The Hiram W.

Bleeker Family Coat of Arms

This narrative is not the text submitted for registration of the Hiram W.
Bleeker Coat of Arms with the American College of Heraldry. Instead, I
felt that family members would rather want a write-up that described
not just the thinking that went into the developmental construction of
its heraldic elements but also the symbolism and meanings behind
them.

The chart below will help you to locate and identify the different
elements as I reference them in the review that follows. Youll note in
examining the various components that several have multiple terms
ascribed to them.

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The Armorial Motto

Starting at the top is a banner which carries the family motto in Latin.
An armorial motto is a phrase or collection of words intended to
describe a touchstone, a baseline motivation, an intention or a
standard principal of the family. Ours is taken from Joshua 24:15 -
But, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord or from the Latin
Vulgate Ego autem et domus mea serviemus Domino which
word-for-word translates literally to I, however, and house my, we will
serve Lord.

The Crest

Below the armorial motto is the crest. I chose the eagle which can
represent a noble nature, strength, bravery and alertness. It may also
suggest a man of action, one who is high-spirited, a person of high
intellect, ingenuity, quick-witted repartee, rapid in comprehension and
judicious. As a Christian symbol, the eagle further represents salvation,
redemption and resurrection. And because its wings are spread it also
signifies the protective hand of Jehovah God. When selecting symbols
it was helpful to understand their historical meanings and associations
but it doesnt necessarily imply that all possible meanings apply. I
thought it fair to suggest that the Hiram Bleeker clan was rooted in
Christianity, appreciated laughter and was both high-spirited and quick-
witted.

The Torse

Below the crest is the torse (wreath). This is a twisted roll of fabric
that sits above the helm (helmet). Its colors are taken from the
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ancestral Bleeker & Gillman shields, namely the azure tincture (royal
blue) and the sable tincture (black) respectively. (Whats interesting is
that in full battle armor, it was actually worn around the neck and
under the helmet.)

The Coronet

In many coats of arms a crown is seen below the crest and above
the torse. Since Lillian A. Bleekers side of the Hiram W. Bleeker
union can be extensively traced to nobility, the coronet (crown)
instead appears on one of the shield supporters which Ill come back
to on page 10 of this discussion.

The Helm & Mantling

A helm (helmet) traditionally rests just above the escutcheon

(shield). There is nothing special about it except that the mantling or
lambrequin (drapery tied to it) encompasses what is called the total
arms achievement. Mantling forms a backdrop for the shield and
terminates in tassels at the bottom of the armorial bearings. The blue
azure tincture (royal blue) suggests steadfastness, strength and loyalty.

In battle, intact mantles helped stave off the elements, and,

secondarily, to decrease the effects of sword-blows against the helmet
in battle. Artists take considerable liberty in mantling and like the
torse other than reflecting family colors its typically done with flare
in coats of arms for majestic rather than symbolic reasons. In primeval
times, of course, it to some degree probably depicted a representation
of what they actually wore in battle in that time period and in that
particular area of the world.
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The Escutcheon

The escutcheon (shield) is the obvious focal point of family coats of

arms. Much symbolism is used to depict what makes the family unique.
It speaks to things like faith, personal characteristics, occupation,
lineage and country.

The Escutcheon Ordinaries

Foundationally centered on the field is what is called an ordinary.

The Bleeker shield displays a specific type of ordinary called a cross
which represents faith and protection.

Sometimes called "honorable ordinaries, they fundamentally partition

the overall field of the escutcheon, but are properly considered
objects on the field. It was chosen over other ordinaries, such as
those shown in the table on the next page, to represent our Christian
heritage as far as can be traced by placing a three-dimensional red
Greek cross in this position. The gules tincture (red), of course,
symbolizes the shed blood of Christ.

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As do all ordinaries, the cross effectively separates the escutcheon
into individual fields on which are laid symbolic graphics called
charges or which are sometimes referred to as devices.

The Escutcheon Stations

The areas for positioning the charges on a generic shield are

identified below as 13 distinctive points or stations on the field:

A. Chief H. Honor Point

B. Dexter I. Fess Point
C. Sinister J. Nombril Point
D. Base K. Dexter Base
E. Dexter Chief L. Sinister Base
F. Middle Chief M. Middle Base
G. Sinister Chief

In the uppermost chief area of the escutcheon is a horizontal band,

sometimes considered an ordinary by itself. While it is rarely
surmounted by any other charges, I elected that it contain 3 white
mascles (taller than wide diamonds) to further represent the Father,
Son & Holy Spirit Trinity central to the Christian heritage of both the
Bleeker and Gillman families. Their white color speaks to the purity,
peace and joy of this faith-based family guidepost.

