Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-20
AN "oLD FAMILY FACTORY.
Ancient Ancestors Furnished by a Vesev
Street Genealogist-C rests ATanufac-
tured to Order-The Coat-of Arms
Business FIourishing.

Street Genealogist- Crests Manufac
tured to Order-The Coat-of Arm
Business FIourishing.
Ne4c YORK. Wcrld
The desire OF many of the millionair,
residents of the city to ornament theIl
| carriages with coats-oi-armS anu uecOrat,
their letter-paper with imported crest,
furnishes work To many persons IN TIT
Ity-crest-searchers and crest-makers.
Inc industry OF crest-making. il an IN
rant one across the water, has certainly
long since LETT Its swaddlIng clothes IL
America and Is now in tull state OIL
/ maturity. Inc crest-makers along Four
/ teeuth street, where the majority of them
reside 81 as TO be within the easy reach OF
ladies who are out shopping and gentle
men VINO pass their afternoons and even
IhSs IN the lObOles of notels,are Il sober, in
/ uuStfIOus class Of tradesmen and arr. max
ing money rapidly.
Mr.. Alexander Steele, a prominent
! crest-maker, receives his orders on the top
Moor ol the building NJ. A. West Four
/ teenth street. MIR. Steele is an eugravpr.
/ ana as pure type OF an American me-
chanlc as b4Oau shoulders. well-deyeloped
muscles and clear countenance could
I create. Mir. Steele Is not persOnall In Ia
| VOr vi crests. lie SAID that, no matter
how many million dollars he mad an of
49, 5pGdh VI uOllalS anu
millions togetner) he would never have a
crest ON his letter-paper. lie EMPLOYS
nall dozen Workmcu. just below his
workshop there is "a dancing hall. and IL
Was at nrst supposed That the near pres
ehce OF thus institution mad caused SO
many dancing lions aud horses To appear
ON the crests. This, however, he ex-
planned was not the TACT. MIR. Steele very
coufIeously gave his views on crests and
cOdtS-OI-drms.
Nearly every one can have a crest.v
sald Mr.. Steele. people are decen
dants OF families, ana OF course if their
family has crest they have Il right to use
it."
How do you receive your orders tor
crestSV' was asked.
"Generaljy through the large jewelry
houses. Sometime, the person comes TO
us directly. No." sand Mr. steele, 1.-THE
families do not always have their gem
ealOglcal Histories with them. But then
Cnls Is easily obtained, they tell me their
names. 1 look the name up in book. |
get the name, aud then nave the crest
and coat-Of-arms."
"HaYe you ever failed to find the
name?'
Never, sir. Crests cost from $40 TO
@lVO. l remember some One-I cannot re-
call the name-who had his crest set in
diamonds and gold, and the cost must have
been something fabulous"
wv no are the persons who desire crests
mOst?"
well, ladies and effemina.e men. A
good clear-headed man doesen't want
crest. Ladies, of course. like to have
them, and the dude dreams of the time
Wheh he VIII have $50 to get crest and
family history"
"A family history ?"
ION, of course they all have family his
tories.''
do you make many crests?D
well, yes. 1t is very artistic work
and needs good mechanic. All my men
are skilled and do all the Fifth avenue
crests."
M st of the people that have erests, I |
thlnk, really have a right to them. But |
then others who have no crests have equal |
rights, l suppose. l only do the crest /
making. Now, if you want family his I
tories, see John Usher, down in Vesey /
street, or Humphrey. Yes" said MIR. /
Steele, there are a good many people /
crest-making. AS far as | am concerned, /
bring along your crests, they don't do /
much harm and give work to Il good many |
Mr.. John Usher is a somewhat pale
young man, which is not surprising, for i
Mi. Usher passes most of his time in
little box of Il room in avery smoky build
ing in Nesey street.
Mr.. Usher's box has walls of books, and /
Tor pictures cOats-Of-arms and hera die /
emblems. In MIR. Usher'S room is seen /
odd relics of the days of chivalry, bits of
iron ripped from shields in the days of /
Richard The LiOn-Hearted, and old arrows
which Friar Tuck might have used when
not saying his prayers. Some of Mr..
Usher's books are notwithstanding vol /
umes, tattered and torn from years of
usage, but still serviceable. Mr.. Usher's
father was a genealOgIst, a man that
could trace family history back
further than any other known genealog-
ist.
When Mr.. Usher, Sr., died, his son sold
bis library, never thinking that he was
destined to start a college of heraldry. He
did not start one, however, and though
most OF his books We're gone, enough
were kept to read all the secrets of the
past. MIR. Usher spoke very highly OF his
Ouissiness, and thought that every man 1
should be acquainted with the history OF
bis ancestors.
Vesoy street blooms with colleges of
heraldry, for not far from Mr.. Usher's |
place there is another office. When the
stated his errand jolly red
faced genealogist offered to explain every
thing to him. The people wanted crests,
he said, because they were getting rich,
and the richer they grew the bigger the
crests would grow, AMI one day everyone
who was anyone would have > crest and
then those on the top Of the heap would
assume the titles OF their families-why
not? The genealogst took down heapOf
crests and offered to translate all the mot
toes on the crests. He said he had made
enough money to retire, but he thought
the translations were due the public.