Introduction
Chronology
The 1990 book "Arms Makers of Pennsylvania" by James B. Whisker reports that the gunsmith William B. Stapleton was born in 1864. The 2001 book "Gunsmiths of Bedford, Fulton, Huntingdon, & Somerset Counties" by James B. Whisker and Larry Yantz reports that the gunsmith William B. Stapleton was born in 1865. In my opinion, both books are wrong.
William Stapleton was born after the cartridge era of firearms had already begun. For example, production of the Smith and Wesson .22 rimfire revolver began in 1857 under Rollin White's 1855 U.S. Patent 12,648. In 1860, Christopher Spencer was awarded U.S. Patent 27,393 for his metallic cartridge lever-action repeating rifle design, and more than 200,000 Spencer rifles were produced in the 1860 to 1869 timeframe. B. Tyler Henry was awarded U.S. Patent 30,446 for his .44 caliber rimfire lever action rifle in 1860. His rifle was used during the U.S. Civil War, and was the forerunner of the Winchester line of lever action cartridge rifles.
Page 319 of Frank M. Sellers' 2008 compendium "American Gunsmiths" (second edition) indicates that the gunsmith William B. Stapleton was a son of James Stapleton. The same page has an entry for a gunmaker named James Stapleton of "Todd" (Huntingdon County) in Pennsylvania. The tombstone of James Stapleton indicates he was born in 1833.
1869: E. Vester Williams (nee Curfman) was born in 1869, according to the tombstone she shares with her first husband William B. Stapleton and her second husband Frank Williams at the Fockler Cemetery in Saxton, Bedford County, Pennsylvania. According to the aforementioned 1900 census record, Vester Stapleton, wife of William Stapleton, was born in August of 1869.
1870: In the following 1870 census record, William Stapleton is listed as a 6-year-old minor living in the household of his Todd Township, Huntingdon County gunsmith father James Stapleton. William's reported age is compatible with being born in October of 1863. The 1953 book "American Gun Makers" by Gluckman and Satterlee praises the craftsmanship of James Stapleton, and indicates that he was a Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania gunmaker who worked late in the percussion era and produced over-under style double rifles and fancy grade long rifles.
1873: The following excerpt from the Todd Township map in the 1873 "Atlas of Blair and Huntingdon counties, Pennsylvania" illustrates the residence of the gunsmith James Stapleton with a red arrow. On June 10, 2025, Huntingdon County long rifle authority Denny Donharl identified the location on the 1873 map as follows, "...Stapleton's house was located across the street from the church and cemetery where James and many of his family members were buried."
The aforementioned 2001 book has photographs of James Stapleton and his family, along with photographs of his house and gun shop, and photographs of a number of muzzle loading rifles he made. On June 10, 2025 Denny Donharl wrote, "Photos of Stapleton and his shop in Whisker's book that includes Huntingdon County came from me... The house was located behind the gun shop/post office. Logs from the house were sold to Bedford Village many years ago and the shop was also torn down." Click here to see high resolution copies of the house, gun shop/post office, and Stapleton family member photographs that Denny Donharl sent to me.
1880: In the following 1880 census record, William Stapleton is listed as a 16-year-old gunsmith apprentice living in the household of his Todd Township, Huntingdon County gunsmith father James Stapleton. William's reported age is compatible with being born in October of 1863.
1880: As shown farther below, the names of E. Vester Curfman's parents are known from an 1896 marriage license application. Robert J. Curfman's 1971 book "The Curfman-Kurfman-Corfman-Korffmann Genealogy" indicates that Vester's first name was Eusebia. In a sheet from the 1880 census records of Todd Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, the listing for the household of Vester's parents Oliver and Mary Curfman includes an 11-year-old daughter whose name seems to possibly be recorded as Usebia. Since Oliver's listed occupation is farm laborer, there is no reason to suspect that Vester learned the art of gunsmithing from him.
1880 to 1890: The aforementioned 1990 book indicates that William B. Stapleton was a gunsmith in Todd Township of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania from 1880 to 1890 based on census and tax list records. Since the 1890 census records were lost in a fire, the 1890 date is presumably based on a tax record. Can anyone provide a copy of the 1890 record?
1887-1916: Sellers' 2008 compendium indicates that William B. Stapleton is known as a Todd (Huntingdon County) gunsmith from 1887 to 1916 based on directory entries. In my opinion, this assertion is at least partially mistaken because:
1896: A USGenWeb transcript of a March 13, 1896 Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania marriage license application identifies the applicants as 33-year-old Saxton, Pennsylvania machinist William B. Stapleton and 26-year-old E. Vester Curfman of Todd Township, and indicates that the groom's parents were James and Sarah Stapleton and the bride's parents were Oliver and Mary P. Curfman. A transcript of the duplicate certificate A1638 indicates that they were married on March 15, 1896 by a minister named R. N. Stine.