The dexter side [B] of the escutcheon (to the shield bearers right
and the viewers left) represents the fraternal side of the family, namely
patriarch Hiram Bleeker. Conversely, the sinister side [C] of the
escutcheon (to the shield bearers left and the viewers right)
represents the maternal side of the family, namely matriarch Lillian
Bleeker.
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The Escutcheon Charges

The charge in the dexter base [K] of the escutcheon is lifted

directly from an ancestral Bleeker coat of arms. Remember, while
there were likely numerous Bleeker family coats of arms, this charge
was taken from the only one I was able to locate. That said, we also
know from research that the surname Bleeker, came from the
Americanized spelling of Bleecker which came from the familial name
Bliecher in Ostfriesland, Germany of which there was a very limited
population.

We know too that this fairly uncommon name was largely associated
with peoples connected to garment making, including those harvesting
the raw materials for making cloth, those that processed the materials,
spinners that converted it to usable threads, weavers that used looms
to make it into cloth and then those that fashioned that fabric into
apparel.

Although it cannot be documented, it has always been surmised that

the Old Saxon name Bliecher originated from families of that industry
that were bleachers of the cloth. The inverted chevron, which by
itself stands for protection (e.g. protection from the elements), thereby
presumably depicts stitching to reflect those industrial origins. We also
take from the ancestral Bleeker shield its azure tincture (royal blue)
field background for that charge which connotes sovereignty and
justice.

Sometime in the late 1960s, Mediterranean dcor became popular. It

was during this time that I thought it would be cool to get a copy of
the Bleeker family coat of arms for my then bachelor pad. I sent off

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to one of those companies that would supposedly research it for you
and then sell you things on which your family coat of arms could be
displayed like coffee mugs, shirts, plaques and the like. Of course, I
gladly forked over a considerable amount of money to have ours
displayed on a walnut plaque which I subsequently mounted on an
ornate black wrought iron framed panel covered in red crushed velvet.

Anyway, Brianna learned from someone in the family that I had

acquired this family coat of arms some 50 years earlier and in 2012
contacted me to get a copy of it. Regrettably, I didnt know then and
am still unsure whatever happened to that inspired work of art.
Nonetheless, this quest was born.

Trying to track down the plaque down was when I first learned that
what I actually had purchased was only some Bleeker familys coat of
arms and not necessarily ours. I was disappointed to say the least.

Therein began my determination to have my own coat of arms. It was

sometime after I began researching how to make that happen that I
decided registering one for my father instead would allow not only me
and my descendants to have recorded armorial bearings but also my
siblings and their descendants as well.

My point of departure was the most recent US Census in 2010 which

listed fewer than 600 Bleekers in the country. From this I gleaned a
limited population of families with that surname that came from
Ostfriesland in northern Germany in the early 1800s. I also knew from
oft repeated family lore that the two brothers (they may have been
brothers-in-law) from which we are descended that came from there,
entered through Ellis Island.

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Whether intentionally, or by some mishap, the two ultimately became
separated. One (my great-great-grandfather Agee Harms Bleeker, born
in Germany in 1791) migrated to the Dakotas. In due course, his
grandson Andrew (my paternal grandfather, born in 1879) married
Gesina (born in 1885), the third born daughter of the circuit-riding
preacher weve always heard about by the name of Ottje Ohltoff.

The other brother (or brother-in-law), to the best of our knowledge,

stayed in the New York area and was somehow connected to the
garment/apparel industry. At the time Manhattans Greenwich Village
became the very heart of that arena of commerce. That commercial
focus has continued there to the present. Hence, I hardly think it
coincidental that there remains a street named Bleecker in the Village
to this day. There currently is also a line of clothing by that name.

I offer that little morsel of insight from implied, corroborative history,

that you would know why I felt compelled to take license in including
that charge on the dexter base [K] of the escutcheon. In my view,
it was a clearly justifiable inclusion.

The sinister base [L] of the escutcheon is correspondingly taken

directly from the only Gillman Coat of Arms on the matriarchal side of
the family I was able to discover. The human leg charge symbolizes
strength, stability and expedition. It also lends the sable tincture
(black) field color which represents dominance, exclusivity, superiority
and dignity.

The two fields in the upper half of the escutcheon represent things
common to both Hiram and Lillian that they brought to the union. They
take their field colors from the lower two fields but diagonally for
balance, i.e. the azure tincture on the matriarchal side and the sable
tincture on the patriarchal side.
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In the dexter chief [E] location of the escutcheon you find a shock
of wheat symbolizing the fact that Hiram and Lillian both came from
rural and agricultural backgrounds. The wheat sheaf also conveys the
meaning of abundance and hope.

In the adjacent sinister chief [G] area is a musical lyre or harp. The
lyre normally represents a well-composed person of tempered
judgment, a bridge to mystical contemplation or tempered judgment
but charges can mean whatever the shield creator wants them to
mean. Both our parents enjoyed music Hiram loved to sing, while
Lillian played both the piano and organ. To that end, the lyre or harp
seemed the best visual to illustrate that commonality.

