Hi, Glenn -- You wrote: >Hello Whitaker List, > I'm looking for the Whitaker Family Coat of Arms >for a booklet on our line here in southern WV. > Is there anyone who can guide me on obtaining it >for this printing. > Please "E" me privately with any information, OK >Glenn Belcher, Princeton WV [email protected] I would like to pass along to you and others on the Whitaker list this "Product Alert" that I reprinted in my Sanders newsletter a couple of years ago. Coats of Arms may dress up your family history, but in most cases, they are improper to use. A Product Alert! The National Genealogical Society, with the support of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, advises you to be on the alert when considering the purchase of products based solely on sumames. Coats of Arms Several companies sell coats of arms or "ancestral arms" for thousands of surnames. Some employ artists to design original coats of arms; others adapt coats of arms found in books. Coats of arms purchased in shopping malls or by mail order are most likely not related in any way to the purchaser's ancestry. Rules on the use of authentic coats of arms differ. You may rightfully use British coats of arms only if you can trace your ancestry though the male line directly to the man who was first granted that coat of arms. To ensure authenticity, you should register your arms with the English College of Heralds or the Scottish Lord Lyon, King of Arms. History of Your Surname A number of companies sell certificates or books that supposedly detail the history of your surname. Some also sell lists of addresses for people with the same last name. These companies mass-produce their products, changing only a few details to make them appear different. Information about various individuals with the same last name is not a family history. A list of names and addresses for individuals who simply share a surname is neither a family history nor a form of genealogy. Unless your surname is unique, you should not assume that people with the same last name are your relatives. -National Genealogical Society Ethics Committee Contact the National Genealogical Society for services to individnal genealogists: 4527 17th Street North, Arlington, VA 22207-2399, 703/525-0050. Contact the Federation of Genealogical Societies for services to genealogical societies: P.O. Box 3385, Salt Lake City, UT 84110-3385. This article has been reprinted from the Jan/Feb 1995 Vol. 21, No. 1 issue of the National Genealogical Society Newsletter. Don E. Schaefer, 1297 Deane St., Fayetteville, AR 72703 (501) 521-1229 Internet: [email protected] America-On-Line: [email protected]