Denny Donharl, who is descended from a brother of the gunsmith James Stapleton, and knew that gunsmith's grandson Beecher Stapleton, wrote a letter to me that includes the statement, "My understanding from Beecher was that William B. went to Saxton and opened a bicycle shop." I urge you to read Mr. Donharl's letter, which includes a wealth of fascinating information about the Stapleton family of gunsmiths. Mr. Donharl indicates that William B. Stapleton's middle name is Beaty.
1900: The following 1900 census record shows that the gunsmith William Stapleton and his wife Vester were living in Saxton Borough of Bedford County, Pennsylvania in 1900. In the census record, William's listed occupation is machinist. The Bedford County, Pennsylvania town of Saxton is located about four miles southwest of the westernmost corner of Todd Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. My opinion that this is a listing for the gunsmith William B. Stapleton is based on Vester being listed as a gunsmith in the 1910 census following the 1908 death of William B. Stapleton (see below).
1900: There were two individuals named William Stapleton in the 1900 census records of Saxton Borough; the aforementioned 36-year-old machinist and a 34-year-old carpenter who had a wife named Annie. The aforementioned 1990 book indicates that the gunsmith William B. Stapleton was listed as a carpenter in the 1900 census. In my opinion, that assertion is incorrect. After all, it wasn't the carpenters' wife Annie who was working as a gunsmith after William B. Stapleton died; it was the machinist's wife Vester who did that.
1900: James Stapleton is no longer listed as a gunsmith in the 1900 Todd Township census records, but his 31-year-old son Solomon is. James Stapleton died in 1900 and is buried at the Beavertown Cemetery in Todd Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. The Beavertown Cemetery is located at 40.273787, -78.077199.
1902: As shown by an excerpt from a 1929 book that is included below, William and Vester Stapleton had a daughter named Claudia who married Rev. Charles F. Miller of Shade Gap, Pennsylvania. Based on the inscription on the tombstone Claudia shares with Rev. Charles F. Miller at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, she was born in 1902 and died in 1982. The cemetery is 3.1 road miles from Shade Gap.
1903: The aforementioned 1990 and 2001 books put William B. Stapleton in Saxton in 1903 based on a tax list. Because of the cryptic nature of the highly condensed biographical entries in those books, it isn't clear if the entries are meant to indicate that William B. Stapleton was working a gunsmith in Saxton in 1903. Can anyone provide a copy of the relevant page of the 1903 tax list to see if the William Stapleton entry includes an occupation?
1904: A son named Ward was born to William and Vester (Curfman) Stapleton in 1904. Ward's obituary states, "Ward A. Stapleton of Saxton, R.D. died at his home on April 6, 1962. The deceased was born at Saxton on Oct. 13, 1904, a son of William and Vester (Curfman) Stapleton. He was united in marriage to Lois A. Lytle on June 26, 1931 at Cumberland, Md. He followed construction work as an occupation during most of his life. In addition to his wife, he is survived by three children; Mrs. Marian Shea of Warren, Ohio, and Alton Stapleton and Judith Lee Stapleton, both at home. Three grandchildren also survive, along with one sister, Mrs. Charles Miller of Burnt Cabins. One daughter preceded him in death."
1905: I didn't see any gun, bicycle, or machine shops illustrated on the 1905 Sanborn map of Saxton. That doesn't surprise me because:
1908: William B. Stapleton died in 1908, according to the tombstone he shares with his wife Vester and her second husband Frank Williams at the Fockler Cemetery in Saxton, Bedford County, Pennsylvania.
1909: Vester's mother Mary Curfman died in 1909, according to the inscription on the tombstone Mary shares with her husband Oliver Curfman at the Trough Creek Cemetery in Todd, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.
1910: As shown below, William B. Stapleton's widow Vester is identified as a gunsmith and the head of her household in an April 20, 1910 census record from Saxton, Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Two minor children are listed in Vester's household: 8-year-old Claudia and 5-year-old Ward.
One website visitor was skeptical regarding how Vester could perform gunsmithing while dealing with two young children at home. I don't know the answer, but one potential scenario is someone living nearby who could watch the children. One possible candidate for that role is Harriet Stapleton, who was the widow of Vester's gunsmith father-in-law's brother Thomas G. Stapleton. Harriet was the proprietor of a boarding house that, based on the following census record, was located very near Vester's residence in 1910. Another potential candidate for watching Vester's children is a grandparent. For example, despite being enumerated in his mother's household in the 1910 census, 5-year-old Ward Stapleton is also enumerated as living in the household of his grandfather Oliver Curfman in an April 16, 1910 census record from Todd Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.
