The Committee on Heraldry of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, established in 1864, is the world's oldest non-governmental body primarily concerned with heraldry.
Purpose
The committee was charged, on 3 February 1864, by the council of the
New England Historic Genealogical Society
The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) is the oldest and largest genealogical society in the United States, founded in 1845.
NEHGS provides family history services through its staff, original scholarship, website,
Roll of Arms
The committee authenticates and registers coats of arms rightfully borne by "American colonists, or immigrants to the United States, who were rightfully armigerous according to the authorities and customs of their countries of origin, or those already resident here during colonial times who were granted arms by such authorities", publishing these historic arms in their ''
Roll of Arms
A roll of arms (or armorial) is a collection of coats of arms, usually consisting of rows of painted pictures of shields, each shield accompanied by the name of the person bearing the arms.
The oldest extant armorials date to the mid-13th centu ...
''. Only historic arms dating from before 1900 are published in this ''Roll of Arms''. The roll itself is published in pamphlets called ''parts'', the first of which was published in 1928; but each segment of the roll also appears in an issue of ''The New England Historical and Genealogical Register''.
The committee illustrates the published ''Roll of Arms'' with only the escutcheons or shield of arms for the registration. However, in the text of the ''Roll of Arms'' the full achievement, and other related matters are discussed.
In 2013 the Committee on Heraldry published a one-volume edition of the complete ''Roll of Arms'' to date (registrations 1–741), edited and with a historical introduction and notes by the committee's secretary at the time, Henry L. P. Beckwith.
One need not be entitled to the arms in order to apply for their registration.
Genealogists
Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...
and others often apply to register arms having nothing to do with their own ancestry purely to put them on record with the committee.
File:Coat of Arms of George Washington.svg, The first entry in the ''Roll of Arms,'' the coat of arms of
John Washington
John Washington (1633–1677) was an English merchant who emigrated across the Atlantic Ocean and became a planter, soldier and politician in colonial Virginia. In addition to leading the local militia, and running his own plantations, Washin ...
, the great-grandfather of
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
File:Coat of Arms of Samuel Appleton.svg, The second entry in the ''Roll of Arms,'' the coat of arms of Samuel Appleton (1625-1696), an ancestor of Samuel Appleton.
File:Coat of Arms of Percival Lowell.svg, The thirtieth entry in the ''Roll of Arms,'' the coat of arms of Percival Lowell, of the
Boston Brahmin
The Boston Brahmins or Boston elite are members of Boston's traditional upper class. They are often associated with Harvard University; Anglicanism; and traditional Anglo-American customs and clothing. Descendants of the earliest English coloni ...
Lowell family
The Lowell family is one of the Boston Brahmin families of New England, known for both intellectual and commercial achievements.
The family had emigrated to Boston from England in 1639, led by the patriarch Percival Lowle (1571–1665). The surn ...
.
Recording of modern and assumed arms
As of 1933, the Committee on Heraldry has also recorded coats of arms which are not eligible for inclusion in the above ''Roll of Arms''. At that time, the committee began recording assumed arms (arms created and used in
colonial
Colonial or The Colonial may refer to:
* Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology)
Architecture
* American colonial architecture
* French Colonial
* Spanish Colonial architecture
Automobiles
* Colonial (1920 au ...
or recent times without formal sanction by a government heraldic authority). In 1972, the committee no longer included in their ''Roll of Arms'' any arms granted in the 20th century to the use of Americans by foreign heraldic authorities; these also are now recorded separately.
History
The committee's 1899 and 1914 reports on heraldry are considered two of the key documents in the history of United States Heraldry.
Heraldry societies For the purposes of this article, heraldry societies are defined as private associations of people who are interested in heraldry. Heraldic ''authorities'', which have been established by reigning monarchs or governments, are dealt with in a separa ...
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The Heraldry Society
The Heraldry Society is a British organization that is devoted to studying and promoting heraldry and related subjects. In 1947, a twenty-year-old John Brooke-Little founded the Society of Heraldic Antiquaries. This name was changed to The He ...
*
Heraldry Society of Scotland
The Heraldry Society of Scotland was founded in 1977 with the aim of improving the study of heraldry.
The Society's arms feature a Saint Andrew's Cross with silver thistles and a red shield. Their crest is a herald wearing a tabard of the arms, an ...
*
Royal Heraldry Society of Canada
The Royal Heraldry Society of Canada (RHSC; french: Société royale héraldique du Canada) is a Canadian organization that promotes interest in heraldry in Canada. It was founded in 1966 and granted royal patronage in 2002.
History
The society ...
*
Royal Belgian Genealogical and Heraldic Office The Royal Belgian Genealogical and Heraldic Office (French: Association Royale Office Généalogique et Héraldique de Belgique or OGHB) is a private genealogical and heraldic society in Belgium. It was founded in 1942 as an asbl and has over a th ...
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International Register of Arms
The Armorial Register is a publisher of heraldic and associated science topics, founded in 2006. It produces the "International Register of Arms", a private armorial where people from all over the world can register their granted, inherited or ...