Joseph "Jesse" Stayner was born 12 May 1814 in Steuben County, Indiana, United States to Jacob Stayner (1787-1843) and Nancy Ann Huntsman (1790-1843) and died 1872 Volcano, Amador County, California, United States of unspecified causes. He married Sarah Catherine Greeno (1817-1850) 2 September 1835 in LaGrange County, Indiana. He married Elizabeth Jerusha Houston (1832-1910) 16 November 1856 in Jackson, Amador County, California.
At about the age of 20, Jesse Stayner (some records also list his name as Joseph Jesse Stayner) married Sarah Catherine Greeno. In 1850, Jesse and three children, Catherine Ann, Jeremiah (5), and Lorella (2) were listed on the 1850, Salt Lake City Federal Census, living with a Benjamin and Sarah Hawkins. Family records state that Jesse's wife had died while crossing the Plains in 1849-1850.
It is not known why, but Jesse left his three children in Salt Lake City and continued traveling to the Gold Fields of California. He is listed in the 1870 Volcano, Amador, California Federal Census, with a wife, Elizabeth (40), and a son, Jackson Lee (3).
Recorded in Amador County is a marriage certificate of the marriage of Jesse Stayner and Elizabeth J. Coll, November 16, 1856. Elizabeth and Lee were listed in the 1880 Volcano census, but not Jesse. There is no extant county record of Jesse's death. Records were not kept before 1873, therefore it is believed that he died between the 1870 census and the beginning of the keeping of death records. Family records state that he was buried in the Volcano City Cemetery, though no record nor headstone has been found. Until further information is discovered, we believe that Jesse is in an unmarked grave in the Volcano City Cemetery. There is also a copy of the county wedding certificate for Jesse Stayner and Elizabeth Cole.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Baby Stayner (1836-) | |||
| Martha Ann Stayner (1839-1839) | |||
| Catherine Ann Stayner (1839-1910) | 3 May 1839 Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States | 22 January 1910 Fountain Green, Sanpete County, Utah, United States | Welcome Chapman (1805-1893) |
| Milo Stayner (1843-) | |||
| George Washington Stayner (1845-) | |||
| Jeremiah Stayner (1845-1918) | 9 June 1845 Stockton, Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States | 2 August 1918 Nutrioso, Apache County, Arizona, United States | Rebecca Francis Adair (1852-1908) |
| William Stayner (1846-1850) | |||
| Lorily Stayner (1847-) | |||
| Lorella Stayner (1848-1850) | |||
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Jackson Lee Stayner (1866-1931) | |||
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Sarah Stayner (1812-1814) | |||
| Joseph Jesse Stayner (1814-1872) | 12 May 1814 Steuben County, Indiana, United States | 1872 Volcano, Amador County, California, United States | Sarah Catherine Greeno (1817-1850) Elizabeth Jerusha Houston (1832-1910) |
| William Stayner (1815-1815) | |||
| William Reynolds Stayner (1816-1912) | |||
| Jacob Stayner (1818-1903) | |||
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Melissa Stayner (1843-1937) | |||