Hi, Did you know you can create and register a COA in the USA? Go to the American College of Heraldry. A short lession in Heraldry: copied from: http://www.americancollegeofheraldry.org/ 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 cultural 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 recognized as eligible to inherit the arms. Exceptions to this rule are rare. 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. In order to properly claim the right to existing arms, one should approach an office of arms offering genealogical proof of proper kinship, and to receive confirmation of the right to bear the arms and thus to be recognized by the heraldic community as legitimately bearing the arms. The notorious "Coat of arms for the Name of Jones, Smith, or whatever," purchasable by mail order or in one's local shopping mall, represents no more than improper and illegitimate armorial bearings. To buy and bear these commercially produced arms is to claim for oneself a direct kinship which has only the most remote possibility of validity, and is thereby to deny one's own legitimate and rightful line of descent. Such infraction of armorial regulation and custom constitutes a flagrant abuse of arms which no knowledgeable and honorable person would intentionally commit. Sadly, most of the heraldic abuse in this country is done by honest, well-meaning persons. They greatly admire the heraldic tradition, but in their desire to participate in that tradition they inadvertently abuse heraldic arms due to their lack of familiarity with heraldic regulations and customs. While such armorial abuse does not apparently violate state or federal statute in this country at this time, still to usurp the use of another person's coat of arms is highly improper and is a dishonest practice. Such conduct disregards the regulations of all recognized heraldry and violates the rights of the legitimate owners of the arms. ~~~~~ So... Get your own COAs... http://www.americancollegeofheraldry.org/ LINKS Did you know there was even an American College of Arms? http://www.americancollegeofheraldry.org/ http://www.americancollegeofheraldry.org/heraldicbodies.html http://www.americanheraldry.org/ Russian College of Heraldry http://www.armorial.ru/ A link to more http://www.theheraldrysociety.com/links/heraldry.htm English http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/ Q. Do coats of arms belong to surnames? A. No. 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. ~~~ Q. Can the College of Arms tell me what my clan badge is? A. No. The first point to note is that the apparently quite widespread, but new, belief that everyone has a clan, and can wear some specific tartan or display a clan badge, is quite erroneous. Only those of Scottish descent can be associated with a clan in any way. The clan system is an entirely Scottish phenomenon, and consists of a few groups of families, centred on old and historically prominent families, with other associated families (some of the same name as the principal lineage, but many not). To count as a clan, with a chief, these groups need to be recognized as such by the chief Scottish herald, the Lord Lyon King of Arms. This leads on to the second point, which is that it is Lord Lyon, and not the English College of Arms, who has authority and responsibility over matters relating to clans. ~~~ Hope at least some of you were interested in this... Create a Beatty set of Arms for your family. Nelda ~o~o~o~o~o0o0o0o0o0o~o~o~o~o Nelda L. Percival SSGT, E6, US ARMY ret. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://freepages.folklore.rootsweb.com/~bonsteinandgilpin/ ~o~o~o~o~o0o0o0o0o0o~o~o~o~o