Joseph McMillan wrote:

Although I’ve never conducted any research there—or even thought about it except in fantasies—I believe the most likely place for this information in Spain would be the General Archive of the Indies in Seville.

Another approach would be to track down living members of the old Californio families and see what heirlooms of armorial interest have survived—porcelain, silver, seals, tapestries, etc.  The fashion of armorial tombstones had largely died out (so to speak) in the East by the time California was settled, but if that wasn’t the case in the Spanish areas it may also be possible to find arms in old cemeteries, if they have survived.  Also perhaps carved on ranch houses or in mission churches, etc.

Another possible source might be seals on old documents. But I have to say, I’ve seen a number of homes and graves of early Californios and I’ve never seen any use of heraldry. Not that it isn’t out there, but I have yet to see it.

snelson;1258 wrote:

http://www.palmettohistory.org/exhibits/GreatSeals/pages/Obverse.htm

http://www.palmettohistory.org/exhibits/GreatSeals/pages/Reverse.htm

Hi all,

I can’t remember if this has already been posted here or not, but here is a photo of the reverse of another impression of the seal of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina featuring the arms of the Lords Proprietors:

http://library.sc.edu/spcoll/hist/lords/lords1.jpg

http://library.sc.edu/spcoll/hist/lords/lords3.jpg

This document is in the University of South Carolina Library’s Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.  According to their website:
Quote:

...this remarkable document is a grant or patent from the Lords Proprietors of South Carolina, dated 1699. It was issued to an Englishman named John Wyche (a relative of the then-Palatine or chief Proprietor), and conferred on him the status of Landgrave, with the right to claim 48,000 acres of land between Cape Fear and the Savannah River. In the late 1690’s, the Lords Proprietors were anxious to implement their elaborate scheme for a colonial landed aristocracy, in an attempt to stabilize Carolina politics…the grant is engrossed on vellum, with the Great Seal of the Proprietors still attached. It is one of only two such 17th century documents known to survive with their seal (the other, from 1672, is at the S.C. Department of Archives and History)...http://library.sc.edu/spcoll/hist/lords/lords.html

The 1672 impression of the seal can be seen in the link posted above in 2006.  That image is larger than the image of the 1699 seal.  It is difficult to tell, but the 1699 impression appears to have survived in better condition with sharper detail on the arms.  Perhaps it had better protection from the skippet or rim around the edge of the seal?

Here is a link to an English translation of the 1699 document:http://library.sc.edu/spcoll/hist/lords/lords2.html

Sebastian, thanks so much for sharing.  Much appreciated!