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To build a single, validated and documented shared family tree for the Stamps family, from earliest origins to near modern times.
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Overview
from: Stamps Family
The Stamps family was one of the First Families of Virginia during the early 17th century. Descendants, including many aristocrats from Southern states like Virginia and Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia, have volunteered for service during every American conflict since the French and Indian War.
Origins
The Stamps family traces its origins to Germanic raiders who settled in northern Gaul during the Völkerwanderung and adopted the locational surname "d'Étampes" at least by the 7th century. The ancient clan was noted for its character, independence, and honor and declared its family motto to be "Death before Dishonor." According to oral tradition, they allied with Widukind sometime in the 8th century and converted to Christianity as result of this allegiance. To demonstrate their conversion, the clan altered the color scheme of the family symbol. Three rearing black stallions were now white, symbolizing purity of faith. Today, Étampes is a district 40 km southwest of Paris.
In 1066, a large number of the clan invaded England with William the Conqueror.Eventually, they settled in London and anglicized their surname. The first recorded spelling of the family name occurred in 1191. In that year, the Pipe Rolls of the City of London listed a "John de Stampes." Sir Thomas Stampe appears in the Feet of Fines for Essex, 1424.
Not all members of the clan left for England in 1066. Many remained in France and were tasked in the 12th century with defending Saxon colonies in Transylvania. Migration throughout this period is evidenced by a German record from Reutlingen, dated May 1294, bearing the name Eberhard Stamph von Söllingen. During the 15th century, work began on the family's château in Valençay. Completed in the 19th century, the Château de Valençay is considered "one of the most beautiful on earth."
Arrival in America
One of the first Stamps in America was (John) Thomas Stampe of Oxfordshire, England. On May 15, 1635, Stampe arrived in Virginia aboard the "Plaine Joan" and quickly established himself. By August of 1638, he controlled 200 acres on the Nansamond River and 500 acres of mostly swampland in James City County, where he operated a mill. The latter area was a headright grant in anticipation of more settlers, including William Stamps.
French & Indian War
Dr. Timothy Stamps (1728–1800), a descendant of John Thomas Stampe, was a physician who studied in Germany and England in the early 1750s. He volunteered as an ensign with the Fauquier County Militia, 1st Virginia Regiment during the French and Indian War and was promoted to captain. One family history states that at one point, he brought a sickly George Washington back to health. After the war, he acquired of Virginia land. When war broke out with Great Britain, he eventually became a major and was noted for supplying the colonial troops with homemade ammunition.
Revolutionary War
Timothy's son, Thomas Stamps (1750–1840), volunteered as an ensign with the Halifax County Militia, 2nd Virginia Regiment during the American Revolution. He was promoted to captain. After the war, he moved to Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia along with his father and son, where he purchased land. Later he participated in the Georgia land lottery and received 250 acres (1 km²) in present-day Gwinnett County, northeast of Atlanta.
War of 1812
Moses Witt Stamps (1772–1850) and Eason Stamps (1793–1895) were the son and grandson of Thomas Stamps, respectively. Moses volunteered as a Captain during the War of 1812 and commanded his son Pvt Eason Stamps. Eason would later also fight in the Indian Wars as a captain. The Atlanta Journal Constitution wrote a short article about him in 1895, noting that he was 102 years old and was ill.
Civil War
Many Stamps fought in the Confederate Army. The favorite sister of President Jefferson Davis, Lucinda Farrar Davis, married William Stamps in 1820. President Davis presented his son-in-law with his personal sword at the outbreak of war to carry into battle.
Like other families that became devoted to the Confederate cause, much of the family wealth was completely lost during the war.
