Historic Stagville Family Tree Project
Helping Genealogists Trace Their African American Roots
Stagville Visitors Center
The Family Tree project at Historic Stagville, located in Durham County, NC, may be a valuable resource for family genealogists tracing their African American roots.
Nine-hundred enslaved persons once worked on 30,000 acres at Stagville plantation, owned by the Bennehan-Cameron families. Through the extensive files of remaining family records, letters, and documents, historians are learning what life on the plantation was like.
For years, the staff at Historic Stagville Plantation has been gathering information about the African American community that once lived and worked at the plantation. As staff continues to input information into their Family Tree software, they are discovering more about the enslaved family groupings made there. Today, a 300-plus page document lists the names of all known African American people who lived on the plantation prior to the start of the Civil War.
Although few of the known enslaved persons living at the Stagville plantation were directly from Africa, most were American born, the survival of African traditions at the site indicates they were passed on by previous generations. Research shows origins of an early African American community that was formed at the plantation’s Horton Grove.
Visitors at Historic Stagville are able to examine the progress on the Family Tree project, watch videos reenacting life on the plantation, and peruse materials about the people and businesses that were a part of Stagville. They can also tour an original two-story enslaved persons dwelling at the Horton Grove tract and Stagville plantation's Great Barn, constructed by enslaved labor. Horton Grove is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Fans of the American Girl dolls may note that researchers went to Stagville to learn about plantation life before creating Addy Walker, the Civil War era doll who was a former slave.
The Family Tree project is still a work-in-progress, the exhibit continues to change and grow. The goal is to have a large database that family historians can access for names, photos, letters, and any other available information pertinent to their own family trees. Anyone with family information they are willing to share to help with this endeavor should call the center.
Historic Stagville is located on Old Oxford Highway, just outside the Durham city limit. It is open Tuesday – Saturday from 10 – 4. Guided tours leave on the hour from 10 – 3. If you plan on visiting the center for research purposes, call first to be sure staff is available as Info Center doors are sometimes locked during guided tours. For tours, wear comfortable shoes. Accessible parking is available, however some of the original buildings are not wheelchair accessible.
For more info: phone Historic Stagville at 919.620.0120
Tracing your roots? Also search the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database at Duke University by clicking on the map below.
Nine-hundred enslaved persons once worked on 30,000 acres at Stagville plantation, owned by the Bennehan-Cameron families. Through the extensive files of remaining family records, letters, and documents, historians are learning what life on the plantation was like.
For years, the staff at Historic Stagville Plantation has been gathering information about the African American community that once lived and worked at the plantation. As staff continues to input information into their Family Tree software, they are discovering more about the enslaved family groupings made there. Today, a 300-plus page document lists the names of all known African American people who lived on the plantation prior to the start of the Civil War.
Although few of the known enslaved persons living at the Stagville plantation were directly from Africa, most were American born, the survival of African traditions at the site indicates they were passed on by previous generations. Research shows origins of an early African American community that was formed at the plantation’s Horton Grove.
Visitors at Historic Stagville are able to examine the progress on the Family Tree project, watch videos reenacting life on the plantation, and peruse materials about the people and businesses that were a part of Stagville. They can also tour an original two-story enslaved persons dwelling at the Horton Grove tract and Stagville plantation's Great Barn, constructed by enslaved labor. Horton Grove is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Fans of the American Girl dolls may note that researchers went to Stagville to learn about plantation life before creating Addy Walker, the Civil War era doll who was a former slave.
The Family Tree project is still a work-in-progress, the exhibit continues to change and grow. The goal is to have a large database that family historians can access for names, photos, letters, and any other available information pertinent to their own family trees. Anyone with family information they are willing to share to help with this endeavor should call the center.
Historic Stagville is located on Old Oxford Highway, just outside the Durham city limit. It is open Tuesday – Saturday from 10 – 4. Guided tours leave on the hour from 10 – 3. If you plan on visiting the center for research purposes, call first to be sure staff is available as Info Center doors are sometimes locked during guided tours. For tours, wear comfortable shoes. Accessible parking is available, however some of the original buildings are not wheelchair accessible.
For more info: phone Historic Stagville at 919.620.0120
Tracing your roots? Also search the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database at Duke University by clicking on the map below.
Trans-Atlantic Slave Database
Click on image for link to Duke site.
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