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, have played important roles throughout American history, especially during armed conflicts. Stamps men have volunteered for service during every American conflict since the French and Indian War.

Origins

The locational surname originated in the village of Estampes in present-day France as early as the seventh century. According to oral tradition, the clan consisted of Viking raiders, which is consistent with the timing of the Estampes settlement's founding. When Widukind, the duke of Saxony, was converted to Christianity by Charlemagne, the Estampes clan symbolically altered their family symbol from a black rearing horse to one that is pure white, as it is in the current coat of arms. The new color symbolized the purity of the clan's new faith. The ancient clan was noted for its character, independence, and honor and declared its family motto to be "Death before Dishonor."

Members of the "d'Estampes" clan migrated to London during the Norman invasion of England in 1066, where the first recorded spelling of the family name occurred in 1191. In that year, the London City Pipe Rolls listed a "John de Stampes." Sir Thomas Stampe appears in the Feet of Fines for Essex, 1424.

Not all members left for England in 1066. Many "Estampes" remained in France. During the 15th cenutry, work began on the Estampes family's château in Valençay. Completed in the 19th century, the Château de Valençay is considered "one of the most beautiful on earth."

Today, Estampes is a village in southwestern France. In French, "estampe" denotes an engraving or print and is similar to its English cognate, "stamp".

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 shortened his name to "Thomas Stampe" and controlled convert|200|acre|km2|1 on the Nansamond River and 500 aces 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. [cite web
url=http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~mabry/
title=Collins-McFadden
author=Don Collins
publisher=Rootsweb
accessdate=2002-06-01]

Revolutionary War

Dr. Timothy Stamps (1728-1800), a descendant of John Thomas Stampe, was a physician who studied in Germany and England. He served as an ensign during the French and Indian War and acquired convert|1600|acre|km2|0 of Virginian land in the 1760s. When war broke out with England, he served as a Captain and commanded at least some of his six sons, including Thomas Stamps. To honor the service of the family, a state law was passed that exempted Dr. Stamps from all taxation until death. His son, Thomas Stamps participated in the Georgia land lottery after the war and received 250 acres (1 km²) in Gwinnett county.

Civil War

Many Stamps fought in the Confederate Army. The favorite niece of President Jefferson Davis, Lucinda Farrar Davis, married William Stamps in 1820. President Davis presented William Stamps with his personal sword at the outbreak of war to carry into battle. [cite journal
author= Lasswell, Lynda J.
title=Jefferson Davis Ponders His Future, 1829
journal=The Journal of Southern History
year=1975
volume=41| issue=4
url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0035-9149%28200101%2955%3A1%3C179%3AJAEAF1%3E2.0.CO%3B2-D| pages=517–522
doi=10.2307/2205561] [cite web
url = http://jeffersondavis.rice.edu/gene.cfm
title = The Papers of Jefferson Davis
accessdate = 2007-10-19
author =
publisher = Rice University] Like other families that became devoted to the Confederate cause, much of the family wealth was completely lost during the war.

One Stamps, Fletcher Moreland, became so disillusioned with the political forces that allowed the war to occur that he refused to vote for the rest of his life. Serving in the 19th Georgia infantry, he recounted how God had intervened several times to save his life during battle. In one such story, the Almighty swooped him into the air with a gust of wind just as a cannonball whizzed below, where he had been standing.

World War I & II

To mention only a couple of 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 Wolrd War II.

Other Notables

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 is the current U.S. Commissioner for the Administration for Native Americans.

Professor Richard B. Stamps is an expert on the archeology and cultural anthropology of Taiwan and China.

George Moreland Stamps is the principal developer of the modern fax machine. His son, 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".

References

External links

* [http://members.aol.com/hollwd/ The Stamps Family History]
* http://stamps.mylivepage.com