V - STAPLES FAMILY HISTORY ASSOCIATION
STAPLES FAMILY HISTORY ASSOCIATION (SFHA), 1977-1987
JAMES COURTENAY STAPLES
Prior to the year 1980, there was no wide spread use of computers and genealogy software to research the internet for Classical Genealogy information like we are accustomed to today and Genetic Genealogy as we know it did not exist.
James Courtenay Staples is the Founder and past President of the Staples Family History Association (SFHA) that was started in 1977 and by 1987 had over 500 members. James was also editor of its newsletters from July 1977 to January 1987; most of the Classical Genealogy that is known about the various Staple/s families who immigrated to North America comes from research of members during that time period and is printed in twenty newsletters. Family histories in these newsletters have been circulated to family historians for over 30 years and, although over time new information has been discovered, are still used today.
The Staples Collection of records is based on the efforts of former family
historians the Reverend Carlton Albert Staples (1827-1904), his son the Reverend
Charles Jason Staples (1856-1936), Howard Elmer Staples (1894-1963), Charlotte
(Stone) Staples (1888-1983), and Thomas Christopher Staples (1898-1987), and
James Courtenay Staples (Living) all of whom were members of the NEHGS
during their lifetimes.
James designed a computer system and wrote the programs (COBOL language, on IBM mainframe computers) for figuring out how everyone in a database was related in his book Jeffrey and John Staples of Weymouth Massachusetts, Circa 1638 (Published privately in 1978). In July 1979 the NEHGR printed an article Use of the Computer by the Family Historian: An Application to Genealogical Data, by James C. Staples, describing his pioneering computer system for producing genealogical books. [1]
Over the years James as remained curator of the SFHA Collection and in
October 2006 the collection was gifted to the NEHGS in accordance with
SFHA constitution and by-laws. Its preparation and perpetual care has been
provided for by the Staples Collection Endowment Fund, funded by the members of
the SFHA [2]. At this time the collection is being
prepared by the R. Stanton Avery Special Collections Department at NEHGS[3].
The person in charge of the collection is Timothy G. X. Salls, Archivist,
NEHGS.
REFERENCES:
[1] New England Historical and Genealogical Register, (NEHGR) July 1979, Vol. 133:194-210. Use of the Computer by the Family Historian: This article is available on-line to NEHGS members.
[2] New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) NEXUS, Vol. II, Number
1 – February 1985
[3]
NEHGS-NEA, Winter (Feb.) 2007, Vol. 8, No. 1, The Staples Collection:
Preserving the Research of Family Historians and a Family Association, by
Timothy G. X. Salls, Archivist.
MEMBERS OF THE
SSDP THAT WERE MEMBERS OF THE SFHA:
GARTH E. STAPLES, JAMES C. STAPLES, LAURANCE S. STAPLES JR., ROBERT S. STAPLES, ROLAND
L. STAPLES & Honorary Member GRETCHEN E. (STAPLES) KROLL.