Another ancestor, Fletcher Moreland Stamps was a farmer in Carrol Country, Georgia. When war broke out, he volunteered to serve as a medic in the 19th Georgia Infantry. The 19th began the war in Virginia, was transferred to Florida, and surrendered in May, 1865 in Greensboro, North Carolina. He recounted many extraordinary experiences during the war. During one battle, he narrowly escaped death while standing over and tending to a wounded comrade. He looked up after hearing the blast of a cannon and saw a cannon ball flying through the air towards him. It passed quite close to his body and the wind picked him up and threw him 
Early in the war, he was captured by Union forces and traded with other Confederate soldiers in early 1862. In the summer of 1864, when Georgia was laid waste by Northern forces, he returned to defend his home, walking much of the way without shoes. By the time he arrived, he found his property completely destroyed. The ensuing winter of 1865 was a particularly difficult struggle for him and his family to survive.
So disillusioned with the forces that allowed the war to occur, Fletcher Moreland Stamps became a political skeptic and refused to vote for the rest of his life. He was very popular throughout the county, and was known by his neighbors as "Doc" because of his medical service during the conflict.
Many published accounts of Confederate Veterans confuse Fletcher Moreland Stamps with his cousin, F.M. Stamps (killed in 1862 and buried in Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery). The records confusing F.M. Stamps with Fletcher Moreland Stamps extend to those kept in the Georgia Archives. Fletcher Moreland Stamps is buried at Salem Baptist Church near Bowden, Georgia. The church is on property donated by him, as he was one of three founders of the church following the war. Several other Stamps are buried around the large monument identifying the family plot.
World War I & II
To mention only two of the hundreds of other Stamps soldiers, Drure Fletcher Stamps served as an infantry chaplain during World War I and Lt. Col George M. Stamps piloted a B-17 during World War II. Col Stamps was one of the youngest pilots of the war, the youngest being President George H. W. Bush.
Other notables
Sir Thomas Stampe, [Lord Mayor of London] for one year beginning October 28, 1691, was knighted October 31, 1676 and served as London's sheriff from 1676 to 1677. Because the American branch arrived in New World decades earlier, he is not likely a direct ancestor. However, his records are important insights into the family of the first settlers. He died on July 25, 1711, aged 83.
William Stamps Farish II, president of Standard Oil of New Jersey, the forerunner of Exxon, from 1937–1942, carries the Stamps name because his father was named for his great-uncle, CSA veteran William Stamps mentioned above.
The legendary gospel group, the Stamps Quartet, led by Frank Stamps in the 1920s produced the first ever southern gospel hit single "Give The World A Smile." Frank and his brother Virgil Oliver Stamps were posthumously inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1997.
Quanah Crossland Stamps was the U.S. Commissioner for the Administration for Native Americans during the presidency of George W. Bush.
Professor Richard B. Stamps is an expert on the archeology and cultural anthropology of Taiwan and China.
George Moreland Stamps, also mentioned above, is the principal developer of the modern fax machine.
Thomas Paty Stamps successfully litigated federal bankruptcy suits during the 1980s, saving approximately 100 family-owned farms throughout the South.
Timothy Stamps, Zimbabwe's Minister of Health from 1986 to 2002, is likely descended from the Oxford, England line.
Popular culture
Stamps, Arkansas, named for settler James Hardy Stamps, is the setting for Maya Angelou's autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
See also
- Stamp (surname)
- Étampes
- Stamps
- Baron Josiah Stamp, Director of the Bank of England
- Stamps Quartet
References
- Seales, Bobby Joe. "Stamps-Massey Ancestors". Alabaster, Alabama: 1970.
- Stamps, Charles T. and William T. "The Stamps Family History and Lineage". Clinton, Utah: 1986.
- Stamps, Elizabeth Belk. "To China With Love". Oxford, Georgia: 1972.
- Tuck, Henry C. "Four Years at the University of Georgia, 1877-1881". Athens, Georgia: 1938.
External links
- Stamps Family Genealogy Page
- Stamps Family Charitable Foundation, Inc
- Stamps Family Genealogy Forum
- Shelby County, Alabama Stamps Family History
- Stamps Quartet
Category:American families of English ancestry Category:American families of French ancestry
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