgh. Stanard and the Keystones wouldn’t play again until May 11, when they took on the Philadelphia Pythians. Again, Stanard was at the top of the order and scored two runs and stole two bases. However, the Keystones were on the losing end with the final score being 9–8.15 The following day, the Keystones were able to turn it around and get their first win of the season, 19–13, over the Pythians with Stanard scoring two runs.16

The last four games for the Keystones came against the Lord Baltimores. During the third game of the series, Stanard scored three runs, helping his team to a 16–8 victory.17 With the last game of the league played on May 19, Stanard finished his major-league career with a .438 batting average in 35 plate appearances over seven games.18

While the National Colored League was over, the Keystones kept on playing. On May 21, the Keystones defeated the Iron City (Pittsburgh) baseball team at Recreation Park, 16–6. 19 Then on June 9, the Keystones took on another local team called the Finnertys at Recreation Park.20 On June 17, the Keystones were scheduled to take on the Beaver Falls baseball club on Opening Day for the Western Pennsylvania Base Ball League.21 In October, the Keystones resurfaced in a game against the Wheeling (West Virginia) ball club; they lost, 12–6.22  The final mention of the Keystones in 1887 comes in a two-game series played against the Cuban Giants at Recreation Park. The Keystones lost, 19–6, on October 25 and then turned around to win, 3–2, the following day. No traditional box scores or write-ups document the players or statistics from these last two games.23

Stanard and the Keystones reorganized the following year with the outfielder now listed as the player-manager.24 According to an article published in the Pittsburgh Press, other returning players were White, Weldy Walker, David Allen, Charley Bell, Frank Miller, Henry Gant, Harvey Roy, and two players listed only as Thomas and Garrison.25 Opening Day for the Keystones was on April 19 and held at Island Park in Wheeling, West Virginia, against the town club. The Daily Intelligencer stated that it was a “cold, raw afternoon and only about 100 persons were in attendance.”26 With Gant coaching the Keystones, the team was drubbed by Wheeling, 16–3.27  The only mention of Stanard comes when he ended the fifth inning by hitting the ball to the pitcher, leaving Roy and Bell on base.28 The Keystones, now playing out of Steubenville, Ohio, were one of four teams to play in what one paper called the “Colored Championship of the United States” against the Gorhams (New York), Cuban Giants (Trenton, New Jersey), and Blue Sox (Richmond, VA).29 Coverage of the series was thin, with few mentions in the sports sections in Pittsburgh and in New York. The Keystones finished the series in second place with four wins, one shy of the Cuban Giants.30

Over the next few years, coverage of the Keystones was sporadic. On May 28, 1889, the Pittsburgh Dispatch reported that “The Keystones have secured the services of William Stanard, the outfielder.”31 The only mention of Stanard and the Keystones in 1890 comes from an article published on April 18 in the Pittsburgh Press which stated that “their season will open about May 1 and Manager Stannard (sic) is at present arranging games with all the strong amateur and professional teams in eastern Ohio, southern New York, northern West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania.”32 However, in a June 22 article he is not mentioned, while the rest of the team was, which could mean the team reorganized a second time without Stanard, though this is only speculation.33 In 1891, the club relocated to Wheeling, West Virginia.34

The final game coverage that can be located that includes Stanard and the Keystones can be found in The Pittsburgh Post on January 2, 1892, and details a New Year’s Day game played at Exposition Park.35 Four open-air carriages conveyed the players through the city streets to the sounds of the fife and drum.36 The article goes on to state that “Across the river cannons were booming, sounding for all the world like mid-summer thunder and making everybody forget that it was bleak winter.” With mild weather and 400-500 in attendance, the Keystones took on the Standards, a white team employed by Standard Oil out of Pittsburgh’s Southside. While the teams and the spectators were ready for a game, the field was not. “The grounds were in bad shape being covered with mud ankle deep. A perfect puddle surrounded home plate, and the base runner’s paths resembled narrow swamps.” Six innings of baseball were played that day with the Keystones losing, 8–3. Stanard was mentioned in the article in The Post where it states that “Finally, in the sixth inning the Keystones managed to make the circuit. Grant got a base on balls, went to second on Miller’s hit, and to third on Garrison’s base on balls. He came flying over the plate on a short hit by Stannard (sic).” The box score records that he hit a double, walked, and scored one run.37

