In many shopping malls across America, you will see pushcart vendors selling repro-

ductions of coats of arms, claiming to be the “proud history and heritage of your family

name” or similar words. These merchants sell coats of arms on parchment paper, suit-

able for framing. They also may sell coats of arms on t-shirts, sweatshirts, golf jerseys,

stationery, coffee mugs or even key chains.

Similar “businesses” exist on the Web. A number of Web sites proclaim that they can

sell you “authentic” copies of your family’s coat of arms. One Web site says, “What is

your Name? What was it’s [sic] origin? Was it taken from the name of a village? Was it

taken from the Bible? A clan name? An Occupation [sic]? An ancient landmark? Who

were your historical namesakes who bore your fine family name in the homeland of

your ancestors?” Sometimes they also claim to sell “gifts of lasting heritage.”

I have one thing to say to these con artists: “Balderdash!” Actually, that’s not my first

choice of response, but, after all, this is a family newsletter.

The study of coats of arms is called heraldry. Those who control the issuance of arms

are the heralds. Typically, each country in Western Europe as well as in England, Scot-

land, and Ireland has an office of the heralds, sometimes called the Kings of Arms. The

heralds are empowered to decide who is authorized to display a certain coat of arms. If

you do not have authorization from the heralds, you are not authorized to display any

R O O T D I G G E RR O O T D I G G E R 3 r d Q u a r t e r : J u l y – S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 6

Inside this issue:

Pssst! Want to Buy Your

Family’s Coat

of Arms?

1

Genealogy by the States

(part 2)

5

Faces from the Past—

Ocala Fire Depart-

ment

6

Marriages 1844-1900 7

History of MCGS 8

The Rootdigger is a publication of the Marion County Genealogical Society, a division of the non-

profit Historic Ocala Preservation Society. Annual membership fee is $20.00.

Pssst! Want to Buy Your Family’s Coat of Arms?

By Dick Eastman as originally

posted on his blog blog.eogn.com June 14, 2016

(Continued on page 2)

coat of arms. That authorization must be on paper, signed, and made out to you

personally, not to your entire family and never to everyone of a certain sur-

name.

Most Americans seem ignorant of one very basic fact: in Western Europe and in

the British Isles, there is no such thing as a “family coat of arms.” A coat of

arms is issued to one person, not to a family. After that person is deceased, his

eldest heir may apply for the same coat of arms. Again, when he dies, his heir

may apply. The rules for determining who is eligible to display a coat of arms

are very similar to the rules for becoming King or Queen of England. However,

even the proper heir cannot display the coat of arms until he or she has received

authorization (been confirmed) by the heralds. At any one time, only one person

may rightfully display a coat of arms.

According to the American College of Heraldry, “While Americans are usually

fascinated by the beauty of heraldry, they are rarely familiar with its meaning

and traditions and, therefore, often misunderstand and even abuse this rich cul-

tural heritage. They seldom understand that a coat of arms is usually granted,

certified, registered or otherwise recognized as belonging to one individual

alone, and that only his direct descendants with proven lineage can be recog-

nized as eligible to inherit the arms. Exceptions to this rule are rare.”

The American College of Heraldry also says, ” It is highly inappropriate for one

to locate the arms of another person sharing the same surname, and to simply

adopt and use these arms as one’s own.” My interpretation of this is that, if you

are displaying an unauthorized coat of arms, you are impersonating someone

else.

You can read more on the American College of Heraldry web site at

http://www.americancollegeofheraldry.org/body.html.

P a g e 2 R O O T D I G G E R

(Continued from page 1)

(Continued on page 3)

The College of Arms in England (the heralds for English, Welsh, Northern Irish, and

Commonwealth families) says (at http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/resources/

faqs):

“There is no such thing as a ‘coat of arms for a surname’. Many people of the same

surname will often be entitled to completely different coats of arms, and many of that

surname will be entitled to no coat of arms. Coats of arms belong to individuals. For

any person to have a right to a coat of arms they must either have had it granted to

them or be descended in the legitimate male line from a person to whom arms were

granted or confirmed in the past.”

Despite these warnings, many vendors are making money by preying on Americans’

ignorance of the topic. The pushcarts you see in shopping malls typically are fran-

chise operations. One pushcart owner told me that he paid $6,000 for a “franchise” to

sell this stuff. The so-called franchise did not include a protected territory; another

franchisee was free to set up business in the same area. For the $6,000 investment,

the franchisee receives a computer with a database containing thousands of surnames

and so-called “family coats of arms,” a high-quality printer, a supply of parchment

paper (actually not parchment but simply paper that has been treated to look like

parchment), and a supply of coffee cups, key chains and other paraphernalia. These

franchisees reportedly receive no training in the study of heraldry. The ones I have

talked to didn’t recognize the term “College of Arms.”

