The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-08
CRAZE FOR PEDICREES
Americans Who Crave Coats Of
Arms.
HARRISON'S FAMILY TREE
The Exponents of Democracy
Are Not Adverse to Gen.
ealogical Distlnc-
ton.
From the New York Journal.

gre mas OFTEN OlDeTWlSe
headed citizens in a light where they
must appear ridiculous So far as is
known, President Cleveland has not
set up a pedigree or discovered a coat
of-arms. That former President Har-
rison has fallen a victim to the pedi-
gree habit is vouched for by the we'll
known correspondent. George Alfred
Townsend, who reports that Lewis
Blackford, the pedigree expert in
Washington. recently drew up Mr..
Harrison's genealogy and received 800
for IL.
There are no American titles, but
many titled Americans. The man oc-
cupying the highest official position in
the land has properly no other title
than his full name-Grover Cleveland.
The former president is simply Benja-
min Harrison. 1t is wrong in taste and
in fact to address him as the Hon.
Benjamin Harrison. The president of
the United States is a model for the
manner of addressing every one of his
fellow-citizens. He has no title other
than his name.
The title of his excellency was given
to the governor of Massachusetts by
the constitution of the old common
wealth, and that of his honor to the
lieutenant governor. lie is probably
the only legally qualified hon" in the
country, the other hons" being solely
by courtesy only. Mr.. and esq. are also
superfuous, and purely compliment
airy. They are used without regard to
meaning, simply because old customs
die hard. Roscoe Conkling is said to
have cut esq. from his name wherever
he saw it,
1t was about 1860 that Albert Welles
established what he called an Amer
lean college of heraldry. His scheme
filled what Is known as a 'long-felt
want" in the bosoms of many Of the
leading families. and for nearly quar-
ter-century Welles fattened on the
vanity of dupes with craving for an
cestors The strangest part of the
business was that Welles counted
among his patrons many very distin-
guished men who seem to have swal-
lowed the bait whole. Welles placed
the cost of life membership in the
Herald's college at $50 and among
those who Joined at this rate were
such men as Edward Everett. William
c. Bryant, William II. Seward, Hamil-
ton Fish, James A. Garfield, James r.
Keeene, Marshall p. Wilder Daniel s.
Dickinson, Reuben T.. Fenton and Rob-
ert b. Roosevelt. When Welles died he
left no successor capable of carrying
on the heraldry business. and the ef-
fects of the college were sold at pub
ing correspondence was disclosed, prob
ably greatly to the chagrin of the
writers.
That Welles knew how to supply the
kind OF pedigree to please his patrons
Is evident from the tone of this cor
respondence. A letter from Robert b.
Roosevelt SAYS: Il enclose check, but
do not think you can make much of
our coat-of-arms" Daniel S. Dickin-
son. on receiving his family record
from Welles. writes expressing his
pride that his family could boast so
proud an origin as that discovered by
the willy Welles." Reuben L. Fenton
writes to say that he intends to have
his certificate of membership in the
college framed and hung up i'm his
"home library at jamestown"
That Welles had a pretty taste in
genealogies is evident from the pictur-
esque character of those supplied.
Thus Hamilton Fish is told that he is
descended from an old Saxon family.
the spelling of whose name was
Fysche. The crest which accompanied
this genealogy consisted of a fish of a
species that never obtains outside OF
colleges of heraldry. Among the life
members of the college is eX-Mayor
William r. Grace. That he took Welles
and himself seriously i'm the matter of
heraldry is evident from the following
letter:
New York, oct. 16. 1879
ALBERT Weles. Esq, President Amer-
can College for Genealogical Reg
istry. etc:
"Sir-In compliance with your invita-
ton, hereby consent to unite with the
council of regents and become a life
member of the above-named institu-
ton. Herewith find photograph asked
for. also my signature in full. The
crest Of my family, as used by them in
ireland, l will procure and send TO you.
Il will do myself the pleasure of call
ing personally at an early date. Very
truly yours. William II. Grace"
The researches into the pedigree of
the great American family of Martins
were apparently inspired by William
Augustus Martin of New York. Mr..
welles' charming theory appears to
have been that the American Martins
are descended from Pope Martin-Mar-
tin de Fodi. elected the seventy-third
pope, A. ID. e9i. In England. the Mar
tins began with Baron Martin de
Tours, one of William the Conqueror' 5
generals. Christopher Martin, wsh his
wife and Child. appear to have come
in the Mayflower. Having contributed
thus much TO the Martin prestige. they
had the good taste 20 die out This,
however, did not in ay way eclipse the
splendor OF he New Jersey Martin, who
were destined TO appear later.
The most extraordinary feature OF
the Welles Heraldry college was known
as the "Doomsday Book" which was
a most imposing volume, in which any
American could-for a consideration
enter his pedigree and that of his fam
lily. When Welles died ehis book con
tanned manuscript genealogies OF about
5000 families. These pedigrees en-
braced all sorts and conditions Of men.
Among the swell biographies there in
corporated were those OF the kips.
which Bishop Kip of California had re-
quested Dir. Welles to discover and as
sort. In his skillful summary. Welles
failed to mention that the first OF the
Kips in New Amsterdam was a tailor;
that he was called Kip as a nickname
for chicken. just as Hendrick kype, in
New Amsterdam English. meant Hen
drick the Chicken.