The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-11-12
HERALDRY HUNT IS NOW
 ENJOYING GREAT BOOM

FEW YORK, November 11.-"Yes,"
 M said a new-made millionaire, who has a sense of humor, "I find on figuring it up that I have paid for estao- fishing my pedigree about s9O0 head; and some of the old chaps we unearthed weren't much to brag about either The 'searchers' on the other side charged me five pounds every time they consulted a parish register, and good many consultations were found to be necessary. l paid some pretty stiff bills, l can tell you; but, of course, 1t pleas ure now to know who I really am and my wife enjoys the use of my new coat of -arms.''
 Perhaps nowhere in the world-not even In Philadelphia-is the heraldry hunt keener than in New York City. An au- thority said not long ago that there are only forty or fifty American families that are in any way entitled to the ensignia Of nobility, but you cannot get the average American who has made money to believe that. He Is sure that among his ances- tors he shall find somewhere coronets and Norman blood. and when he hires genea- lORlSt to Stuuy HIS liHtdSCs NoC pC tC tiiO searcher if he does not discover at least a baronet or two.
 The story is told of a wealthy manu- facturer of this city who went to an hon. est and very thorough genealogist in Lon don and asked him to dig out some dis tinguished ancestors. The searcher tried to do so, but failed in every particular. The American simply didn't have any noble blood. He couldn't help it, of l,a hat showed his native ignobility by refusing to pay the investigators bill and by going to another man who, in some mysterious way, discovered a connection with one or the most honored families in England. The manufacturer now sports one of the finest carriages in New York with a coat-of- arms in red and yellow.
 Another good example is that of a man whose forbears so far back as his great great grandfather could remember his grandfather's stories, had been poor fisherfolk on the cost of Devonshre in England. One descendent of the race of fishers came to this country with his parents fifty-three years ago. His father died when he was six years old. leaving him and his mother in poverty. His mother died a few years later. and the young man had to get along as best he could. He picked up a precarious live lihood in the gutters of Chicago until chance afforded him a opportunity of going out to California where he made fortune, married, and paid thousands of dollars to get into society"
 From an advertising pamphlet sent him by professor in heraldic research, he got an idea that his family possessed a crest and coat-of-arms and for S5000 was happily enlightened. According to the professor. the ancestors coat-of-arm bore "an azure gull. displayed argent, and three sea waves, or. with bar dex- ter" The crest was sea gull holding a fish in it's talons.
 All this was like Chinese to the pur- chaser until the professor explained the origin by pretty story of the days when hawking was the sport of kings and the nobility An ancestor he said, was the kings hawker. and saved the life of her majesty's favorite hawk. which was in desperate struggle with a gull by cleverly piercing the gull with an arrow without injuring the hawk. He further fiattered his client by referring him to the poem, of The Ancient Mariner" and hint ing that there was some evidence to show that it was one of his ancestors who ''shot the bird" for revenge upon pirate crew which had captured him while in the execution of his duty to his king against their nefarious trade The professors vic tim believed this story implicitly, and died happy in his belief.
 Scores of such instances have been re- corded many of them even more glaringly ridiculous. There is one feature of heral- dry. ancient and modern, which has a