THIS OLD HOUSE
The Stalnaker Years
This page is in the process of being created.

The Stringer house in the Rinaldi Guide Book of Tampa, 1920

1920 Rinaldi Guide Book from Internet Archive

THE STALNAKERS

A Chronology of the Stalnaker Family in America was researched and compiled by Cecil E. Stalnaker and published in 1982. It was edited by Martin L. Yokum. The book is a wealth of information, starting with the Steinacker coat of arms dating back to 1606 from Quedlinburg, Germany. The book continues with the early settlers in Virginia and West Virginia. It describes in detail about Captain Samuel Stalnaker who was known to be living in southwest Virginia in 1746. Captain Stalnaker was a colorful character whose many adventures included, being held captive for almost a year by the Shawnee Indians and serving as a guide In the French and Indian War under Col. Washington.  (From www.stalnakerfamilyassoc.org)

The narrative in this section comes primarily from "Leo Stalnaker: Fearless Fundamentalist, For Whom Life was "HIGH ADVENTURE" written by Judge Morison Buck, courtesy of the University of South Florida digital collections "Morison Buck Biographies of Hillsborough County Judges" and  The Damndest Town This Side of Hell, Tampa 1920 - 29, Part 2, by Dr. Frank Alduino at USF Scholar Commons (from the Sunland Tribune, Vol. 17, Article 10.) 

Life began for Leo Stalnaker on August 17, 1897. He was the younger of two sons born to Imboden and Belle Mouse Stalnaker in Harman, West Virginia, a small community a few miles east of Elkins, in the north reaches of Monongahela National Forest.  Leo’s grandfather, Harrison Stalnaker, was a Confederate officer in General Imboden’s celebrated cavalry brigade during the Civil War.

Randolph County, Virginia Marriages for 1850
Image provided by West Virginia Culture.org
The marriage of Leo Stalnaker's paternal grandparents
Click the image to enlarge it, then click again to see it full size.

Two Stalnaker marriages, each to a Parsons female, were recorded within a month of each other in 1850. The grandparents of Leo Stalnaker, Harrison H. Stalnaker married  Catherine Parsons, dau. of William R. Parsons on Nov. 28, 1850.  Holtsberry Stalnaker married Caroline Parsons, dau. of Solomon Parsons, on Oct. 31, 1850.

Locations of Barbour & Randolph Counties on an 1850 Map of Virginia.
The shaded area became W. Virginia in 1863.

1850 Census, Barbour Co., Barbour, VA

Twenty-two year old Harrison H. Stalnaker with his parents James and Elizabeth Stalnaker, all natives of Virginia.

1850 Census, Randolph Co., Randolph, VA

William R. Parsons & 2nd wife Mary have 8 children listed, but daughter  Catherine Parsons is not there.
Mary wasn't  Catherine's mother.

1850 Census, Randolph Co., Randolph, VA

Twenty-seven dwellings away from William R. Parsons is seventeen year old  Catherine Parsons living in the home of James & Nancy Parsons, wealthy farmers.  Probably  Catherine's grandparents or aunt & uncle as mentioned in her bio below.   Notice  Catherine is listed last, out of chrono order, indicating she wasn't a child of the head of house.

PARSONS' FAMILY HISTORY AND RECORD at Internet Archive
George was George Washington Stalnaker and Lloyd was David Lloyd Stalnaker.

1860 Census, Barbour Co., Cove, VA.
[MISSING; not listed in Barbour County, may have been skipped.]
 

From The history of Barbour County, West Virginia, from its earliest exploration and settlement
to the present time, by Maxwell, Hu, pub. 1899, at Internet Archive.

