monorail_man said: I am not stating "my theory", I am stating fact. Click to expand...

[font=verdana, geneva, helvetica] Except for a few individual exceptions from some parts of Eastern Europe

[font=verdana, geneva, helvetica] , there is no such thing as a coat of arms for a surname - despite the claims and implications of some companies to the contrary. [/font][font=verdana, geneva, helvetica] Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families or surnames. A form of property, coats of arms may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. Such grants were (and are) made by the proper heraldic authority for the country in question. [/font]



[font=verdana, geneva, helvetica] The next time you come across a product or scroll with a family coat of arms for your surname, remember that just because your surname is SMITH, for example, doesn't give you the right to any of the hundreds of coats of arms borne throughout history by others named SMITH. Therefore, how could an individual or company that has not researched your direct family tree know whether you have inherited the right to display a particular coat of arms? If you're looking for something fun then these items are OK, though misrepresentative, but if you're looking for something from your own family history, then stay away! [/font][font=verdana, geneva, helvetica] If you would like to learn if a coat of arms was awarded to your ancestor, you may want to try contacting the College of Arms or appropriate authority for the country you believe your ancestor was from and request a search in their records (they usually provide this service for a fee). In most countries you can also design and even register your own individual coat of arms based on the arms of someone who shared your surname, or from scratch to mean something special to your family and its history. :wave: [/font]





You are stating your beliefs which are far from being factual. How could an Eskimo family have a crest or coat of arms? Are you so totally egocentric to the point that you ignore the real world? Show me the crest or coat for an unwritten family or culture language! :wave:[/font]