On March 1, an article states that the Keystones were gearing up for the 1892 season with Stanard acting as team secretary.38 To date, this is the final mention of William Stanard and his connection to professional baseball. The Keystones continued play in some form until 1899.39 Even the Biographical Encyclopedia of The Negro Baseball Leagues does not have an entry for Stanard, thus leaving no clear answer to when or why he left professional baseball.40 It should be noted that there is mention in the Pittsburgh Press of a “William Stanard” who was stabbed in the abdomen by a man named William Lee on December 23, 1893, in Wheeling, West Virginia over 10 cents in a “crap transaction.” The article indicated that the wound may have been fatal.41 While the individuals share the same name, there is no concrete evidence that they are the same person.

After his professional baseball career ended, Stanard became a husband and father. He married Eva E. Stanard (née Randals/Randalls) in either 1896 or on November 8, 1900.42 Her father was a Civil War veteran from Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.43 According to the 1900 census, Stanard was employed as a “laborer” and lived with his father-in-law in Canonsburg, along with two daughters, Zermah (listed as Jemiah H.) and Lilian S. Sadly, the latter child only lived roughly seven months and died on August 16, 1900.44 Stanard went on have two sons, William Jr. and Chester, along with another child born in April 1902 that died before the end of the year.45 In 1906, an article in The Daily Note states that Willie was the chief cook on the James S. Stocking farm in Cecil Township, Pennsylvania.46 In 1909, Stanard managed the South Side Athletic Club, an African-American baseball team.47 Tragedy reared its head on March 3, 1918 when wife Eva died of chronic intestinal nephritis at the age of 55.48 Stanard, as of the 1930 census, lived with his surviving daughter, Zermah, and her family in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.49  

On July 5, 1936, William W. Stanard passed away from carcinoma of the right lung at the age of 68 and was subsequently interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania.50 Stanard might not have left an impressive record during his time in baseball; however, as a member of the historic 1887 Keystones and a manager of later incarnations of the team, his involvement in the sport helped to pave the way for what was to come in the Negro Leagues, the Black Pittsburgh baseball experience, and other African-American teams in the Iron and Coal world.

Acknowledgments

This story was reviewed by Darren Gibson and Abigail Miskowiec and fact-checked by Paul Proia.

Sources

In addition to the sources shown in the Notes, the author used Seamheads.com, Baseball-Reference.com, Ancestry.com, and US Census records.

Notes

1 “Colored League Opening,” Pittsburgh Post, May 2, 1887: 6. Allegheny City is now part of Pittsburgh and is called “The Northside.” The neighborhood now houses PNC Park, home of the team that was once known as the Alleghenies: the Pittsburgh Pirates.

2 The league was also known as the Colored League or the League of Colored Base Ball Clubs.

3 According to the 1900 US Census, the middle initial given is “W.” His last name is sometimes misspelled “Stannard.”

4 William Stanard Death Certificate, Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1970 – Ancestry.com, accessed November 21, 2024. Lucy Banyard, Marriage Registry: Virginia, U.S., Marriage Registers, 1853-1935, accessed November 21, 2024.

5 L Stannard, Virginia, U.S., Select Marriages, 1785-1940, accessed November 21, 2024.

6 Jos. Stanard, Marriage Registry: Virginia, U.S., Marriage Registers, 1853-1935, accessed November 21, 2024.

7 1870 US Census. In the census the last name is spelled Baryan with Lucy’s name mistakenly recorded as “Lewis.”

8 1870 US Census. There is a William listed with a different surname that might be Stanard; however, we will never know concretely.

9 “Among the Sports,” Pittsburgh Press, March 16, 1888: 2.

10 “Won by Reading,” Reading Times, April 21, 1887: 1; “Base Ball Notes,” Pittsburgh Post, April 20, 1887: 6.

11 Title missing due to damaged source, Reading Times, April 22, 1887: 1.

12 “How the First Colored Championship Ball Game Was Played,” Pittsburgh Post, May 7, 1887: 6.

