The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-16

now vice admiral His father. Ralpl,
 ST, and brother Thomas. returned with l him to the colony. Bermuda Hundred | was one of the Hamer homes, where
 the family had an extensive estate. | Ralph the elder, had been director of
 the East India company and had about l G16OO invested in 1t. He died soon after reaching Virginia, leaving a widow, Susan l A pilgrim from Wales, James Hamer, settled in Montgomery county, Pennsyl- vana. in the manor of Gilbert from Will | liam Penn.
 i The name James has been continued in a direct line down to the present day. Members of this family, through a mar riage connection. trace back to Cotton Mather.
 Another immigrant was the Thomas Hamer who is supposed to have settled in Chester or Northumberland county, Penn sylvana, and to have come from the north of England, or probably Scotland. He served in the Revolution, and his son James was in the war of 1872. The repre- sentative in the Mexican was Briga- dier General Thomas Lyon Hamer of this family; he lost his life on the battlefield He had been a member of Congress, and it was to him Grant owed his appoint ment to West Point. His gallantry and heroism on the battlefield was recognized by Congress. and a sword given in his
  The coat of arms bazoned in Barke's "Peerage' for the Hamer family is gules, a cock, or
 Crest, on a chapeau azure, turned up ermine, a lions head, argent langued, gules
 This coat armor symbolizes integrity, deathless courage, magnanimity and 1 loyalty
 1 To T. J. H., who asks for full account of the origin of the surname Heiskell The name Heiskell started out in life as Asgall or Ascall. or Askell, or Asxetill, or oscytel, or the old Morse Asger. l Asgeir in time changed to Hasker, is a name used in connection with northern legends of hero worship. "as or los, ," meaning god or hero, and ''seir" spear. I If Asg is the root from which the name ] IS derived in process of time, the aspirate 1 h wandering around seeking words that l 1t may adorn. slipped into first place and ! we have Hasgall, the meaning "a place of l rushes in the marsh" Asg is a place of rushes; gall, originally Nayls, march or
 moor The gentleman who was fortunte enough to live in such quiet retreat l naturally became MT. Asgall then Has gall or Harskell, Hauscall, Hascull. Has kull, Hascall, Harchall Haskol. Hascal Hascall' Hascol, Hascoll. Heskell, Has XII or Haskell. and finally Heiskel Il Nowadays all descendants of this noted
 family are either IIeisken or Haskell and a name to be proud of
 I IT hat person who traces the name and T lineage to the Esco of the book of Gens-
 sis is called "light-headed if jealous.
 by member of the Heiskell family. who does not wish to assume airs when m
 search of a grandparent Besides. as
 he adds. I've don't know what kind of
 a man Escol wasr' Quite true
 To member of tho Fletcher family who asks for description of the Fletcher l coat of arms:
 1 The Fletcher arms are azure two b,,sos, heads erased ermine, and in base an an 1 chor with sable, or. On a chief wavv of the last, three hurts, each charged with l a pheon argent. Crest, a dexter arm en- bowed in armor. the hand eraspine an ar i row behind the arm. an anchor erect. or Motto, Nee quarerere Nee Spernere Hon l prem Neither to seek nor to despise 1 honor. The horse in heraldrv signifies l readiness Tor king and country: it is one
 Of the principal bearings. An anchor means succor In extremity. A pheon. or
 spearhead, readiness for military service.
 An arm. industry. The shield of the House l of Hanover still bears horse the white
 horse of Wodn,'~ which Hengist bore on /, his shield when he invaded Britain. |
 1 To c. C. L., who asks whether or nor the Crowells of America are related to l the Cromwell family of Eneland. Il There seem to be three distinct Crowell l families in the United States. none of which has borne the name it now bears l Tor 900 years at the most These are the
 New Jersey Cromwell Crowell familv. the Crowe-Crowell family, and the German l Crouell. Krauel or Crowel family. l The New Jersey branch of the family
 was established in this century by one
 calling himself Edward Crowen although n hali
 was a member of the ilustrious Cromwell
 family of England
 It is said that Edward CroweIl came to
 this country on the ship Caledonia. Ow-
 ing to the unpopuarty in which the Cromwells then found themselves in Eng
 land. he thought it better to conceal his
 kinship to the former protector by drop-
 ping the telltale m in his name befora
 he reached the new world The shin Cal
 edonla landed at Perth Amboy. N l. and E, from that place Crowell made his way to Woodbridge N. l.
 II The second Growell connection was set l tied in Yarmouth, Mass. by John Grove. 1 and it is said that a true Yarmouth Cro 1 well to this day pronounces the anne Cro- i well, as if it were spelled in the old fash l ion without the final two Is i The third distinct family which calls ! itself Crowell Is of German origin, though 1 from what part of the fatherland it came ] is not known. Henry. the founder of the l family, came to this country as minor
 in the first half of the eighteenth cen- 1 tury, and was sold to pay his passage