Confederate Veteran, Vol. 13, March 1905, pp129-130
Excerpt from "The Career of Lieut. Col. D. B. Lang

Apparently, Harrison H. Stalnaker and wife  Catherine had two sons between their 1850 and 1870 censuses. James, probably their first, born soon after their 1850 marriage and named for his paternal grandfather, and William, who was deceased by the time the below was published in 1899 (while Harrison was still living.) William was probably named for his maternal grandfather William Parsons. From The history of Barbour County, West Virginia, from its earliest exploration and settlement to the present time, by Maxwell, Hu, 1860-1927, published 1899, at Internet Archive HARRISON HAGANS STALNAKER, born 1827, son of James and Elizabeth (Neptune) Stalnaker, was married 1850 in Tucker County** to Catherine, daughter of William R. and Catherine J. (Ward) Parsons. Children, James, William (deceased), George Washington, Imboden and David Floyd [sic]. [**They were married in Randolph County.] The subject of this sketch (H. H. Stalnaker) belongs to the M. E. Church, South, is a Democrat and a farmer, living on Mill Run of Teter’s Creek, where he owns 440 acres, 250 cleared. In 1862 he enlisted in the Confederate service and served under General Imboden until the close of the war, and laid down the last Confederate flag at Buchanan, Botetourt County, Virginia. At Port Republic he received a wound in the head, rendering him unconscious. He took part in all the battles with Gen. Imboden. While on a visit home in 1864 he narrowly escaped capture by Home Guards under Captain Haller. Just after dinner they came upon him so suddenly he did not have time to get away, and his wife concealed him behind a three-cornered cupboard, and was quietly washing the dishes when the Guards entered. They searched the house, but failed to find him. He was twice elected Assessor of the Eastern District. and served six years as County Commissioner.

1870 Census, Barbour Co., Cove, WV

Imboden Stalnaker was born Oct. 4, 1862

Harrison &  Catherine Stalnaker with sons:
George Washington Stalnaker, age 17; Imboden Stalnaker, age 7; and David Lloyd Stalnaker, age 3.
Their sons James & William would have been at most age 20 and 19 respectively in 1870, yet they aren't listed in the household.  According to the history of Barbour County, it appears that James was still living at the time (1899) but William was deceased (possibly even before 1870.)  It is doubtful that either served in the Civil War; they would have been at most 14 to 15 when the war ended in 1865.

1880 Census, Barbour Co., Cove, WV

H. H. Stalnaker and wife  Catherine with sons
George W. Stalnaker, age 27, Imboden Stalnaker, age 17, David L. Stalnaker 13.

Apparently, the three youngest of the Stalnaker brothers were teachers.

Barbour County for 1885
The above and below images have been edited and arranged to conserve space.
 

June 17, 1892 - Imboden and brother David graduated from the state normal school in Fairmont, WV.  Established in 1865 to train teachers, in 1867, it was purchased by the State from the Regency of the West Virginia Normal School and became a branch of the State Normal School of Marshall College.

Wikipedia - Fairmont State University.  Construction began on a brick building on the northwest corner of Adams and Quincy streets later that year (1867). From 1867 to 1892 the school was known variously as Fairmont Normal School, the Fairmont Branch of the West Virginia Normal School, the Branch of the West Virginia Normal School at Fairmont, a branch of the West Virginia State Normal School of Marshall College, but most commonly as Fairmont State Normal School (FSNS). By 1892 the designation of "branch" had fallen into disuse by FSNS. In 1893, the school moved into a new building at Second Street and Fairmont Avenue and, in 1917, to its current location in the building, now known as Hardway Hall in honor of former president Wendell G. Hardway, which sits on a hill overlooking Locust Avenue.

FAIRMONT NORMAL SCHOOL CATALOGS at Internet Archives

Photo of Fairmont Normal School from school catalog year ending June 20, 1902.

From  HISTORY OF THE FAIRMONT NORMAL SCHOOL pub. 1913, at Internet Archive
in "The Mound," an annual publication by the school's seniors.

Catalog for 1891-92, Graduation term for Imboden and his brother David, starts here.

Class of 1892 published 1901-02

David Lloyd Stalnaker BIRTH 26 Feb 1867 Barbour County, West Virginia,  DEATH 26 Aug 1897 (aged 30) Harman, Randolph County, West Virginia, BURIAL Mount Zion Mill Run Cemetery Barbour County, West Virginia.  Info from Find-a-Grave.

