New Article: Clinton

 
Michael Swanson
 
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Michael Swanson
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28 June 2006 10:14
 

The news articles have been updated with two entries: the Clinton arms and the new AHS store, with introductions by Fr. Guy.  The presidential series is nearing completion—kudos to Joseph McMillan!

Mike

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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28 June 2006 11:31
 

Nearing completion… I wish!  I keep turning up complications and new possibilities:  we have Ronald Reagan to go for sure, probably the Harrisons (very complicated) and Cleveland, a report of arms used by Woodrow Wilson, arms used (if briefly) by Jefferson, the "grants" by the American College of Arms or whatever they called themselves to LBJ and Nixon, a murky picture of the arms of Zachary Taylor that I need to run down, and a text in German that I have to decipher on the possible arms of Herbert Hoover (Hubers of Oberkulm, Aargau, Switzerland).  Arms reported for the families of Pierce, Van Buren, and Coolidge to be researched.  And then who knows what else?

 
Nicolas Vernot
 
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Nicolas Vernot
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28 June 2006 12:46
 

From what I have heard from France, there could be something about a woman to come !

Nicolas

 

PS : and congratulations for your article, Joe.

 
Guy Power
 
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Guy Power
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28 June 2006 14:41
DRShorey
 
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DRShorey
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28 June 2006 17:34
 

Howdy,

The link to the Kennedy Page in the Clinton Article is a bad link and results in a page not found.

 

Dave

 
Michael Swanson
 
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Michael Swanson
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28 June 2006 18:02
 

DRShorey wrote:

Howdy,

The link to the Kennedy Page in the Clinton Article is a bad link and results in a page not found.

 

Dave


Thanks for spotting this.

 
arriano
 
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arriano
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28 June 2006 18:20
 

Joseph McMillan wrote:

Nearing completion… I wish!  I keep turning up complications and new possibilities:  we have Ronald Reagan to go for sure, probably the Harrisons (very complicated) and Cleveland, a report of arms used by Woodrow Wilson, arms used (if briefly) by Jefferson, the "grants" by the American College of Arms or whatever they called themselves to LBJ and Nixon, a murky picture of the arms of Zachary Taylor that I need to run down, and a text in German that I have to decipher on the possible arms of Herbert Hoover (Hubers of Oberkulm, Aargau, Switzerland).  Arms reported for the families of Pierce, Van Buren, and Coolidge to be researched.  And then who knows what else?


Well, look at it this way: Eight down, only 35 to go!

 

Another well-researched and interesting article to this fine series. I noted that the translation of the motto for the Clinton arms is slightly different in the blazon at the top than it is the the text.

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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28 June 2006 22:35
 

I think the book from the OCHI was building some interpretation of the motto into the translation.  The translation given with the blazon was based on some exchanges with a couple of Irish heraldists.  Certainly "an leon" means "the lion," not "the lion champion," and according to my contacts "an chraobh" means "the branch" rather than "the branch of victory."  Perhaps our resident Gaelic linguist can clarify for us.

 
Donnchadh
 
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Donnchadh
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29 June 2006 00:28
 

Quote:

...and according to my contacts "an chraobh" means "the branch" rather than "the branch of victory."


Dead on the nail Joe! The only way it could be seen as relating to "the branch of victory" would be in relation to the Creagh family of Thomond (Clare and Limerick), but that has to do with a specific incident in that family’s past which gave them the name in the first place! So, it would have nothing whatsoever to do with President Clinton and for people to say so is a serious stretch IMHO.

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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29 June 2006 08:10
 

Thanks for the verification.

Although in defense of the CHI, I’m not sure the explanation of the meaning is necessarily a stretch.  After all, the explanation was written by the people who assigned Clinton the motto and designed the arms, so presumably they knew what they had in mind.  But there’s a difference between a translation and an explanation, and it’s the former that I wanted to capture in the blazon.

 

Anyway, the use of a branch of some sacred species of tree (palm, laurel, oak) as a symbol of victory or success is widespread in many cultures.  One widely used motto in heraldry is Palmam qui meruit ferat, "Let him bear the palm who has deserved it" (Lord Nelson, University of Southern California, Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, among many others).  So even if the Irish epic from which the motto (and the branch-bearing lion) pertains to a specific family, there’s no reason it shouldn’t be drawn upon as a source of symbolism for someone else.

 
Donnchadh
 
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Donnchadh
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29 June 2006 12:59
 

From Dr. Éamonn Mac Giolla Iasachta (Edward MacLysaght), M.A., D.Litt., MRIA in his work, “IRISH FAMILIES, Their Names, Arms and Origins”


Quote:

CREAGH, This name presents one of the few examples of a cognomen superseding an original surname. The Creaghs are a branch of the O’Neills of Clare, the tradition being that in a battle with the Norsemen at Limerick they carried green branches with them. The Irish word craobhach is the adjective formed from the noun craobh, a branch: Craobhach is the Irish form of the surname. This tradition is, of course, the raison d’être of the laurel branches in the Creagh coat of arms and crest.


And those arms are: Argent, a chevron Gules, between three laurel branches Vert, on a chief Azure, as many bezants. And the crest is: A horse’s head erased Argent, caparisoned Gules, in the headstall of the bridle a laurel branch Vert. The motto is found in both Irish and Latin. For what that’s all worth…

 

It makes sense that this sort of motto is used often. Anyway good job Joe.

 

P.S. I can’t wait for the President Reagan arms, as he is an Irishman and went to Ireland once for certain, and maybe twice, or, else it was to Ireland and then to NI, I can’t remember, but got his arms not from Ireland! Whereas the Irish heritage of President Clinton is rather small and he got one from Ireland. You gotta love politics. smile Anyway the Reagan series should be as interesting as the others.

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
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29 June 2006 14:11
 

Well (as President Reagan would say), you can at least see my rendering of the arms, even though the article isn’t written yet.

http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeohzt4/Reagan/reagan.png

 
Donnchadh
 
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Donnchadh
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29 June 2006 15:35
 

Very nice Joe. I love each of the president’s arms I’ve seen. I like Eisenhower’s, Kennedy’s, both Roosevelt’s, Clinton’s, and Reagan’s. It is nice to see our presidents having such nice arms. I really like this series! Kudos for whoever came up with the idea and to you for doing it – very cool.

 
arriano
 
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arriano
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29 June 2006 18:19
 

I’ll be very interested in your article about Reagan’s arms. From what I can tell, he and John Adams are the only ones who seem to have gone out of their way to have an arms created for themselves—the others either being inherited or received as gifts. Therefore, I assume Reagan had some purpose in mind for his arms.