Dr. Joseph Stayman was born in 1817 and died in 1903. He was widely known among 19th century horticulturalists in Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

, 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, Pennsylvania

Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 235,406.-History:...

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

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

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

Psychology

Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...

. In 1849 he was married and established a residence in Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Carlisle is a borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The name is traditionally pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2010 census, the borough...

. Several years later he moved to Abingdon, Illinois

Abingdon, Illinois

Abingdon is a city in Knox County, Illinois, 50 miles west of Peoria. It is part of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city was first settled in 1828 and was incorporated in 1857. In 1894, the patent for the common spring-loaded mousetrap was given to William Hooker of Abingdon,...

, 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

Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...

 in Washington, D.C. 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

Stayman apple

A Stayman is a triploid apple cultivar which can usually be bought at a local grocery store or a local farmer's market. It is red with light russet, and light greenish-yellow flesh. There are two other varieties of Stayman apples; one is green, the other yellow. Yellow Staymans are usually ripe by...

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.