Pre-marriage censuses of Imboden Stalnaker's wife, Belle Mouse
1870 Census, Randolph County, Green, WV
Adam and Emily Mouse with 1-year-old daughter "Arabell" (Ora Belle) Mouse

 

1880 Census, Randolph County, Green, WV
Adam and Emily Mouse with 11-year-old daughter Ora B. (Ora Belle) Mouse.
Adam and Emily had a son, Bernard L. about 3 years after Ora Belle was born.

 

Imboden Stalnaker marriage to Belle Mouse
Leo Stalnaker's parents' marriage took place in Elkins, his mother’s birthplace
and the site of Davis and Elkins College founded in 1904.

May 16, 1894 Imboden Stalnaker, age 31, of Valley Furnace, WV and Belle Mouse, age 25, of Elkins, Randolph Co, WV

Married by Imboden's grandfather(?) J. (James?) D. Stalnaker at parsonage of M.E.C.

1900 Census, Harman, Dry Fork Dist., Randolph County, WV
Enumerated as "Stonacker"
Imboden and Belle with sons Carl & Leo.

Imboden b. Oct. 1862, age 37, married for 6 years, occupation: Merchant
Belle b. Apr. 1869, age 31, mother of 2 children, 2 living. (Karl & Leo).
There was a boarder in their home working as a clerk in a store, probably Imboden's.

Imboden served as Justice of the Peace in Harman, West Va.

In the waning days of the 19th century**, the ill health of his wife, Belle, prompted Imboden Stalnaker to uproot his family from the Mountain State, and relocate from West Virginia to the milder climes of Plant City, Florida, and subsequently to Tampa, where the Stalnakers and their households resided for the rest of their lives. The latter communities, at or close to sea level, contrast sharply with Elkins, West Virginia, which is about 1,700 feet above sea level.

**The 1901 article above shows the Stalnakers were still in Harman, WV "in the waning days of the 19th century." The Stalnakers came to Plant City, Florida in 1904 (From an article in the Tampa Times, "Police Court Seat is Taken by Stalnaker" June 15, 1927) and were there in April 1910 when the U.S. Census was taken.

1910 Census, Hillsborough Co., Plant City

"Emboden Stoneker" was 48, married for 16 years, a merchant, in dry goods & grocery business, and owned his home free of mortgage.  It is not known why his son Leo was listed as George.  Maybe the enumerator heard "Geo" instead of "Leo" and wrote "George."  Leo was age 13 at this time.

The Stalnakers came to Tampa in the latter half of 1910.
Dec. 10, 1910 Trib article: Stalnaker to build new home.

Nov 13, 1912 Tampa Tribune
New feed company Stalnaker Bros. at 117 Whiting.

First location of Stalnaker Bros. retail feed firm
Although this map is from about two years after Stalnaker Bros opened a new facility in Gary, 117 Whiting shows hay storage there.  Notice most of the units in this building were devoted to some time of feed storage.  Stalnaker probably rented more than 117 Whiting for storage but wanted to expand beyond this building's available space.
Pink indicates it was a brick building.  Yellow is wood frame.
Place your cursor on the map to see 117 Whiting larger.

1915 Sanborn fire insurance map from the UF digital map collection

 

Aug. 16, 1913 - Trib: Development in Gary takes off and the Tribune carries a column devoted to Gary news.
Stalnaker bros. moving to Gary.

 

General location of Gary outlined in purple with the original Gary subdivision outlined in red on a 1915
Sanborn fire insurance map from the UF digital maps collection.

Sep 16, 1913 - Trib: New Gary school taking shape, another one planned, Gary is growing, Stalnaker buys 5 lots on 6th Ave along the new A.C.L railway switch, tracks run entire length of properties, also buys lot facing 7th ave.

Below, 1915 Sanborn fire insurance map from the UF digital map collection showing close up of the above map with the locations of the Stalnaker Bros. building  (red) on 6 lots along the railroad tracks between 32nd and 33rd St. on 6th Avenue,
and the historic Stalnaker house (green) at 3210 8th Ave.  The house occupied two lots--12 and 13.
Place your cursor on the map to see this area at present time.

