MyHeritage.com Propogates Heraldry Blunder

 
Jeffrey Boyd Garrison
 
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Jeffrey Boyd Garrison
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04 June 2011 17:10
 

Just encountered this blog post: http://blog.myheritage.com/tag/family_crest/ for MyHeritage.com which was made in February of last year.

The geneology website MyHeritage allows users to create a "family crest" (and yes, this is SIC in bucket shop style) for assumption and display using what appears to be Flash and clip art. After looking at some horrible examples of the worst kind of heraldry, my already low opinion of MyHeritage sank to the bottom.

 
j.carrasco
 
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j.carrasco
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04 June 2011 17:15
 

I love that someone in the comments tried to clarify and correct the situatuion and was immediately shot down.

 
Andemicael
 
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Andemicael
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04 June 2011 17:37
 

Contest is long over, but whatever, I took the liberty of adding some references to the AHS. Seems a great chance to educate people with an interest in heraldry but little info.

http://blog.myheritage.com/2010/02/design-your-family-crest-contest-1/#comment-7052

 
 
J. Stolarz
 
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J. Stolarz
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05 June 2011 11:42
 

I ran across that little heraldry created a few months ago.  It’s really pathetic to say the least.  Since heraldry is so based around genealogy, one would think that a genealogy website could at least get it right.

 
davidappleton
 
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davidappleton
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09 June 2011 11:01
 

J. Stolarz;84116 wrote:

Since heraldry is so based around genealogy, one would think that a genealogy website could at least get it right.


I think L.G. Pine, in his little book "Heraldry and Genealogy" said it best:

 

"At the outset there is a curious fact in the relationship between the two subjects.  While students of Heraldry do take to Genealogy and acquire a considerable knowledge of it, those who begin as genealogists seldom if ever take any interest in Heraldry.  This is most unfortunate because the two subjects are necessarily connected."

 

Genealogy websites aren’t going to get it right until genealogists take more of an interest in heraldry.  I’m doing what I can to make that happen (one of my most popular presentations is entitled "An Introduction to Heraldry for Genealogists"), but it’s a very long row to hoe.

 

David

 
J. Stolarz
 
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J. Stolarz
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09 June 2011 11:08
 

davidappleton;84544 wrote:

"At the outset there is a curious fact in the relationship between the two subjects.  While students of Heraldry do take to Genealogy and acquire a considerable knowledge of it, those who begin as genealogists seldom if ever take any interest in Heraldry.  This is most unfortunate because the two subjects are necessarily connected."


That is very well put, and curiously accurate.  In the years that I’ve been working on genealogy, I’ve encountered this attitude on numerous occasions.  Unfortunately there seems to be very little one can actually do to increase the knowledge of heraldry for the average genealogist.  Every time I encounter a fellow genealogist with a connection to my own tree, I try to educate them when I see bucketshop heraldry plastered all over their own tree.  What’s funny is that most genealogists seem to find heraldry attractive and interesting to the point that they’re excited to add it to their tree information…but not interested enough to do any research and learn more about it.

 
Kenneth Mansfield
 
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Kenneth Mansfield
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09 June 2011 11:18
 

davidappleton;84544 wrote:

Genealogy websites aren’t going to get it right until genealogists take more of an interest in heraldry.  I’m doing what I can to make that happen (one of my most popular presentations is entitled "An Introduction to Heraldry for Genealogists"), but it’s a very long row to hoe.


And we appreciate what you are doing, David!

 
 
davidappleton
 
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davidappleton
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13 June 2011 17:05
 

Thanks for that comment, Kenneth!  I enjoy what I do in giving presentations about heraldry to genealogists, but sometimes it feels a little like trying to bail out the Titanic with a teaspoon.

David

 
J. Stolarz
 
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J. Stolarz
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13 June 2011 21:20
 

davidappleton;84753 wrote:

Thanks for that comment, Kenneth!  I enjoy what I do in giving presentations about heraldry to genealogists, but sometimes it feels a little like trying to bail out the Titanic with a teaspoon.

David


Is it just a lack of interest?  Or the feeling that something like heraldry is moot compared to birth certificates and marriage records? wink

 
Jeremy Keith Hammond
 
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Jeremy Keith Hammond
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14 June 2011 11:26
 

I’ve been invited to do a 6-minute "Pecha-Kucha" presentation, talking about heraldry and misconceptions about the subject later this year.

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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14 June 2011 12:01
 

davidappleton;84544 wrote:

I think L.G. Pine, in his little book "Heraldry and Genealogy" said it best:

"At the outset there is a curious fact in the relationship between the two subjects. While students of Heraldry do take to Genealogy and acquire a considerable knowledge of it, those who begin as genealogists seldom if ever take any interest in Heraldry. This is most unfortunate because the two subjects are necessarily connected."


Although I’m mostly a fan of Pine’s, I don’t think this is entirely correct.  Depending on the country and the level of society one is researching, it’s quite possible to do genealogy very well without knowing anything about heraldry.  African-Americans, for example, are unlikely to find heraldry much help in tracing their ancestors from Guinea or Benin.  I have no idea how many people are in my Family Tree Maker files—probably thousands, with some lines going back into the 17th century—and while I’ve hit a few who seem to have had a good claim to arms, I have yet to encounter a situation where knowing that would have helped me.

 

Doing serious heraldic research is probably more likely to require some genealogical skills, but the opposite simply isn’t true until one’s research hits a period, location, and social stratum where the use of heraldry was prevalent.

 
J. Stolarz
 
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J. Stolarz
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14 June 2011 12:03
 

That’s pretty exciting.  Though I’m not sure 6 minutes is anywhere near enough time :D

 
Kathy McClurg
 
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Kathy McClurg
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14 June 2011 21:03
 

Jeremy Corbally-Hammond;84791 wrote:

I’ve been invited to do a 6-minute "Pecha-Kucha" presentation, talking about heraldry and misconceptions about the subject later this year.


That looks like fun… hasn’t found it’s way to VA Beach..