Does anyone have a better way of contacting the United States Heraldic Registry other than using the message function on their site? I have messaged them a couple of times wanting to register my arms but I never get a reply. i would also like to purchase a copy of my registration but I am scared to if they dont reply to my messages.

The registry is run by Michael Swanson, and nobody seems able to contact him.  The lack of activity of USHR has come under question numerous times here on the message board.

I think the USHR can be declared defunct.

It is too bad – offering free armorial registration, offset by charging for design assistance and emblazonments – it was a good idea.

Rather than end, I had wished that Mr Swanson had taken on additional help (it had been a one-man show).  He could have remained at the helm as “Director of the USHR” or whatever, with various volunteers to help (perhaps one as an "Associate Director" to just handle the registration-side so that he could focus on the design-side).  But, alas, it seem to be no more.

I feel like a broken record, but I’m going to keep saying it until somebody listens.  I really think Michael should either pass USHR on to somebody else to run if he no longer has the time, or take on a couple of volunteers to help with it.  I think there would be people more than willing to help out, myself included.  Having a free registry is really nice for the average person who doesn’t want to spend several hundred dollars registering with some of these organizations.

Agreed, I know there are lots of people who would benefit from continuing the work of the USHR. Heck, even if you asked for a very modest $20.00 or so for a new registration, it would still be far more affordable than the other big "Registries".

I was hoping to register mine because my clan will honor me as an armiger if I can get registered and my formal adoption into the clan is approved by our chief.

The other orginizations want an arm and a leg and I already have all my artwork done so I don’t need them to do that.

Is there a reason the The American Heraldry Society doesnt have a registry or possibly take over the registry from Michael?

David Fofanoff;87254 wrote:

Agreed, I know there are lots of people who would benefit from continuing the work of the USHR. Heck, even if you asked for a very modest $20.00 or so for a new registration, it would still be far more affordable than the other big "Registries".

Free is best, but as long as the fee is kept "nominal" then I think the egalitarian nature of the endeavor would be preserved.

harold cannon;87255 wrote:

I was hoping to register mine because my clan will honor me as an armiger if I can get registered and my formal adoption into the clan is approved by our chief.

The other orginizations want an arm and a leg and I already have all my artwork done so I don’t need them to do that.

 

Is there a reason the The American Heraldry Society doesnt have a registry or possibly take over the registry from Michael?

I think the primary problem is that nobody has been able to get in touch with Michael for over a year.  As far as the AHS is concerned – I think it was decided long ago not to get into the registration business.

Thats too bad there are some really talented people here and the work load could be spread out amongst the many members.

I just contacted the New England Historic Genealogical Society and they stated that they were not doing registration anymore. They will help with research but not registration which leaves the Augustan Society or the American College of Heraldry and they want way too much plus for you to be an annual member. This is insane. I cant find anyone else that does registration so what in the world could I do?

Wow, that’s really surprising regarding the New England Historic Genealogical Society - although the more I think about it, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. When you sent in your registration, you rarely received any confirmation.

As far as USHR, I agree it was a great idea. But I have to imagine that it became somewhat overwhelming. Free is nice, but he probably should have charged at least a nominal fee just to pay for his personal time and the costs of keeping the web site up. I hope it’s just a temporary thing, but the more time that goes by the less likely that would appear to be the case.

Doesn’t someone have to pay to keep the USHR website running? If the USHR is really defunct, then why is the site still up?

Interesting about the NEHGSCOH, though my guess is that it, too, was essentially a one-man show and that the NEHGS was simply letting the COH use one of its filing cabinets.

No one knows whether USHR is defunct or not.  Mike Swanson just isn’t returning their emails.  Presumably he’s preoccupied with other priorities at the moment.  Maybe he plans to get back to his hobby when he has time.

I must say that I’m really baffled by the amount of obsessing that’s going on over this.  Registering with the USHR doesn’t do anything more for you than putting your arms in the AHS members’ roll or taking out an ad in your local paper—it just puts your claim to your arms on public record, for whatever good that does.

I’ve sent articles to heraldic and other journals and not heard back for months until they want me to review the proofs.  People have day jobs.  Even in cases where you’re dealing with someone who’s a more-or-less full-time herald, our British friends routinely wait months and in some cases years for their grants of arms to come through.

As for the NEHGS COH, there actually is a committee; I believe the names can be found on the NEHGS website.  I’m aware of an effort under way to modernize their operation, but again the members are all volunteers who can’t be expected to put aside their real lives for the sake of satisfying our needs for instant gratification.

The problem is that I think most Americans want somewhere to actually register their arms, and mentally USHR was the place to do it.  Granted, the plan had its flaws…as we’re seeing with the absence of Michael Swanson.  That flaw being that if the owner disappears, then the registry dies with him.  I think something more solid needs to replace USHR, or USHR needs to take some steps forward to better protecting peoples arms.  Honestly, charging $50 to register an arms is extremely reasonable compared to the options, and that would help take care of website cost and such.  I honestly think that most people would be willing to spend that, to better protect their personal arms.  I really don’t think $300 for registration is a good option, and I really don’t feel it being free is the right option either.

