The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-28
Answers to Correspondents

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 Answers to Correspondents
 TO T. k. C., who asks for the coat-of arms and crest of the English family of Chapman, with it's significance.
 Not less than Is different branches of the Chapman family are designated in burkes Armory by their respective coats oI-arms Those of London and Yorkshire ldmiIles are in the main alike a crescent TOT the arms, and the same motto as that siVen Tn the reproduction, which is the coat-of-arms borne by the Chapmans of Wmtoy. This is also the arms of the irisn branch. The shield is per chevron argent and gules. 8 crescent counter changed. Crest, a dexter arm, endowed. naDited Tn mail, holding in the hand broken tilted spear. chilled with A chaplet or laurel. Motto, "Crescit Sub Pondera Vlrtus Virtue grows under the i'm posed wright" or Virtue increases under aIncuon. The crescent is a token of ene crusaders. and it also signifies one who has been 'honored by the gra cious aspect of his sovereign The arm in arnor denotes one fitted for the perform ahce or nigh enterprises. The spear is an emblem of knightly service, and the laurel of victory.
 TO R. T. G., who asks for the origin of lhe name Gibson.
 mere IS no doubt of the fact that all the Gibbs, Gybbes, Gibbards, Gibbinges. Gib- sohses or Gibsons, Gills Gilkes and Gil- pins were in some remote time when family names were just coming into vogue, sons of some ancestor who went py the name of Gilbert, contracted then as now into plain Glib. And this period was not so very remote, either, for it was al the time of the Norman conquest. in the middle of the eleventh century. that thls change took place and that the fam ny name of Gibson was established
 To T. R., who asks for an account of the Ross family, to which Betsy Ross be- longed.
 Betsy's husbands family was estab- Ilshed In America by the Rev George ROSS, who was born in Scotland in 1878. lie was Presbyterian, but left the pres- pytery and entered the Church of Eng land as priest, and decided to come to America. He settled in Delaware and became one of the foremost men in the English church in the new world. He was chaplain to several of the proprie- tary governors of Pennsylvania, and a prominent man in early Delaware his tory.
 The Rev. George Ross had a son, John. who was a tory of very decided princi- ples. He was an exceedingly brilliant lawyer. so brilliant, in fact, that it is said he was Andrew Hamilton's most dreaded rival before the courts. But because of his tory leanings he had many enemies. One of them once sid: "Mr John Ross who loved ease and madeira much better than liberty and strife, declared for neu- tralty. saying let who would be king, he knew he should Ls subject" This critic s words were doub tless influenced by his m ha1 r,o tt7xr Con, counts Mir. John Ross-excepting for his tory views-was a man greatly interested in the development of his country George was another son of the first set tier, George. He. too, was a lawyer of great briliance. He was a signer' of the Declaration of Independence, the last member of the Pennsylvania delegation to sign the document: and he was later a member of Congress. so perhaps he made up for his brothers lack of patriotism. When he retired from Congress the citi- zens of Lancaster, Pa. his home. pre- sented him with piece of plate worth e150. But MT. Ross refused to accept this gift. Tt is the duty of every man. espe- cially of every representative of the peo- )le," he said, ito contribute by every means within his power to the welfare of his country without expecting pecuniary rewards"
 Still third son of the clergyman George was Amos. rector of Trinity church, Philadelphia, Pa, whose son, John Ross. an upholsterer, married Eliza beth Griscom, seventh daughter of Sam uel, a carpenter and builder
 John Ross was as good a patriot as his wife Betsy; for while she was sew ng stars and stripes to make the first flag. he was guarding the ammunition of the Continental army. He was killed by an explosion of some of this ammunition which he was guarding on wharf in JanuaPv 177z