1819 – 1893
Internal Revenue Assessor
George J. Stoll, Sr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1819 and moved to Lexington in 1840. Stoll entered the cabinet and furniture making business in 1845 with John L. Patterson. At the start of the Civil War, President Lincoln appointed him Internal Revenue Bureau Assessor. His salary was $1,400 per year. He held that position until 1877. While assessor, he hired his sons as assistants – Richard P. (Salary $1,400), George J. Jr. (salary $1,400), Charles H. (salary $1,200) and James S. Stoll (salary $1,200).
Afterwards, he entered the insurance business. He was also a Commissioner to the United States Court, from 1863 to his death. George J. Stoll, Sr. had five sons who were active in the business affairs of Lexington until well after the turn of the century. They were all involved in the family’s banking and distilling business to varying degrees. These sons were George J. Stoll, Jr., Richard Pindell Stoll, James Scrugham Stoll, Charles H. Stoll and John William Stoll.
His sons also were founders, directors and investors in a number of other businesses in Lexington, a partial list is:
Belt Electric Line Company,
Central Electric Company (now Kentucky Utilities Company),
Keeneland Association,
Kentucky Coach Company (now Greyhound Corp.),
Kentucky Trotting Horse Association (now Red Mile),
Lexington Brick Company,
Lexington Herald – Leader,
Lexington Ice Company,
Lexington Water Works (now Kentucky American Water),
Lexington City National Bank (later First Security, then Bank One and now Chase),
Lexington Gas Company (now Columbia Gas),
Lexington Street Railway Company (now LexTran) and
Lexington & Eastern Railway (later L & N Railroad) [i]
[i] Lexington Leader, April 18, 1893, page 8, column 1 and Lexington Morning Transcript, April 19, 1893, page 8, column 3.
