Searching for that Family Crest but Can't seem to Find it? There is a reason for that!

So you’ve probably landed on this page looking for information on how to find your family crest right? Well, if you want to know the truth, keep reading, otherwise continue on in your ignorant search and leave this page pronto and do another search for 'Find my Family crest'.

You see, I was always lead to believe that every family had one and promised myself that one day I'd make it a life's mission to find mine and display it in a prominent position with great pride. Although I didn't quite understand what it all meant, especially the family coat of arms, I didn't care as it just sounded so regal.

As promised, I set off on a journey into the unknown in a somewhat blind search for our family crest. What I found was not what I was expecting and I uncovered some disappointing facts about it all. I also learned about the so called family coat of arms, and once again, the excitement began to drain out of what I thought was to be an exciting search, a treasure hunt if you like!

It’s important to note that a family crest and a coat of arms are not the same thing, which comes as a surprise to some people. In actual fact, there is a marked difference between the two. Many people searching for these items are also unaware that when they are looking for their family crest, what they are actually doing is looking for a particular part of a coat of arms.

What I found out was that the crest is actually a portion of the coat of arms that summarizes an individual’s achievements. You can have a coat of arms without having a crest. If the individual has no achievements then he has no object that represents his accomplishments, of course. Take note that I am using the word “individual” here.

I use “individual” because I discovered when I was trying to find my family crest that there is no such thing, at least in Scotland. This was painfully disappointing. No person can lay claim to another person’s crest even if he is a descendant. I so desperately wanted to find my family crest only discover that there is no such thing.

There’s no question of doubt, the internet is a wonderful place for any kind of research, for finding answers to questions, and all that jazz, but there’s also a lot of misinformation out there on the information super highway too, and this is also true with the bunkum offers of a free family crest which will actually equate to diddlysquat.

You see, a coat of arms as well as a crest is presented to an individual. The descendants really have no stake in the actions and achievements of their ancestors. This makes perfect sense. The daughter of an Oscar-winning actress does not get an Oscar as well. She may inherit the object but she did not achieve the award herself if that makes sense.

This is only fair even when it comes to an effort to find my family crest. Even if I found an ancestor’s coat of arms I would not be allowed to stake a claim by wearing the item. I can, however, display it in my home as an object of conversation and that is something that one can do with some pride.

Many sites are also trying to sell family crests, but it is important to keep in mind that many of these are not supported by the country of Scotland. The best way to find my family crest was to find out more about the individuals who make up my ancestry, but be warned, this can get quite addictive once you get on a roll.

Actually, I should have begun there in the first place. The individuals who came before me are far more important than a coat of arms, and you might be surprised what you manage to dig up from the archives of the family ancestry. If nothing else, it will certainly take you on an interesting journey.

Remebmer the Warning!

The family crest arms, or family crest coat of arms I should say, is a nice idea in theory, and I'm sure every family would love to display their unique family crest and coat of arms proudly around the home, but the reality is that there is no such thing as the Family Coat of Arms, as arms are actually granted only to individuals by right of patent. However, this doesn't stop the search and despite all the writings about this, many folks continue to dispute and purse their own family coat of arms regardless.

By Bob Mann

Readers Comments.

Discovering your Family Crest – submitted by George Fame Thank you George More people these days seem interested in tracing their roots, their ancestry if you like, and I first saw real evidence of this when I visited Australia. The Ozzies are obsessed with it, as they dig around into the murky past trying to find out what criminal stock they came from, if any. But now we in the USA are also going through a bit of an identity crises, as we try to track our family surname and discover the family crest and coat of arms. There are many great resources for this online, but as this article points out, some of it may not be quite as it seems. There must be more to this than meets the eye because there is no seeming letup of people trying to discover their family crest, no matter what the supposed facts of disappointment appear to be. Folks, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you will NOT find a family coat of arms for a family surname, as they are awarded to individuals and not families or surnames.