Harrison Hagans Stalnaker BIRTH 15 Oct 1827 Virginia, DEATH 15 Mar 1909 (aged 81) Barbour County, West Virginia, USA BURIAL Mount Zion Mill Run Cemetery Barbour County, West Virginia, MEMORIAL ID 62216682  Son of James W. Stalnaker and Elizabeth (Nestor) Neptune Stalnaker. Married Catherine Parsons. Catherine was the daughter of William Rust Parsons and Catherine Ward Parsons.

 Catherine Parsons Stalnaker BIRTH 2 Mar 1833 Virginia, DEATH 18 Nov 1912 (aged 79) Barbour County, West Virginia, USA BURIAL Mount Zion Mill Run Cemetery Barbour County, West Virginia, MEMORIAL ID 62216952 Daughter of William Rust Parsons and Catherine Ward Parsons. Married to Harrison Hagans Stalnaker. Harrison was the son of James W. Stalnaker and Elizabeth (Nestor) Neptune Stalnaker. Children George Washington Stalnaker, Imboden Stalnaker, David Lloyd Stalnaker,

David Loyde Stalnaker BIRTH 26 Feb 1867 Barbour County, West Virginia, DEATH 26 Aug 1897 (aged 30) Harman, Randolph County, West Virginia, USA BURIAL Mount Zion Mill Run Cemetery Barbour County, West Virginia,  MEMORIAL ID 62217637

George Washington Stalnaker BIRTH 29 May 1853 Virginia, DEATH 8 Aug 1937 (aged 84) Barbour County, West Virginia, USA BURIAL Mount Zion Mill Run Cemetery Barbour County, West Virginia,  MEMORIAL ID 62214446 ·

Belle Mouse Stalnaker BIRTH 27 Apr 1869 DEATH 12 Feb 1949 (aged 79) BURIAL Myrtle Hill Memorial Park Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, MEMORIAL ID 50024830 ·

Imboden Stalnaker BIRTH 4 Oct 1862 DEATH 29 Nov 1949 (aged 87) BURIAL Myrtle Hill Memorial Park Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, MEMORIAL ID 50024831

	Karl Stalnaker military service record Served from Apr. 26, 1918 to Jun. 19, 1919 Overseas from Aug. 8, 1818 to Jun. 11, 1919

Leo Stalnaker draft registration

Leo Stalnaker military service record
Served from Oct. 22 to Dec. 13, 1918

 

TampaPix wishes to thank Gianna Russo, daughter of Lula Belle (Stalnaker) Russo (Judge and Belle Stalnaker's  daughter,) for providing corrections to the information on the Stalnaker family, originally presented here. Gianna contacted me on June 16, 2018 and as a result, I have made the changes and additional information has been added about the Stalnaker family.

Leo Stalnaker, Jr. Obit

Leo Sr. was a lawyer of general practice.   He gained national attention during his 1926-27 term as a member of the Florida House of Representatives as an opponent of the teaching of evolution in the public schools.

Read this article

Portions below from The Damndest Town This Side of Hell, Tampa 1920 - 29, Part 2, by Dr. Frank Alduino at USF Scholar Commons (from the Sunland Tribune, Vol. 17, Article 10.)  In June, 1927, during the stormy crime-ridden years of the Charlie Wall era, the Tampa City Council appointed judge Leo Stalnaker to the municipal bench (Police Court) as a temporary replacement. To retain his judgeship, he would have to win a special election in October. Despite the consequences, Stalnaker, in an act of defiance to the political establishment, quickly asserted his independence.  Stalnaker, a State Representative who had recently gained notoriety for sponsoring a controversial antievolution bill, quickly earned a reputation as a “crusading magistrate.” Upon assuming his judicial duties he warned Tampa’s underworld that he would vigorously enforce the law. Stalnaker kept his word. Showing neither fear nor favor, on his first day on the bench the crusading magistrate quadrupled the customary fines and shocked the city by imposing stiff prison sentences for bolita and liquor violators.
Judge Stalnaker in the middle, Nov. 8, 1927. Burgert Bros. photo courtesy of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library Co-op. Stalnaker’s aggressive stand against Tampa’s vice conditions sent many liquor violators scurrying for safe shelter. In fact, E. L. Bergstram, a federal prohibition agent in the city, stated: I know that many "speakeasies" and other places where liquor has been sold in the past have closed their doors and gone out of business. They are not willing to run the risk of being "caught with the goods." The closing of these places is having its effect on the moonshine stills. Many of them also are going out of business because the market for their liquor has been severely crimped. Although Judge Stalnaker's stern interpretation of the law delighted the city's ardent prohibitionists, it infuriated Tampa's political structure.