13 “How the First Colored Championship”

14 Ken Mars, “Guide to the 1887 Colored League,” SABR.org, https://sabr.org/latest/mars-resource-guide-1887-national-colored-league/, accessed November 21, 2024.

15 “The Pythians Win Again,” Philadelphia Inquirer, May 12, 1887: 3.

16 “The Pythians Lose a Game,” Philadelphia Inquirer, May 13, 1887: 3.

17 “The Keystones Defeat the Baltimores for the Second Time,” Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette, May 19, 1887: 3.

18 Mars, “Guide to the 1887.”

19 “Base Ball Notes,” Pittsburgh Post, May 23, 1887: 6.

20 “For a Local Pennant,” Pittsburgh Post, June 9, 1887: 6.

21 “Base Ball Notes,” Pittsburgh Post, June 17, 1887: 6.

22 “Yesterday’s Game,” Wheeling (West Virginia) Sunday Register, October 2, 1887:4.

23 “The Giants Were Desperate,” Pittsburgh Post, October 26, 1887: 6; “Beat the Cuban Giants,” Pittsburgh Post, October 27, 1887: 6.

24 “The Reorganized Keystones,” Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette, February 25, 1888: 5.

25 “Mélange of Sports,” Pittsburgh Press, April 5, 1888: 2.

26 “The Keystones Downed,” Wheeling (West Virginia) Daily Intelligencer, April 20, 1888: 4.

27 In one source Stanard is listed as the manager while in another Gant is listed as the coach. No clear answer is available for clarification.

28 “The Keystones Downed.”

29 “For the Colored Championship,” Pittsburgh Post, August 3, 1888: 6.

30 “For the Colored Championship,” The Sun (New York), August 27, 1888: 3.

31 “Baseball Notes,” Pittsburgh Dispatch, May 28, 1889: 6.

32 “John Ward May Retire,” Pittsburgh Press, April 18, 1890: 3.

33 “Base Ball Notes,” Wheeling Sunday Register, June 22, 1890: 1.

34 “General Sporting Notes,” Pittsburgh Press, April 13, 1891: 3.

35 “Base Ball in Midwinter,” Pittsburgh Post, January 2, 1892: 6. The park was located in Allegheny City, which is now part of Pittsburgh and is called the Northside/North Shore.

36 The article doesn’t specify if it’s Pittsburgh or Allegheny City.

37 “Base Ball in Midwinter.”

38 “The Keystones on Deck,” Pittsburgh Post, March 1, 1892: 6.

39 “Sporting Notes,” Connellsville (Pennsylvania) Courier, May 10, 1889: 5

40 James A. Riley, The Biographical Encyclopedia of The Negro Baseball Leagues. (New York, New York: Carroll & Graf, 1994).

41 “Stabbed Over Craps,” Pittsburgh Press, December 24, 1893: 3.

42 1900 US Census. “William Stanard Death Marriage Certificate: Pennsylvania, County Marriage Records, 1845-1963,” Ancestry.com, accessed November 21, 2024. Most sources give surname as “Randalls;” however, her father is listed as “Randal” in his obituary. Her last name again deviates in the marriage certificate where it is given as “Corom.”

43 “The Death Record,” The Daily Note (Canonsburg, Pennsylvania), October 18, 1907: 6.

44 Lilian S. Stanard (1900-1900), Find A Grave, accessed November 21, 2024.

45 “Local Happenings,” The Daily Notes (Canonsburg, Pennsylvania), April 30, 1902: 3; “Deaths in Canonsburg in the Year Just Past,” The Daily Notes, December 31, 1902: 1. The sex of the child cannot be determined as it listed a daughter born and a son that died. “Two Additional Cases,” The Daily Notes (Canonsburg, Pennsylvania) September 9, 1909: 1. “Santa Claus Letters,” The Daily Notes, December 24, 1909: 2.

46 “Farm Work Suspended,” The Daily Notes, March 15, 1906: 1.

47 “Colored Teams Wants Games for Fourth,” The Daily Notes, June 24, 1909: 2.

48 Eva May Stanard Death Certificate, “Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1970,” Ancestry.com, accessed November 24, 2024.

49 1930 US Census.

50 William Stanard Death Certificate, “Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1970,” Ancestry.com, accessed November 24, 2024.