Coat of Arms
 

Do any of you guys have a 'Coat of Arms / Family Crest' that was handed down to you?

I recently found the one that my Dad gave me 35 years ago, that HIS Dad gave to him 80 years ago that came from a Wilson that was the son of the guy that hand carried it on a boat!

I have searched all the sites that deal in that sort of thing and have come to the conclusion that there must be BIG money in providing things that never existed to the guys that wish they HAD one!

The only problem with their plan is.... I HAVE one, and it's REAL!

The only reason I was looking at the sites was to see if there were more colors on mine, before I had it reproduced. My copy is done in red. It looks good, but I think it would look better with a little blue and gold sprinkled in! I have given a copy to the friend of a friend that works at the Smithsonian!

I am awaiting a full report!

I showed it to a co-worker. He said," It would make a nice tatoo!"

I was thinking more a nice 'graphic' on race cars!

I called my brothers and asked them if they had ever seen it. They both said that they had no idea that it existed! Then they shared what Dad had given THEM and said to keep it quiet! He was a great guy! He just gave the brothers MORE stuff to TALK about, 3 years after his passing!

I have decided that my eldest brother's son is the rightful owner of the original, since he is the only one that produced a son with his name.

His son is also the only one that produced a grandson with the family name.

We Need to keep as much History alive as possible. If you suspect that one exists, you should talk to the people that know such things.(in your family) while they can talk. That way you won't have to BUY one from those FABRICATORS that are selling them!

That is what kept me up so late tonight!

That is a great thing to have for the history of your family. :)

I have one that was handed down through the family for many years (centuries). I bought one of the pay for search reports and it wasn't even close. Buyer beware.
Gene

that's a cool thing to have


(this thread needs pictures)

I talked to an 'artist' today that has experience on such matters. I have commissioned him to do the artwork (adding colors). I have instructed him to retain all details.

(He started showing me things that he had already that he could use.)

When I told him that I DID NOT buy, adopt, etc the copy before him, he agreed that it should remain as close to the original as possible.

I talked to the brothers and have their full support on the changes that I wish to make.

The 'proof' should be ready in two weeks. I will try to scan the original and post it.

I will also post the new and improooved version, as soon as it is available.

PICS???? I want to see them all!! We might be related!

I saw a pic of the family crest about 15 yrs ago. It was really cool.
I learned that my family use to own half of Nebraska, part of South Dakota, and some of Colorado. I have been to some towns started by and named after family members which was kind of weird. This is about the only time that history seemed interesting to me. We now have dwindled down to just under a thousand acres in Nebraska. Kinda sad.

Go there! Get that!!! If it's real, get a copy! make sure that YOUR kids have one too! History is important!

The thing that got my attention today... The helmet on the crest of the 'artist' that I commissioned was the SAME as the one on MY crest! ( but mine was turned at a 45 degree angle to his.) In all the internet searching I did not find ONE crest had THAT helmet!

Funny thing..... Today is the third anniversary of my Dad's passing. I commissioned the artist before I realized what day it is.

'Twilight Zone' music here!

P.S. (I own stock in a gold mine in Colorado), does that count???

In the 90's there was a 1K+ family reunion that happened in CO and that is where the crest was later seen by me. (I did not attend as I did not know about it in time.) If memory serves, my people are Scott's that came over on the second settlement ships as missionaries.

Getting a crest is going to be put on the list of things to do this year.

This is some pretty interesting stuff.
My Kimi has a "coat of arms". Any good sites for researching this stuff?

Me, well I'm sure I have one. My relatives go back into royalty (or so I've been told), but to find out actuallities is hard because most of my family are past away and chunks of information are lost.

My whole family is 'abuzz' on the topic!! My eldest brother has offered to help 'defray' the cost of the mass production of the 'items'.

If the 'charlatins' try to fleese you. I have found an artist that has the desire to make this sort of thing his 'retirement years' vocation. Judging by the number of gray hairs on his head, I would guess that this is in his 'near' plans. If you can get a rough copy, he can restore it to it's former 'Glory'.

He is a little more 'pricey' than the fabricators' on the net, but he will respect your wishes and produce what you want.

He actually offered a better price on the 'art' than the young guys that never even told me what they would do with it, they just gave me the 'dollar per hour' rate, without any input from ME!! ( WRONG answer!!) Damn it, IT's MINE!!! I want it MY way!

The guy showed me a cedar chest with HIS crest on top, a brass plaque that he did for his friend, some glass that he had 'lasered' it on the back of, some patches that had similar detail, etc. Then he showed me a price list for all the other stuff he could do that blew the other guys away!

I will show examples of his work for anyone that has a similar interest.

I noticed a 'renewed' interest in family history with the youngest daughter when I handed her a couple copies of it. She grabbed a few colored pencils and retired to her room. If her ideas are worthey, I will present them to the artist tomorrow!

When I told her that the picture that she held in her hand was painted on the shields that her ancestors carried into battle with the Brittish 400 years ago, she started thinking more about her 'ancestory'.

Sometimes, you just gotta pull on the past to make sure that there is a future.

Sorta like driving an SVX when everyone else has a Camrey............. That's why I came here! HISTORY!!!!

90% of the sites I saw will 'produce' one for a fee. the other 10% will offer to dig for one for a fee. Grandma is the best choice to get an accurate real item.

You can punch in a 'sirname' and a host of items will show up. The only problem is that , when I did it, not ONE item had anything in common with what I had in hand! Duhh!! I trust my grandfather much more than a faceless NUMBER on the neither-net!! Since he died in 1963, I doubt that he had any interest in what the fabricators are selling now!

You are better off trying to re-connect with long lost family.

My daughter was surprised that I told her that she might be 'Royalty', since 'commoners' most likely didn't have a 'Coat of Arms'.

the oroginal
 

Here is what Dad gave me 35 years ago. It wouldn't crush down enough for an attatchment so I made it my avitare

I noticed that I had FUBARD the spelling on the title. It wouldn't let me in to fix it.

Not all royalty is equal. According to my grandfather, now long gone, the coat of arms for my last name can be traced back to the 1500's. It's 3 wild roses for 3 brothers who had a modest castle on the Danube river. When you came floating by you had to pay a toll or be fired upon. A good living to be had while it lasted. The place is still there, along with dissendants of one of the brothers, far, far removed from me by now.
Gene

Interesting... I'll go talk to my 101 year old grandfather and see what he knows, I'd like to trace some lineage :)