The Washington herald., 1914-05-01
ACORNER IN ANCESTORS
THE BLISS FAMILY.
BY FRANCES COwLEs.

Two of the most illustrions OF the Pill
grim fathers were two brothers, George
and Thomas Bliss, who settled in New
| England among the early settlers from
England. Their father was Thomas Bliss
! a wealthy landowner Of Belstone parish.
Devon. England. He was born some time
between 1850 and 1850. Because of his al
legiance to the parliamentarian party
, and his outspoken puritanical views in
religion he suffered many loses His
property was confiscated and he was
thrown into prison. No wonder then that
his sons should have sought to seek their
fortune in a land of greater liberty.
George was born in 1881. and came to
Newport, R. l., with his brother Thomas
in 1885. George heed at Lynn and Sand
wich, Mass. and Thomas made his home
at Hartford. Conn. George had son
John, of Newport. who was deputy in the
general assembly of Rhode Island. and
a major in the militia He married in 1866
Damaris, a daughter of Gov. Benedict
ArnoId-an early colonial governor of
Rhode Island. George and Damaris Bliss
had a SON. Josiah. Of Middletown. r. l..
who was born in l6S5 and died in 17f7. He
married a daughter OF the prominent New
England family of Belcher. Their great
grandson, Edward Bliss migrated West
and settled in Bernadotte. Ill He served
Chaffee he had a son. Flam Chsrree Bliss.
whose son. Harmon. was a captain in the
United States army, serving In four
teen battles and skirmishes.' He was
wounded in 1868 at the battle of Chan
CeIlorSville and died from the effects or
the wound.
Through the line Of the Pilgrim Thomas
Bliss We have quite as numerous pro-
geny He married Margaret Laurence.
then at Hartford. His son, Samuel. who
married Mary Leonard. has a son.
Thomas. whose son. Daniel, Of Concord.
had a son Joseph. who had a son. John.
of Haverhill, Mass. John had command
Of the first detachment of infantry at
the battle Of Bad Axe, and became a
lieutenant colonel. He resigned from the
army, however. in 1881. He married Le-
titia. a daughter of Andrew Ellicott.
the engineer who laid out the city OF
Washington, d. c.
A coat Of arms some times borne by
the Blisses is blazoned: Gules a bend
vaire. between two fieur-de-lis or. The
crest is: A hand clutching three arrows
The motto is: Semper sursum.
The coat of arms illustrated is bla-
zoned as follows: Argent on bend
cottised azure three garbs or. The crest
is garb or.
Answers to Correspondents.
The name Halliday. Holiday. Halliday.
HoIyday. as it is veriously spelled. is Ht
pure Scotch origin. The name was h-st
horne by a well known border clan. They f.
are said to have adopted the war cry OF
slogan "A Holy Day because whenever
they made a foray or raid upon the Saxon |
border they accounted the day a holy one
They were noted for their animoslty /
toward their neiShbors to the south and I
appareutIy had frequent use for this
strange, battle cry. This account of the .
derivation of the name is simply trsdi- /
tion, but it is the only one put forward
by the authorities on name origin IAe /
name was borne at first by the large /
clan who dwelt in Annandale. but later
their descendants carried II south OF the /
Tweed The name seems TO nave Derh
spelled Halliday originally though the
various other forms appeared III us
English form at a comparatively carry
date The Hallidays of the western ccun-
ties of England are all supposed to nave
been descended from one Walter Halh- |
day. a minstrel who was master OF the /
rryeIs to King Edward " and acquired
lands in Roddorborough, County GloIces-
ter. England.
The most prominent family Of the name
was that to which the Lord Mayor of
London, Leonard OcAOh6cN- oh
leonard was lord mayor in 16S. His de-
scendants are now seated in Bromley,
County Middlesex. The coat of arms Of
this family is blazoned: Sable three he'll
NETS argent garnished or, border OF the
asst. Crest, demi lion rampant, guaro-
ant resting the paws on an anchor all
proper. The coat of arms for the Eng
lfsh Halliday family Is the same. with the
addition of the motto, "Quarta saluti.
The coat Of arms for the Holiday
family of Tullibole, County kinross, Is
as follows: Argent a sword erected
in pale proper. hilted and pommelled
Or. The pommel within a crescent in
base gules and canton azure, charged
with a satire Of the nrst Crest: A !