Assuming USHR actually picks itself up and tries to make some steps forward, and doesn’t just roll over and die.  I think they should start charging something to take new registries, and follow the example of Burke’s Peerage & Gentry International Register of Arms, in that they should then publish different volumes of arms they have in the registry in order to better protect them.  I really want to see the United States have some form of arms registration, instead of it just being so up in the air.

"Assuming USHR actually picks itself up and tries to make some steps forward, and doesn’t just roll over and die. I think they should start charging something to take new registries, and follow the example of Burke’s Peerage & Gentry International Register of Arms, in that they should then publish different volumes of arms they have in the registry in order to better protect them. I really want to see the United States have some form of arms registration, instead of it just being so up in the air."

The approach above—charge a fee & publish books (which are then copyrighted)—is essentially what both the ACH & the Augustan Society do, or have done in the past.  Of course there are (were?) differences, but those elements were there.  And of course they both have fees (or membership dues or whatever_—it takes money to run a brick-&-mortar (well, OK, paper & ink) business.  And unfortunately, no private institution is immortal—some last longer than others, but…

When this society was first set up, one of the purposes IIRC was to push (lobby) for some sort of official government registry.  The goals, again IIRC, were protection from infringement and permanency—government agencies never die…

And when we wrote the Guidelines (actually, when Joe wrote the drafts for each section and the rest of us chewed over them) one of the underlying guidelines—in my mind at any rate—was, "if" there ever were to be an official American registry, what guidelines or rules might they need to follow?—so that "if" an official registry were to ever gain traction, they might have a useful set of Guidelines as a starting point for their operation.

All very hypothetical of course—but if some particular practice would be required, forbidden or optional under an official American registry, then it would seem that the "best practice" for Americans absent a registry would be to follow similar guidelines.

The notion of an official registry soon faded as we came to realize (1) just how difficult that would be in a political system that for the most part doesn’t officially recognize personal or familial arms; and (2) the potential pitfalls of allowing a government bureaucracy, likely with questionable skills, to control private heraldry—anywhere from a straight-jacket to an heraldic 007…

I personally still rather like the idea, as an ideal; but for both reasons stated above think it would be both unlikely and risky.  However, the hypothetical analysis—what would or should a proper official registry require, allow, or bar—still IMO is as good an approach as any in considering what is best (or worst or middling) practice for American heraldry.

J. Stolarz;87265 wrote:

The problem is that I think most Americans want somewhere to actually register their arms, and mentally USHR was the place to do it. Granted, the plan had its flaws…as we’re seeing with the absence of Michael Swanson. That flaw being that if the owner disappears, then the registry dies with him. I think something more solid needs to replace USHR, or USHR needs to take some steps forward to better protecting peoples arms. Honestly, charging $50 to register an arms is extremely reasonable compared to the options, and that would help take care of website cost and such. I honestly think that most people would be willing to spend that, to better protect their personal arms. I really don’t think $300 for registration is a good option, and I really don’t feel it being free is the right option either.

Assuming USHR actually picks itself up and tries to make some steps forward, and doesn’t just roll over and die. I think they should start charging something to take new registries, and follow the example of Burke’s Peerage & Gentry International Register of Arms, in that they should then publish different volumes of arms they have in the registry in order to better protect them. I really want to see the United States have some form of arms registration, instead of it just being so up in the air.

There is a place for Americans to register their arms for a very reasonable price and it’s the NEHGS COH.  The society has been around since something like 1845, the COH since the 1860s, and they’ve been recording assumed arms since around 1915.  It’s well established and it’s not going anywhere.

For that matter, I’m not sure that the ACH or Augustan Society are all that unreasonable.  Compare the prices charged by the various German societies; publishing a roll of arms on paper is not cheap.

I have nothing against Burke’s P&G, but it is a commercial enterprise.  The three (or four, counting the USHR) are not.  But if BP&G meets someone’s needs, then they should by all means use it and stop obsessing about the one registry that’s not active.

I think part of the problem with places like NEHGS, is that it isn’t a society specifically dedicated to heraldry.  It’s really a society dedicated to genealogy, with a little wing dedicated to heraldry.  Honestly after skimming their website for 15 minutes or so, I really couldn’t find anything on heraldry…or that they even register arms.

Then while you look at the Augustan Society, and see that they are a bit more dedicated to heraldry, it isn’t really out there and in your face that they register arms, and they don’t have a roll of arms available online.  The most appealing thing about USHR was that you could register your arms, and it would show up on the website, and you could actually look at all the other arms in the system.  It was more out there, obvious, and in your face as to what the purpose of the organization was.