The American Heraldry Society

Founding Fathers

Arms of Signers of the Constitution

• ARM NAME BLAZON COMMENTS
• 

  Baldwin, Abraham (Georgia)
• 

  Bassett, Richard (Delaware)
• 

  Bedford, Gunning, Jr. (Delaware)

  [Argent?] three lions' gambs couped erect within a bordure engrailed Sable.

  Tombstone, Immanuel Church, Wilmington, Del.

• 

  Blair, John Blair (Virginia)
• 

  Blount, William (North Carolina)

  Or three twigs fesswise throughout in pale fructed Sable, impaling Or three chevronels Gules (for Clare?).

  Bookplate attributed to the signer's great-great grandfather James Blount; seal of the signer's brother Jacob. Apparently a misrepresentation of the arms of Blount of Kinlet Barry nebuly of six Or and Sable. The sinister impalement is traditionally interpreted as being for Clare, and is so shown, but may in fact be for Lewkenor. See this essay on the arms of James Blount.

• 

  Brearly, David (New Jersey)

  Argent a cross potent in dexter chief a fleur-de-lys Gules.

  Bookplate in the collection of the University of British Columbia Library.

• 

  Broom, Jacob (Delaware)
• 

  Butler, Pierce (South Carolina)

  Or a chief indented Azure a bordure indented Ermine.

  The signer was the third son of Sir Richard Butler, Bt., who bore Or a chief indented Azure a martlet for difference and a canton of Ulster. From New England Historical Genealogical Society Roll of Arms, No. 369.

• 

  Carroll, Daniel (Maryland)

  Argent two lions combatant Gules supporting a sword proper hilted and pommelled Or. (Possible arms).

  These arms were used by the Carrolls of Doughoregan and Carrollton, including Charles Carroll of Carrollton who signed the Declaration of Independence. It is believed that Daniel Carroll was a cousin of this family, but it is not certain that he used these arms.

• 

  Clymer, George (Pennsylvania)
• 

  Dayton, Jonathan (New Jersey)
• 

  Dickinson, John (Delaware)

  Azure a fess between two lions passant Erminois.

  Bookplate; hatchment at Philadelphia Library Company.

• 

  Few, William (Georgia)
• 

  FitzSimons, Thomas (Pennsylvania)
• 

  Franklin, Benjamin (Pennsylvania)

  Argent on a bend between two lions' heads erased Gules a dolphin embowed Argent between two martlets Or.

  Personal seal. Franklin, his elder brother John, and his illegitimate son William (the royal governor of New Jersey) all bore these arms. They also appear the seal of office Benjamin Franklin used jointly with Robert Hunter as co-Postmasters General of British North America.

• 

  Gilman, Nicholas (New Hampshire)

  Sable a man’s leg palewise couped at the thigh Argent.

  Memorial to the signer's distant cousin Samuel Gilman, Hingham, Mass.; also used by the Exeter, N.H., branch of the family. Her. Jl. I:150-51.

• 

  Gorham, Nathaniel (Massachusetts)
• 

  Hamilton, Alexander (New York)

  Quarterly, Gules a mullet Argent between three cinquefoils Ermine, and Gules a heart Or between three cinquefoils Ermine.

  On a bookplate inscribed Alexr. Hamilton, Esq., and traditionally (but perhaps incorrectly) attributed to the signer. Arms almost identical to these were matriculated in Scotland's Lyon Office in the name of Hamilton of Udstone, to which the signer was only remotely connected; it is not clear on what basis he would have used them. Alexander Hamilton's paternal line, the Hamiltons of Grange, bore Gules a lion rampant Argent between three cinquefoils Ermine. Under Scottish armorial law, Alexander Hamilton would have been entitled to matriculate a version of these arms differenced for his father's status as a younger son and his own illegitimacy.

• 

  Ingersoll, Jared (Pennsylvania)

  Or two pallets Gules.

  Bookplate of the signer.

• 

  Jenifer, Daniel of St. Thomas (Maryland)
• 

  Johnson, William Samuel (Connecticut)

  Argent a chevron between three lions' heads couped at the neck Gules crowned Or.

  Bookplate.

• 

  King, Rufus (Massachusetts)

  Sable a lion rampant Ermine between three crosses paty fitchy Or.

  Silver and bookplate.

• 

  Langdon, John (New Hampshire)
• 

  Livingston, William (New Jersey)

  Quarterly, 1st and 4th grand quarters Argent three gilly-flowers slipped Gules within a double tressure flory-counterflory Vert; 2nd grand quarter quarterly, 1st and 4th Gules on a chevron Argent two lions pulling at a rose Gules (for Hepburn), 2nd and 3rd Argent three martlets Gules (for Gourlay); 3rd grand quarter Sable a bend between six billets Or (for Callender).

  Bookplate printed in The Curio, p. 62 (1888)

• 

  Madison, James (Virginia)

  There is no evidence that Madison ever used or was entitled to the arms sometimes attributed to him, ‘’Quarterly, 1st and 4th Argent two axes in saltire Sable; 2nd and 3rd Argent on a chevron Sable a mullet Silver.’’

• 

  McHenry, James (Maryland)
• 

  Mifflin, Thomas (Pennsylvania)

  Or a chevron Azure in sinister chief a mullet of six points Gules.

  Seal of John Mifflin, the signer's father.

• 

  Morris, Gouverneur (Pennsylvania)

  Quarterly, 1st and 4th Gules a lion rampant guardant Or; 2nd and 3rd Argent three torteaux in fess.

  From the seal of Lewis Morris, first lord of the manor of Morrisania, N.Y., 1697, grandfather of the signer. However, the signer's own bookplate shows the lion guardant, not regardant.)

• 

  Morris, Robert (Pennsylvania)
• 

  Paterson, William (New Jersey)
• 

  Pinckney, Charles (South Carolina)

  Argent five lozenges conjoined in pale within a bordure engrailed Sable.

  Bookplate.

• 

  Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth (South Carolina)

  Argent five lozenges conjoined in pale within a bordure engrailed Sable.

  First cousin once removed of Charles Pinckney and presumed to have borne the same arms.

• 

  Read, George (Delaware)

  Gules a saltire between four garbs Or.

  Attributed to the signer by Vermont.

• 

  Rutledge, John (South Carolina)

  Argent a chevron compony Azure and Gules between three crescents Gules.

  Used as temporary seal when he was president of the independent government in 1776. The chevron is sometimes blazoned as Azure charged with three lozenges Gules, but this would violate the rule of tincture.

• 

  Sherman, Roger (Connecticut)

  Or a lion rampant Sable between three oak leaves Vert.

  Watercolor owned by the signer at time of his death, 1793. Crozier says the arms were granted to a Leicestershire family in 1619, but the Connecticut Shermans apparently came from Dedham, Essex.

• 

  Spaight, Richard Dobbs (North Carolina)

  Argent on a fess Gules three pheons [of the field?].

  Bookplate.

• 

  Washington, George (Virginia)

  Argent two bars in chief three mullets Gules.

  See [[President.Washington">"The Arms of George Washington."

• 

  Williamson, Hugh (North Carolina)

  Sable a cross potent Or.

  Watercolor in collection of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

• 

  Wilson, James (Pennsylvania)