I only know of one other gunsmith who was living in Saxton in 1910, and that is Tobias Snider. His "Trade or profession" was listed as "Gun Income" in the relevant portion of the 1910 Saxton Borough census records. I am not sure how active Tobias really was as a gunsmith in 1910, considering that he is listed as being 79 years old in the 1910 census, and considering that he reportedly inherited the fortune of his wealthy brother Jacob Snider, who was murdered in 1875.
1914: Vester was still living in Saxton in 1914, and was still being referred to as Mrs. W. B. Stapleton. The obituary of Vester's father that was published in the October 2, 1914 issue of the "Bedford Gazette" newspaper states, "CURFMAN — on Wednesday, September 23, Oliver Curfman died at his home at Todd, Huntingdon County, of acute indigestion, aged 73 years(.) Two sons and four daughters survive. Two daughters, Mrs. W. B. Stapleton and Mrs. G. W. Sprow, live at Saxton." The obituary of Oliver Curfman that was published in the September 30, 1914 issue of the "Altoona Tribune" includes "Mrs. W. B. Stapleton and Mrs. G. W. Sprow, of Saxton..." in a list of surviving children.
1920: In the 1920 census records of Saxton borough, Vester is living on Spring Street with her children Claudia and Ward and her second husband Frank Williams, and is no longer listed as a gunsmith. Frank is listed as a laborer at a blast furnace, and Claudia is listed as a candy maker.
1929: The following excerpt from page 42 of George W. Alloway's 1929 book "Horton Genealogy and History" indicates that Vester Curfman was married twice: First to William Stapleton, and then to Frank Williams. Page 43 of the book includes the statement, "Frank Williams is custodian of Saxton school buildings. Ward Stapleton is bus driver on the line from Saxton to Robertsdale, Pa." George W. Alloway was living in Saxton when his book was published in Saxton.
1930: In the 1930 census records of Saxton borough, Vester is living with her son Ward and her second husband Frank Williams. Frank and Vester are listed as public school janitors, and Ward is listed as a bus driver.
1940: In the 1940 census records of Saxton Borough, Vester is listed in the household of her second husband Frank Williams, whose occupation was that of a laborer doing construction work. The listing for the household of Vester's son Ward Stapleton follows the listing for the Frank Williams household, and Ward Stapleton also answered the supplementary questions at the bottom of the census sheet.
1944: E. Vester Williams died in 1944, according to the tombstone she shares with her first husband William B. Stapleton and her second husband Frank Williams at the Fockler Cemetery in Saxton, Bedford County, Pennsylvania. The May 8, 1947 obituary of Vester's second husband Frank Williams includes the statement, "His wife, the former Eusebia Curfman died on Jan. 22, 1944".
An observation
Since William was a resident of Saxton and Vester was a resident of Todd Township of Huntingdon County when they applied for a marriage license in 1896, and since they were living together in Saxton in 1900, and since he was reportedly in Saxton in 1903, and since Vester gave birth to William's Saxton-born son Ward in 1904, and since William was buried in Saxton in 1908, and since Vester was listed as a gunsmith living with her son Ward in 1910, I infer that William taught gunsmithing to Vester in Saxton. If that inference is correct, then, at a minimum, William was acting in the capacity of a Bedford County gunsmith when he was training Vester as a gunsmith. Based on this logic, I am willing to count both William and Vester Stapleton as Bedford County gunsmiths.
L. Dietle
William B. Stapleton and his wife Vester (Curfman) Stapleton are known as gunsmiths from census records. It seems reasonable to infer that Vester learned gunsmithing from her husband William after they were married in 1896 and living in Saxton, which is in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. (Prior to marriage, William was living in Saxton, and Vester was living at least four miles away — and probably considerably more — in Todd Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.)
1863: William B. Stapleton was born in 1863, according to the tombstone he shares with his wife Vester and her second husband Frank Williams at the Fockler Cemetery in Saxton, Bedford County, Pennsylvania. (The inscription on the tombstone is "Wm. B. Stapleton".) A 1900 census record from Saxton Borough, Bedford County, Pennsylvania reports that William Stapleton was born in October of 1863, and reports that his wife's name was Vester.
In books about old-time gunsmiths, biographical information is typically highly condensed and somewhat cryptic, to save space. As a result, it is sometimes impossible to determine whether a cryptic entry means a person worked as a gunsmith at a specified location, or just lived at the location. Such is the case with the aforementioned entries in two books that put William B. Stapleton in Saxton, Bedford County, Pennsylvania in 1903.
