The American Heraldry Society is a learned society that promotes the study of heraldry and education of U.S. citizens about heraldry. The organization also advocates the legal protection of armorial bearings in the U.S. and the development of a distinctly American heraldic tradition. The date of establishment or date of founding of an institution is the date on which that institution chooses to claim as its starting point. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 2003 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos and other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML... Heraldry in its most general sense encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of officers of arms. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... Heraldry is the science and art of describing coats-of-arms, also referred to as achievements or armorial bearings. ...

Organization History

The arms of the American Heraldry Society as emblazoned by Joseph McMillan

The arms of the American Heraldry Society as emblazoned by Rev. Denis Towner (including the fimbriation on the chief that was used by The Society during 2004 and 2005)

The Society was formed on 5 November 2003 by Thomas Shehan and others who followed a thread on the Usenet rec.heraldry newsgroup discussing the need for an American heraldic authority. Initial membership grew rather quickly as word of the organization's birth spread, and now includes members from around the world, including the United Kingdom and Australia; most member interaction occurs on the Society's internet forum. Image File history File links Arms42c. ... Image File history File links Arms42c. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 2003 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Usenet (USEr NETwork) is a global, decentralized, distributed Internet discussion system that evolved from a general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name. ...

The current president of the Society is David R. Shorey, of California. Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

Society Coat of Arms

The coat of arms of the American Heraldry Society are blazoned Gules an American Bald Eagle proper displayed on a Chief Azure three Escutcheons Argent. The eagle on the red field alludes to the Society's purpose of promoting heraldry in the U.S. and the escutcheons refer to heraldry; the tinctures gules, argent, and azure also allude to the U.S. For a short time after the adoption of the arms, an argent fimbriation was included on the chief, but this has since been removed. A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... This is an article about Heraldry. ... Binomial name Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766) The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a raptor that is indigenous to North America, and is the national symbol of the United States of America. ... For a list of words with definitions, see the Heraldic tincture category of words in Wiktionary, the free dictionary In heraldry, tinctures are the colours used to blazon a coat of arms. ... In heraldry and vexillology, fimbriation refers to small strips of colour placed around common charges or ordinaries in order for them to stand out from the background. ...

Society Mission

Educational Goals

The Society's education mission is headed by Joseph McMillan, the Director of Education. The Society undertakes an education program to increase the heraldic knowledge of Americans. One of its primary concerns is to combat popular misconceptions about heraldry. These misconceptions include: Ernest Oliver Joseph McMillan (born 18 December 1953 in Montgomery, Alabama) is a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies. ...

• Heraldry is snobby, pretentious and anti-egalitarian;
• The study of heraldry and its use belong to an "old world" sensibility that was shrugged off during the War of Independence; and
• There are such things as "family-name coat of arms" (i.e. a coat of arms which may be borne by anyone who has a particular surname).

The last fallacy–that there are family-name coat of arms–is the most destructive to heraldic practice in America. The false pairing of coats of arms with surnames is aggressively promoted by hundreds of American heraldry bucket shops, i.e., businessmen who, for profit, provide unsuspecting people with bogus armorial bearings. For example, bucket shops will sell arms borne by someone named "Smith" to thousands of Smiths who have no direct ancestral relation. Bucket shop is a colloquial phrase which refers to different kinds of businesses, each of which is a scam. ...

The Society publishes educational material on its website, and is currently conducting a survey of all personal coats of arms used by former U.S. Presidents; the presidential series articles were alluded to in a 2006 New York Times article on the Army Institute of Heraldry.^[1] The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...

After extensive discussion and debate, the Society's directors recently approved and published Guidelines for Heraldic Practice in the United States on its website. This work outlines a uniquely American standard for creating and displaying coats of arms.

Legal Goals

Prior to the American Revolution, the College of Arms in England served as the heraldic authority for the granting of arms to American colonists. British heraldic regulation and protection in America effectively ended with the Continental Army's victory in the war. John Trumbulls Declaration of Independence, showing the five-man committee in charge of drafting the Declaration in 1776 as it presents its work to the Second Continental Congress The American Revolution refers to the period during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen Colonies that... The entrance of the College of Arms. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total...

Currently, United States law, including trademark and copyright law, does not adequately protect coats of arms used by individuals and organizations not engaged in business. Thus, many armorial bearings in the United States enjoy no legal protections to prevent their unauthorized use. There are several private organizations in the United States that register coats of arms. While private registration may prevent unintentional usurpation, it offers no legal protection.

The Society seeks to discuss and, if helpful, recommend new policies that will offer some protection to individuals and organizations who wish to prevent their arms from being usurped.

References

See also

• Académie Internationale d'Héraldique
• American College of Heraldry
• College of Arms Foundation
• The Heraldry Society
• Heraldry Society of Scotland
• Royal Heraldry Society of Canada
• Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland
• Committee on Heraldry of the New England Historic Genealogical Society
• United States Heraldic Registry

LAcadémie Internationale dHéraldique (also known as the International Academy Of Heraldry) is a prestigious body that was founded in Paris in 1949 to bring together experts in heraldry representing the various areas of the world. ... The coat of arms of the American College of Heraldry. ... The coat of arms of the College of Arms Foundation. ... Establised in 1947, The Heraldry Society is one of the leading societies dedicated to the study of heraldry in all its forms. ... The Heraldry Society of Scotland was founded in 1977 with the objective of promoting the study of heraldry and encouraging its correct use in Scotland and Overseas. ... The Royal Heraldry Society of Canada is a Canadian organization that promotes the art and science of Canadian Heraldry. ... The Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland, (sometimes incorrectly called the Office of Arms) is the Republic of Irelands authority on all heraldic matters relating to Ireland and is located at the National Library of Ireland. ... Established in 1864, the Committee on Heraldry of the New England Historic Genealogical Society is the worlds oldest non-governmental body primarily concerned with heraldry. ... The coat of arms of the United States Heraldic Registry. ...

External link

• American Heraldry Society