[1] The term "stirpiculture" was used by John Humphrey Noyes, founder of the Oneida Community, to refer to his system of eugenics, or the breeding of humans to achieve desired perfections within the species.
Noyes derived stirpiculture from the Latin word "stirps", which means "stock, stem, or root" (Carden).
"[4][citation needed] Until the late 1860s, John Humphrey Noyes and his community prevented the unintentional conception of children through their practice of male continence (a type of coitus reservatus).
[1] Noyes developed the stirpiculture experiment through his reading and interpretations of Plato, Charles Darwin, Francis Galton and agricultural breeders.
[1] Noyes had begun to read Darwin's Principles of Breeding and Sir Francis Galton's papers and books on subjects ranging from anthropology, meteorology, horticulture, and eugenics (Circular, Vol II, No.
Intrigued by these readings, Noyes expanded upon these ideas and considered the potential benefits in the use of scientific propagation to create humans through intentional reproduction rather than haphazard sex.
Community men and women were paired owing to their exhibition of superior mental and spiritual qualities.
[5] Noyes was the main judge of the men and women selected to parent children in the experiment, but he also sought the aid of a committee.
Each potential parent was required to sign a contract committing themselves to the experiment, and most importantly to God and his human representative Noyes (Carden 62).
The concern was that an excessive relationship would fail to appropriately teach the child the communal fundamentals of the community.
[8][page needed] The experiment with stirpiculture in the Oneida Community lasted from 1869 to 1879; 58 children were born as a result.
To prove his religious and social prowess, as well as that of his bloodline, John H. Noyes and his son Theodore produced 12 children between them, 11 of whom survived.
[10][page needed] The children learned the importance of non-attachment and commitment to the community; however, it is apparent that some special relationships did occur.