Near the close of his productive and colorful career, Leo Stalnaker, Sr, at age 82, continued his service to the public and to the Bar when he was appointed General Master in Chancery for Hillsborough County Circuit Court on January 11, 1979. 

Judge Morison Buck wrote a short biography about Judge Stalnaker which can be found in a PDF at the USF digital collections:  Morison Buck: Biographies of Hillsborough County Judges  Leo Stalnaker.  Some of the info from that biography was combined with info from other sources to create this section.

There are many interesting articles and items concerning Judge Stalnaker at the USF Digital Collections. Visit them here.

COURT PROCEEDINGS IN JUDGE LEO STALNAKER'S COURTROOM DURING THE KEY CLUB TRIALS, 1927.
Burgert Bros. photo from the USF Digital Collection of Photos.

Judge Leo Stalnaker presiding over his court.  Notice the Nov. 1927 calendar

Notice the segregated spectator area.
 

Below is a close up of above photo.
.

         
People on the right

People on the left

People on the far left

People in the audience

People in the audience

Jury being sworn in at the old 1892 county courthouse, Nov. 1920.
Photo courtesy of Burgert Bros collection at the USF Digital Library.

The Judge
|
Notice the Nov. 1920 calendar and Dan Ackroyd doppelganger.

The Jury

 

Photo below provided by Gianna Russo, not for any other use without her permission.

See a better and present-day photo of this house and another view of old City Hall at Tampa Changing and an excellent investigation into the current house's authenticity at Tampania Blog.   See "Hortense the Beautiful" for more about our present City Hall, built in 1915.

Primary sources for pre-1850 Tampa history:

• Col. George Mercer Brooke - He Built A Fort In The Wilderness, by June Hurley Young.

• Early Days At Fort Brooke, By Col. George Mercer Brooke, Jr., Professor of History Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Va., THE SUNLAND TRIBUNE, Journal of the Tampa Historical Society, Vol 1., No. 1, July 1974.

• History of Hillsborough County, Florida, Narrative and Biographical, 1928 by Ernest L. Robinson, Director of High Schools of Hillsborough County, Formerly Principal of Hillsborough County High School.

• Judge Steele Left His Mark by Rodney Kite-Powell, Jun. 30, 2013, Tampa Bay Times online.

• The Hackley Grant, The Fort Brooke Military Reservation and Tampa, by James W. Covington, PH.D. THE SUNLAND TRIBUNE, Journal of the Tampa Historical Society, Vol 6., No. 4, Nov. 1980.

• Some Observations Concerning The History of Fort Brooke and Tampa, by James W. Covington, THE SUNLAND TRIBUNE, Journal of the Tampa Historical Society, Vol. 22, Nov. 1996

• The most terrible gale ever known -Tampa and the Hurricane of 1848, by Canter Brown, The Sunland Tribune, Journal of the Tampa Historical Society, Volume XXIV 1998.

Tampapix Home

Sources

Historic photos courtesy of
USF Special Collections Digital Archives**
University of Florida Digital Collections, George Smathers Library
Florida Memory Project Photograph Collection, State Archives
Burgert Brothers Collection, HCPLC
Library of Congress Digital Collections
**I have given up with linking to the USF Digital collections.  Each time they change their interface app and revamp their site, they reconfigure the URLs to their materials.  It's impossible for me to keep up with changing my links.