Amateur naturalist of Lancaster, Pa., though E. D. Cope referred to him as 'my friend Jacob Stauffer, Secretary of the Linnaean Society of Lancaster, an ardent explorer of the Zoology and Botany of southern Pennsylvania . . .". So far as known, he published but three papers, two on the natural history of insects and the other on botany. His interests, however, were much more widespread. During his life he made several large notebooks, consisting essentially of illustrations of species of plants and animals. One of these on shells - belongs to the Academy, and the one on fishes is owned by the American Philosophical Society. At least three others are known to have been prepared, on insects, on birds and on plants. From the shell book we have, it is obvious that many of the illustrations were copied from published volumes, though some are unquestionably original. From remarks in a letter to S. So Haldeman, his apparent reason for copying was the lack of books in his own library. He attempted to secure funds from the State Legislature for an appointment to prepare and publish an illustrated work on the 'Flora and Fauna of our State", but received only a letter of recommendation signed by 32 senators. He was elected a corresponding member of the Academy in 1866.