# Any geneolgy buffs out there? (Looking for a Coat of Arms) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 29, 2000, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-geneolgy-buffs-out-there-looking-for-a-coat-of-arms/27318 "2000-07-29T05:29:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gatsby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@Gatsby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatsby)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-geneolgy-buffs-out-there-looking-for-a-coat-of-arms/27318/1 "2000-07-29T05:29:27Z")
I’ve spent the past hour or so scouring the net for an image of my family Coat of Arms. I finally got a hit at [http://www.traceit.com](http://www.traceit.com) but the limited information there says the name originated in Devonshire, England. Everyone in my family is under the distinct impression that we are Irish. They want $20 for the actual family history. If anyone has any useful links, I’d greatly appreciate them. ---
**Author:** ![nebuli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/0ea827/32.png) [@nebuli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nebuli)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-geneolgy-buffs-out-there-looking-for-a-coat-of-arms/27318/2 "2000-07-29T06:04:39Z")
I hate to be a killjoy, but as a professional genealogist I have to warn you that most of those “Family Coat of Arms” places are bogus. Coats of arms were granted to specific individuals and their direct line descendants, not to entire surnames. Anyone who claims to sell you “Your Family Coat of Arms”, knowing only your surname, is conning you. See [http://www.rootsweb.com?~rwguide/lesson19.htm](http://www.rootsweb.com?~rwguide/lesson19.htm) If you are interested in pursuing it nonetheless, see [http://www.cyndislist.com/heraldry.htm](http://www.cyndislist.com/heraldry.htm) for a page with many links to heraldry sites. ---
**Author:** ![Gatsby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@Gatsby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatsby)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-geneolgy-buffs-out-there-looking-for-a-coat-of-arms/27318/3 "2000-07-29T06:21:26Z")
A professional genealogist! In 35 minutes! This board is so cool… **nebuli** , how hard would it be to find out if my direct lineage was ever granted a Coat of Arms? My name isn’t very common, but I only know as much my great grandfather’s first name. I could get more information from my grandmother. Is this a service you could provide for me? I’m very interested in hearing more. Please email me if you would rather not discuss it here. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![nebuli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/0ea827/32.png) [@nebuli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nebuli)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-geneolgy-buffs-out-there-looking-for-a-coat-of-arms/27318/4 "2000-07-29T06:46:36Z")
That first link should have been [http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/lesson19.htm](http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/lesson19.htm) Impossible to say how hard it would be without actually trying it. At this time, I’m not working for individual clients. I only do it part time, and I’m committed to working for a historical society. In any case, if you are looking for a professional, it should be someone who specializes in the area in which your great-grandfather lived. But I will email you to go into a little more detail. ---
**Author:** ![Gatsby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@Gatsby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatsby)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-geneolgy-buffs-out-there-looking-for-a-coat-of-arms/27318/5 "2000-07-29T06:59:52Z")
Thanks! Also, I meant to apologize for misspelling your profession. And the second link is much more useful, thanks again. I actually had spent a good portion of my time at rootsweb before I posted. It’s a great site, though a bit overwhelming… ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-geneolgy-buffs-out-there-looking-for-a-coat-of-arms/27318/6 "2000-07-29T08:08:14Z")
You should talk to your grandmother as soon as possible and take down everything she knows about your family history. Both of my paternal grandparents, as well as all of my great-grandparents, are now dead, but fortunately I have their portions of the family history written down - in one case, as far back as the American Civil War; in another, at least partially back to the 1700’s. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2000, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-geneolgy-buffs-out-there-looking-for-a-coat-of-arms/27318/7 "2000-07-29T12:12:13Z")
Those “Your Coat of Arms” dealers are bogus. Very few people were granted Coats of Arms and I venture to say that those particular families never had any reason to leave for America to seek their fortune – they already had their fortune. I don’t think they make it up out of the air. There may be a family name close to yours that was granted a coat of arms. But it probably isn’t your family. I once sent away for a B&W version for $1. I assumed it was bogus, and it talked about how my family name came from France. It was amusing – no one with my last name ever lived there (my paternal grandmother did, but that was a different name). Many years later, oddly enough, I got another offer, with the picture of the same coat of arms. So there evidently was someone with my last name somewhere that had a coat of arms. But it wasn’t any relative of mine.