The Web sites aren’t much better. The ones I have looked at seem to have carefully-

worded claims. Instead of saying, “your family’s coat of arms,” they will say some-

thing like “your historical namesakes.” Okay, “namesakes” doesn’t mean

“ancestors,” but it still will be misleading to many people. When a Web site pro-

claims, “your historical namesakes,” most people will think that means “my family.”

However, if argued in court, the wording on the Web site would probably be consid-

ered correct. In short, I doubt if these companies will be shut down for misrepresent-

ing their wares as they are very careful in their choice of words.

(Continued from page 2)

P a g e 3 4 t h Q u a r t e r 2 0 1 5

(Continued on page 3)

The next time someone offers a copy of your “family’s coat of arms,” ask them

for the documentation. They won’t have any. If a friend of yours is displaying a

coat of arms on his stationery or on his fireplace mantel, I suggest you simply

walk away smiling. There’s no sense in upsetting a good friendship. But don’t be

as gullible as your friend. And please, please do not display your “family’s coat

of arms” on your genealogy Web site unless you have been confirmed by the her-

alds, Okay?

If you would like to learn more about the serious study of heraldry and any rights

you might have to display coats of arms, there are a number of Web sites devoted

to the truth. Here is a short list of some of the more reputable ones:

The College of Arms (the official repository of the coats of arms and pedigrees

of English, Welsh, Northern Irish and Commonwealth families and their descen-

dants) at: http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/

The Augustan Society at: http://www.augustansociety.org

The American College of Heraldry at:

http://www.americancollegeofheraldry.org/

The Baronage Press at: http://www.baronage.co.uk/

British Heraldry: http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/ and especially the arti-

cle on “Regulation of Heraldry in England” at:

http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/england.htm

None of the above sell printouts on parchment paper, t-shirts or key chains. Some

of them do sell books and magazines devoted to the study of heraldry, however.

Any site that purports to sell “your family coat of arms” is a rip-off. Don’t waste

your money.

P a g e 4 R O O T D I G G E R

(Continued from page 1)

P a g e 5 R O O T D I G G E R

Genealogy by the States Part 3 — States K — M

State Website URL

Kansas Kansas Historical Society www.kshs.org

Kansas Memory Project www.kansasmemory.org

Kansas Genealogical Society &

Online Library

www.kgs-genlibrary.com/

miscellaneousindexes.html

Kentucky Kentucky Digital Library kdl.kyvl.org

University of Kentucky—online

Indexes

ukcc.uky.edu/vitalrec

Kentucky Genealogical Society www.kygs.org

Kentucky Historical Society history.ky.gov/

Kentucky’s Digitized Newspa-

pers

www.uky.edu/Libraries/NDNP

Louisiana Louisiana Digital Library louisdl.louislibraries.org

Louisiana State Archives ldma.lpb.org/about-ldma

New Orleans Public Library—

obituaries

neworleanspubliclibrary.org/obits/

obits.htm Louisiana Historical Society louisianahistoricalsociety.org

LSU—Louisiana Newspaper Ac-

cess Program

louisdl.louislibraries.org/cdm/search/

collection/LSU_LNP

Louisiana Vital Records Index www.sos.la.gov/HistoricalResources/

ResearchHistoricalRecords/Pages/OnlinePublicVitalRecordsIndex.aspx

Maine Maine Genealogy www.mainegenealogy.net

All Maine Matters www.allmainematters.com

Maine State Archives www.maine.gov/sos/arc

Maine Memory Network www.mainememory.net

P a g e 6 4 t h Q u a r t e r 2 0 1 5

Genealogy by the States (Continued from page 5)

State Website URL

Maryland Maryland State Archives msa.maryland.gov

Maryland Historical Newspapers www.lib.umd.edu/digital/newspapers

Maryland Historical Society http://www.mdhs.org/library/research-

resources/digital-resources

Maryland Genealogical Society www.mdgensoc.org

Massachu-

setts

Massachusetts Historical Society www.masshist.org

Massachusetts State Library www.mass.gov/anf/research-and-tech/

oversight-agencies/lib/

Massachusetts State Archives—

Genealogy collection

www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/arcgen/

genidx.htm

Digital Commonwealth of Mass www.digitalcommonwealth.org

Massachusetts Library—Digital

Collection

mblc.state.ma.us/books/digital/

Michigan Seeking Michigan seekingmichigan.org

Western Michigan Genealogical

Society

data.wmgs.org

Michigan Department of Health—

Genealogical Death Index

www.mdch.state.mi.us/pha/osr/

gendisx/search2.htm

Michigan Genealogical Council http://www.mimgc.org

Minnesota Minnesota Reflections reflections.mndigital.org

Minnesota Historical Society www.mnhs.org/genealogy

Iron Range Research Center www.ironrangeresearchcenter.org

M ar r i ag es 18 4 4 - 19 0 0 The following is a portion of an indexed list of marriage licenses from the

Marion County Marriage Books A, B, and C (1844-1900) and Alachua County

Marriage Book 1 (1837-1845). The list is organized alphabetically by the

groom’s name. A copy of the original records can be obtained by contacting

the Clerk of Court of either Alachua or Marion County.

