The Staples family story is more than a collection of names and dates. It’s a living narrative shaped by place, memory, and resilience—preserved to be understood and passed down.
OUR MISSION
Only one in two African Americans can trace their roots back to their original African ancestor. We are among the fortunate few who can trace our lineage through seven documented generations. This is not just history—this is sacred ground.
OUR MISSION
Preserving what slavery sought to erase
The Staples Journal exists to preserve what slavery sought to erase—our names, our stories, our connections, and our truth. For generations, our ancestors’ identities were systematically removed, their family bonds severed, their histories left unwritten. But we are still here. We remember. We honor.
Our mission is threefold:
OUR HISTORY
Seven generations of resilience and survival
THE BEGINNING: 1600s-1865
The Staples family story begins on the land of the Staples Plantation in Henrico County, Virginia—a place where our ancestors labored from the 1600s through the end of slavery in 1865. This plantation, operated by George Staples and inherited from his father Richard Staples, was home to 150 enslaved African Americans who worked the fields and the mill that ground corn along what is still known today as Staples Mill Road.
OUR AFRICAN ROOTS
Our ancestors came from the regions between the Gambia and Niger rivers in West Africa, brought to America in chains during the transatlantic slave trade. They were Akan, Gbe speakers, Igbo, Yoruba, and Mandé peoples—skilled artisans, farmers, and craftsmen whose expertise helped build the economic foundation of a nation that denied them freedom.
SIX GENERATIONS OF SERVITUDE
For six generations, our family performed servitude on the Staples Plantation. But they also built something the slaveholders never intended—a culture, a family, a legacy of survival. When slavery ended, our ancestors carried the Staples name forward, not as a mark of ownership, but as a declaration of our existence and our right to claim our own story.
OUR LEGACY TODAY
From Preston “Pet” Staples and Amelia Lee to the seventh generation alive today, we are descendants of people who refused to be erased. We carry their strength in our DNA and their dreams in our hearts.
What you’ll find here
The Staples Journal is more than a genealogy website—it’s a family reunion that never ends. As a verified Staples family member, you’ll receive exclusive access to connect with your heritage and your relatives. To read the stories of our ancestors and family members in real time. You will be able to leave your story behind for the next generations to come.
Search Records
Explore seven generations of family history and discover how you connect to the broader family tree.
Shared Stories
Submit memories, anecdotes, and experiences that add to our collective narrative.
The Staples Library
Access thousands of documents, photos, and resources available nowhere else.
Post Blogs
Write about your experiences, research discoveries, or reflections on our shared heritage.
Every story strengthens the legacy
If you have a photo, document, correction, or a family memory—your contribution can help complete the record and keep the story alive for the next generation.
About the Founder
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
Are you a Staples descendant?
Verify Your Lineage
Find Your Place in the Family Tree
Are you a Staples descendant? If you carry one of over 345 surnames (check the surname list) or believe you have an ancestral connections to the Staples Plantation in Henrico County, Virginia, your family may be part of our family lineage.
Our database summary: People 1492 Surnames: 345 Photos 233 Records 1787
Our Surname List
Stay Informed
The Staples Journal was born from one man's vision to ensure that future generations would never have to wonder where they came from. Douglas E. Lee Sr., a proud descendant of the Staples family, dedicated years to researching, documenting, and preserving our collective heritage.
Douglas E. Lee Sr. Founder & CreatorInspired by the wisdom his mother shared—that each of us is an individual, unique and invaluable—Douglas understood that knowing our history is essential to understanding who we are. His commitment to this work reflects the same courage and determination that Preston and Amelia demonstrated generations ago.
Through The Staples Journal, Douglas has created more than a website. He has built a monument to resilience, a testament to survival, and a gift to every Staples descendant who will ever search for their roots.