Dr. Joseph Stayman (October 7, 1817 - October 4, 1903) was an American

horticulturist Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

. He was widely known among 19th century horticulturalists in

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, and it was through his influence the Kansas State Horticultural Society was organized in 1866. He left the practice of medicine at an early age to specialize in horticultural research and experimentation, developing numerous varieties of apples, strawberries, and grapes in his Leavenworth orchards. His goal was to learn which varieties of apples and other fruits were most suited to the soil and climate of northeast Kansas, the region being one of two in the state where fruit trees were grown extensively in the late 19th century. Dr. Stayman oversaw two orchards containing some 3,000 trees.

Birth and early life

Dr. Stayman was born in

Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Cumberland County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 259,469. Its county seat is Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Carlis ...

on October 7, 1817. He moved with his parents to

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

in 1839 being associated with his fathers milling business but meanwhile studying medicine and

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

. In 1849 he was married and established a residence in

Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 United States census ...

. Several years later he moved to

Abingdon, Illinois Abingdon is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States, west of Peoria. As of 2010 census, its population was 3,319, down from 3,612 as of the 2000 census. History The city was first settled in 1828. Abingdon was laid out in 1836 and ...

, where he practiced medicine. In 1858, he purchased a nursery business, and two years later decided to move to Kansas. The pioneer fruit grower took up residence at Maple Avenue and Santa Fe, and devoted the remainder of his life to the development and improvement of various strains of fruit. He originated the Clyde strawberry as well as several varieties of grapes, apples and raspberries. Dr. Stayman studied the drawing of fruit varieties, and his sketches were regarded as extremely precise. These sketches were given to the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

He was one of the founders of the Leavenworth County Horticultural Society, serving as its secretary for many years.

Kansas State Horticultural Society

In 1866, with William Tanner, his neighbor on Maple Avenue, he helped organize the Kansas State Horticultural Society. The organizational papers for the KSHS were drawn up in Dr. Stayman's residence by Stayman and Tanner, who served as the KSHS’ first president. Dr. Stayman was also associated with the Grange and the Leavenworth County Agricultural Society. He experimented with grafting fruit trees and at one time had an apple tree which bore sixteen varieties, the result of multiple grafting. He introduced the Stayman apple in 1866.

Other hobbies

His hobby of checkers also brought him national attention. He was widely known among the most accomplished checkers players in America. Dr. Stayman competed with other checkers hobbyists, playing games by correspondence in matches which would last as long as a year at a time.

References

''Extracted from a publication entitled They Came This Way by J.H. Johnston III available at the Leavenworth County Historical Society.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Stayman, Joseph 1817 births American horticulturists Pomologists 1903 deaths People from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania People from Carlisle, Pennsylvania People from Abingdon, Illinois People from Leavenworth, Kansas 19th-century American botanists Scientists from Pennsylvania Scientists from Illinois Scientists from Kansas