Family Crests / Coat of Arms

[Sofista]

Having a city name for surname, at least this qualifies as somewhat mine:

 

[Godwynn]

I need someone who can read old German to help translate this.

I was just sent this by a distant relative.

Spoiler :

Danke!

 

[Perfection]

It seems this is mine:

I quite like it.

It's crooked, dude.

 

[holy king]

I need someone who can read old German to help translate this.

I was just sent this by a distant relative.

Spoiler :

Danke!

"schlenter, altes schwenninger geschlecht, im jahre 1490 erstmals urkundlich genannt."

"schlenter, old family (compare: genus in latin) from schwenning, for the first time called by this name in a [urkunde] valid deed?/official document in 1490."

it's not old german by the way, just an old font (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraktur_(typeface_sub-classification))...

 

[Godwynn]

schlenter, altes schwenninger geschlecht, im jahre 1490 erstmals urkundlich genannt.

Er... Can ya translate that for me? Old Schwenninger (Where family is originally from), in year 1490...

I am lost after that.

EDIT: Danke! It is much appreciated!

 

[Sofista]

I guess he wanted something like:

"Schlenker
Old family from Schwenning
First documented mention in year 1490"

(as good as I can...)

EDIT: Schwenning, or Schwenningen, I guess

 

[Fifty]

Uncle Ed made us a coat of arms but the damn feds confiscated it.

 

[holy king]

I guess he wanted something like:

"Schlenker
Old family from Schwenning
First documented mention in year 1490"

(as good as I can...)

EDIT: Schwenning, or Schwenningen, I guess

it's a "t", not a "k" btw. (schlenter), german wikipedia shows a comparison of those letters (and "f")
and yeah, its schwenningen not schwenning

 

[Godwynn]

it's a "t", not a "k" btw. (schlenter), german wikipedia shows a comparison of those letters (and "f")
and yeah, its schwenningen not schwenning

Odd, my last name is with a k and my ancestors have a k.

Perhaps they were illiterate and could not spell their name correctly? It has changed three times just being in the United States.

EDIT: They came from Schwenningen. My research shows that the Schlenkers are/were a large family there.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

When I achieve greatness, and become legendary for all time, I will bequeath a coat of arms for my family. Said family will actually most likely be my siblings and their children, since I don't think i will have kids, but it will be something nice for them.

 

[holy king]

Odd, my last name is with a k and my ancestors have a k.

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraktur_(Schrift)#Lesehilfe


edit: looking at it again it should be a "k", though it doesnt have every single characteristic of one, there is a loop...

 

[Godwynn]

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraktur_(Schrift)#Lesehilfe

definitely looks like a t...

hm... happens often with names (maybe they even copied the name from a document written in fraktur at some point...)

This is very interesting indeed. The one of the coat has a little hoop at the top like a k, but not something coming out of the opposite end.

 

[holy king]

editing is fun

 

[skadistic]

Odd, my last name is with a k and my ancestors have a k.

Perhaps they were illiterate and could not spell their name correctly? It has changed three times just being in the United States.

EDIT: They came from Schwenningen. My research shows that the Schlenkers are/were a large family there.

Names change over time. Many names got butchered at ports of entry. Lots of illiterates came in and when asked what their name was if they couldn't spell the intake officer made it close. Some times you had a German hearing an Irish and wrote it how it would be in English if a German wrote it. Then two generations later another illiterate tells a Spaniard who writes a little different.

 

[Sofista]

it's a "t", not a "k" btw. (schlenter), german wikipedia shows a comparison of those letters (and "f")
and yeah, its schwenningen not schwenning

Calligraphy is not an exact science, variations abound. Check the "t" and "k" in the text: the decorations of the "k" in urkundlich are very, very close to the ones in the family name.

 

[holy king]

Calligraphy is not an exact science, variations abound. Check the "t" and "k" in the text: the decorations of the "k" in urkundlich are very, very close to the ones in the family name.

yeah already persuaded myself, no further action needed

 

[montizzle]

