Mr Jankovic already talked about this on a previous post but I feel to post another one regarding this subject.
I will summarize some issues. This is an informative post. Members are free to go and do what they want. But please be adviced we warn you on purchasing and gathering info from commercial enterprices without the source information and the genealogical data. First do your research and then find a factual proof. This means that:
1. Not all families have a coat of arms,
2. As stipulated before by mister Jankovic, coats or arms cannot be bought. This practice is illegal. If you wish an artist to paint or wood carve your coat of arms that is something different. But they cannot be bought.
3. All coats of arms are registered in Serbia, the proper institute for this is the Heraldic organisation the White Eagle. You can contact them through us, only if you have factual indication through genealogical research that there is a specific coat of arms for the family in question.
4. The White Eagle, the SGS and the SGF are non-profit proffesional organizations. Others on the net are not and wish to make profit. Keep this in mind. The cases of fraud concerning arms is high.
The tradition of the Coats of arms is a European heritage which was used even before AD. Most families during medieval times earned crests and titles. There are a lot of families who don’t have a legacy like the one described. This doesn’t make the family less important nor active. Using a coat of arms cannot give any right to a title nor lands. Heraldic research is highly connected with genealogical research, they both fall under the same umbrella of Family Research and are intertwined with each other.
Yes you may create your own coat of arms, however we do not encourage this practise since it will “polute” the field and it does not contribute in any way to your own genealogy, nor that the field in general. It will only create more confusion. If you do create your own coat of arms, you are obliged to state the year of creation.
Again, you need a genealogical tree. Please base your research on facts.
Both the SGF and the White Eagle have a similar opinion on the registration of new arms and for the commercial enterprices that move around on the genealogical field. We will however ( both organizations ) bring out a statement this year as both organizations are moving closer to intense cooperation on this field and others.