Notes:

(1) Marriage date not re-

corded, date shown is

date the licenses was

issued

(30) No month entered for

the Marriage date; the

license was issued on

12 Jan 1867

This is part of an on-going

series that began with the

1st Quarter 2013 issue.

P a g e 7 4 t h Q u a r t e r 2 0 1 5

Groom Name Bride Name Date Married Note Book—Page

Bates, Frank Williams, Kesanna 9 Apr 1885 E-041

Bates, John Brinson, Georgia E. 26 Oct 1866 C-218

Bates, John Sturgess, Rebecca 7 Oct 1845 A-008

Bates, John Long, Mattie R. 13 Nov 1877 D-293

Bates, John H. Watson, Annie L. 13 May 1888 1-067

Batey, Anderson Reddick, Caroline 8 May 1884 (1) E-139

Battle, Berry Huff, Delia 26 Jul 1900 2-548

Battles, Charlie Lee, Hattie 29 Oct 1898 2-383

Batton, Joseph R. Fort, Ida M. 16 Apr 1899 2-432

Batts, Nathan Scott, Ann 27 Jun 1852 B-032

Baty, Anderson Davis, Julia 21 Jan 1900 2-499

Bauchillon, Benjamin Richardson, Maggie E. 19 Dec 1883 D-725

Bauknight, James C. McGahagin, S. A. 22 Jan 1878 D-306

Baulnight, Millege P. Clout, Josephine 19 Mar 1868 C-222

Baxley, R. A. Jourdan, Mary 8 Sep 1890 (1) 1-245

Baxley, William A. Buhl, Carrie 12 Aug 1899 2-447

Baxter, Albert Williams, Laura 15 Sep 1883 D-703

Baylis, Frank W. Berry, Annie E. 31 Mar 1886 E-123

Beal, Benjamine F. Beck, Ella 31 Mar 1891 1-296

Beal, Moses T. Turner, Adeline I. 24 ___ 1867 (30) C-203

Beard, Thompson Goodin, Hanah 12 Feb 1891 (1) 1-283

Beasley Jr., William R. Thomas, Agnes B. 11 Jul 1895 2-102

Beasley, Will Hall, Celestia 1 May 1898 2-351

Beauregard, Willie Adison, Margery Ann 5 Jan 1882 D-567

Beauvais, Joseph M. Milliken, Bettie 17 Mar 1896 2-153

Beck, J. L. Hudgins, Sally 5 Jun 1889 1-147

Beck, Lorenzo D. Haycraft, Julia K. 28 Apr 1886 E-152

Beck, Reuben Beck, Clary 28 Sep 1866 C-130

Beck, Robert Dallis, Lucinda 28 Dec 1865 C-018

Beck, Robert D. Weeks, Mary A. E. 12 Jan 1858 B-106

Beckem, Holmes Wright, Hannah 17 Mar 1894 1-560

Beckham, Frank B. Wilks, Mattie L. 27 Apr 1892 1-390

Beckham, James Hamilton, Elizabeth 4 Jan 1847 A-023

Beech, James Henry Osteen, Miriam 22 Nov 1891 1-341

Behn, John Ellis, Emma 8 Sep 1887 1-010

3 r d Q u a r t e r : J u l y –

S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 6

We’re on the web:

Mariongenealogy.tripod.com

Marion County

Genealogical Society

Place mailing address label here

President: Judy Wright

Vice President: Marya Latson

Secretary: Margaret Sasser

Treasurer: Richard Heckman

Past President: Barbara Jones

Rootdigger Editor: Margaret Sasser

Field Trips: Jim Neate

Surname Database: Peggy Jones

Research: Lisa Holt

Cemetery Project: Arnold Davis

Obituary Daily Times: Richard Heckman

Library Volunteers: Bettie DeBary

Webmaster: Judy Wright

Voice Mail: (352) 897-0840

Email: mariongenealogy@gmail.com

Mission Statement

The Marion County Genealogical Society is dedicated to creating and pro-

moting an interest in genealogy, focusing on research in Marion County,

Florida, and in supporting members in their research.

The Rootdigger

MCGS

P. O. Box 1206

Ocala, FL 34478-1206

The Rootdigger is indexed in the Periodical Source Index (PERSI).

www.facebook.com/MarionCountyGenealogicalSociety

www.facebook.com/groups/MCGSOcala/

Faces from the Past Reprinted from the December 2011 edition of Unite Ocala.

with permission from Alonzo Hardy, Editor

“Old” Howard Academy High School

located on Chestnut Street, there were

two buildings, this is the newer build-

ing constructed around 1940.

Howard Academy was the African

American school in Monticello. It

was first built in 1936 and consoli-

dated grades one through twelve from

the Masonic Lodge, Bethel AME

Church, and Leonora Mills' store. In

1940, that original building became

the elementary school, and a new sec-

ond building (pictured here) became

the Howard Academy High School.

(Photo by Florida Photographic Col-

lection)