"Family Crest" dealers are charlatans. First off, a crest in heraldry is the decoration on the top of helm, not the entire achievement. In terms of a "Family Crest", the only thing close is a clan crest from Scotland. Just because you share a last name does not entitle you to display the crest, as you may not even be a member of that clan.
Secondly, Arms in most countries are past patrilinearly. The undifferenced arms found on any dealer's website are one man's property, not everyone on earth with his last name.
@Skadistic, the "background" is not merely fluff, it is an integral part of an armorial achievement. Most people who rightfully possess arms have a shield, helm, mantle, and crest, while others will have supporters, a compartment, scroll, ect.
@holy king, Arms can be held by any freeman, not just nobility. Knights themselves were initially a warrior-servants of the nobility. However, the use of supporters is closely associated with the nobility, so Americans should avoid using them.
Now, here is the truly great part: In nations where arms are not legally regulated, such as the United States, ANYONE can assume arms without consulting a higher authority. What this means is you can design your own arms following the accepted rules of heraldry, and it will be your personal property far more than the "family crest" available from some website of "experts". Originally almost all arms had special meaning to the original bearer, so as an original bearer, it would be appropriate for yours to be the same.
If you are a citizen of a nation with a heraldic authority, and wish to bear arms, consult their offices. There is a fee for the patents, but the result is a beautiful lambskin patent that is authentically YOUR ARMS and nobody can take it from you.
If anyone wants further information on heraldry, or guidance on proper design of an armorial achievement, let me know.

 

[Godwynn]

"Family Crest" dealers are charlatans. First off, a crest in heraldry is the decoration on the top of helm, not the entire achievement. In terms of a "Family Crest", the only thing close is a clan crest from Scotland. Just because you share a last name does not entitle you to display the crest, as you may not even be a member of that clan.
Secondly, Arms in most countries are past patrilinearly. The undifferenced arms found on any dealer's website are one man's property, not everyone on earth with his last name.
@Skadistic, the "background" is not merely fluff, it is an integral part of an armorial achievement. Most people who rightfully possess arms have a shield, helm, mantle, and crest, while others will have supporters, a compartment, scroll, ect.
@holy king, Arms can be held by any freeman, not just nobility. Knights themselves were initially a warrior-servants of the nobility. However, the use of supporters is closely associated with the nobility, so Americans should avoid using them.
Now, here is the truly great part: In nations where arms are not legally regulated, such as the United States, ANYONE can assume arms without consulting a higher authority. What this means is you can design your own arms following the accepted rules of heraldry, and it will be your personal property far more than the "family crest" available from some website of "experts". Originally almost all arms had special meaning to the original bearer, so as an original bearer, it would be appropriate for yours to be the same.
If you are a citizen of a nation with a heraldic authority, and wish to bear arms, consult their offices. There is a fee for the patents, but the result is a beautiful lambskin patent that is authentically YOUR ARMS and nobody can take it from you.
If anyone wants further information on heraldry, or guidance on proper design of an armorial achievement, let me know.

Who do I contact in Germany, and would they be able to confirm that the Coat of Arms above in the spoiler belongs to my family? No one, even my distant relatives, has an actual shield, etc.

 

[montizzle]

Germany does not have a Heraldic Authority anymore, so there is no government agency there to contact.

I suspect this is not yours, for the following reasons: The arms are undifferenced, so unless you are the first son of the first son going back to 1490, or whenever these arms were granted, they are not yours.

Also, it appears to be from a book plate, and not some family artifact or an ancestor's patents. People who legally bear arms will frequently display theirs on objects like chairs, humidors, desks, banners, and so on. On a side note, the arms itself appears to be of genuine renaissance era. The charges are little too realistic, but not overly so.

If you are an American, the best bet is to devise your own, and never, ever trust a "Family Crest" dealer!

 

[Godwynn]

Germany does not have a Heraldic Authority anymore, so there is no government agency there to contact.

I suspect this is not yours, for the following reasons: The arms are undifferenced, so unless you are the first son of the first son going back to 1490, or whenever these arms were granted, they are not yours.

Also, it appears to be from a book plate, and not some family artifact or an ancestor's patents. People who legally bear arms will frequently display theirs on objects like chairs, humidors, desks, banners, and so on. On a side note, the arms itself appears to be of genuine renaissance era. The charges are little too realistic, but not overly so.

If you are an American, the best bet is to devise your own, and never, ever trust a "Family Crest" dealer!

Oh, this wasn't from a Family Crest dealer. I can only trace my family back to 1753 on the voyage to America. I am not so much interested in if the Coat of Arms are "Mine" per se, but if they are of my family's. I received this in an e-mail from a distant relative.

However, I am relieved that you said it looks to be from the renaissance era. This is nothing I would plaster on chairs, desks, etc. Just something I would like know about, keep, and pass on.

Thanks a ton!