You can contact Rod at: [email protected] In response to your roll call, unfortunately my personal family records were destroyed by fire, but my family tree is found in the book entitled "The Blakers of Sussex" copy of which can be found in the U S Library of Congress. The author's name is something like Redmond or Redfern, but in any event the title is catalogued. This book and other references indicate that the Blakers were present in Sussex at the time of 1066 and the Norman invasion. In the Doomsday Book, the name shows as "Blakr". Their name thence became de Blacker and de Blaker until about the thirteenth century when it reverted to Blaker. In Normandy the name Blaker became de Blacquiere and de Blacquere, in both cases being a phonetic spelling of the French pronunciation of the name. I am without knowledge of the name in Germany. More detailed information can of course be found in the English texts on Heraldry; when all coats of arms were ordered verified throughout the realm; in the Visitations of the Shires, two knights were sent to each shire to verify the coats of arms in usage; this would be in the year 1215, if I recall. That of one of the Blakers was deemed to have been held "since time immemorial", and expression used to cover one or two hundred years. The first coat of arms issued to a Blaker consisted of three Moors heads on a background of ermine; the identical coat of arms was issued in France to someone whose name I would have to look up, but he was involved in the founding of the Knights Templar. One can reasonably conclude therefore that the Sussex Blakers were part of the First Crusade, to Jerusalem which is why and how they acquired a Coat of Arms. (For recognition in battle). In England, the authorities believe the origin of the name is old english, from some variety of "bleaker" meaning "to bleach" or to whiten. However a far more likely understanding is that the name is Viking of origin. In 942 the Vikings, including amongst them several people known as Blaker, landed in Dublin, which city they controlled for a year, and where the Blakers in particular established a property in heir name. The following year the Celts or Irish successfully threw out the invaders, who crossed the Irish sea, landing in Worcestershire and from there, Sussex. In what is today Norway and north of Oslo, there is a parish called Blaker, where the headstones go back to the 11th century, if I recall. The name Blaker in this context can be understood to mean "meadow" or "lea" or "open field". The English equivalent, had the name been translated, would have been the modern names of Meadows, Leigh's, or Fields. I am sure that your group is aware that the Mormons have done a complete survey of the births and deaths of England, and of course many of the names your are researching can be found there. (The Salt Lake repository). Viking history itself indicates that over the course of about four centuries they shot off in all directions to an amazing degree - through Germany and the Baltics to Russia; down the coasts of France, England and Ireland; to North Africa and Sardinia; and of course to At one stage I did a review of the telephone books of the English-speaking world and found altogether about 3000 names; but that of course would exclude such non-English speaking countries as Germany and or Russia. I may be repeating everything you already know. If so, sorry about that.