Escutcheon Belting

Some coats of arms have either a garter (belt) encircling it or securing

it in the chief position across the top with an ordinary, like the one I
chose and that weve already discussed, which thus holds the
escutcheon upright.

The Escutcheon Ramparts

Most will additionally have ramparts or supporters (usually animals)

securing the shield. The word rampant (with an n) as opposed to
rampart (with an r) refers to an animal standing on its hind legs with
its forefeet in the air and typically with its tail raised. That said, these
are alliteratively then rampant ramparts! The lion is common in
heraldry since it has been regarded as the king of beasts, and
traditionally symbolizes royalty and stateliness.

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Rampant golden lions were chosen for the Hiram Bleeker shield
ramparts, as they have always enjoyed a high place in heraldry as the
emblem of dauntless, undying courage, bravery, strength, ferocity,
valor and hence that of a valiant warrior. That Hiram was among those
that fought the Third Reich in the 2nd World War speaks for itself.

The Coronet

As mentioned earlier, the coronet (crown) rests atop the heraldic lion
supporting the matriarchal or sinister side of the escutcheon
instead of its traditional location above the torse as mentioned
earlier. In my view, this is a fitting reference to our familys ability to
trace Lillian Bleekers ancestry back to a multiplicity of kings, queens,
dukes, duchesses, counts and countesses of English, Welsh, Scottish
and Irish nobility. It is a visible sign of success, hence, the term
"coronation", and its importance in decorating ones ultimate level of
rank, power and honor. Wearing the crown, of course, reflects ones
sovereignty and empire or kingdom. As with all crowns, it also
symbolizes our heavenly crown of victory.

Additionally, this sinister side lion rampart has a visibly languid

and distended red gule or tongue which can symbolize the physical
embattlements that have preserved that familys nobility over several
centuries. The red tincture also further signifies a warriors eagerness
to defend and serve ones country.

Conversely, this can also be interpreted as the benefactors of those

embattlements displaying or having a disinclination for physical
exertion or effortsomething only the highest social classes could
enjoy.

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The Compartment

There can be symbolical meaning to the compartment or mount on

which the escutcheon rests, but there is no significance to this one
other than it is of vert tincture (green) to depict grass. This color in
heraldic elements otherwise represents freedom, beauty, joy, health
and hope.

The Surname Banner

Lastly, the banner beneath the mount carries the family surname of
the coat of arms. Motto banners sometimes appear beneath this,
but like most coats, the Bleeker Coat of Arms displays its motto banner
at the top.

I chose what is called a blackletter typeface, also sometimes referred to

as Gothic, Fraktur or Old English. This style of typeface evolved in
Western European manuscripts from the mid-twelfth century. Because
this font style is difficult to read as body text, it lost popularity in the
1500s, except in Germany and the German speaking countries. I still
have my grandfather Andrews bible which is printed in the Fraktur
family of blackletters, the same font Gutenberg used in printing his
bibles and books.

Cadency

In heraldry, cadency is a systematic way of distinguishing otherwise

identical coats of arms belonging to members of the same family. To
differentiate a sons family coat of arms from his fathers a small and
inconspicuous mark called a brisure, similar to charges but smaller,
is located on the escutcheon. They can be placed on the fess point
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[I] or in a horizontal chief band across the top of the shield. Since Id
already utilized a chief ordinary to depict the trilogy for the Hiram
Bleeker Coat of Arms, I elected to position any brisures directly over
the fess point [I] or intersection of the beams of the cross ordinary.

Standard marks of cadency denote the birth order of sons using the
coat of arms of his father. As women did not go to war, however, they
did not traditionally bear a shield and hence there was no requirement
that women's arms be unique. Instead, women normally used their
father's arms on a lozenge (a rhombus or taller than wider
diamond). The lozenge itself is a symbol of honesty, constancy and
noble birth. A lozenge has four sides of equal length but not at right
angles so that it resembles a diamond rather than a square.

Alternately, they are frequently displayed on a cartouche (a vertical

oval) together with any marks of cadency their father may have
displayed. As such, in English heraldry, daughters have no special
brisures. On marriage, they impale components of their father's arms
to the sinister side (which is effectively what I did with the Gillman
input to this shield) with those of their husband to the dexter side.
In later years Canadian heraldry (not that far removed from British)
began using a cadency convention to identify daughters of a descended
coat of arms.

The cadency markings to the Hiram W. Bleeker coat of arms are to be

located at the fess point [I] on the escutcheon which as I said
earlier is at the intersection of the shields ordinary (the Christian
cross) and mounted on a circular field of white. Besides the said field of
white that surrounds the cadency markings making the brisure stand
out aesthetically, it further symbolizes both wisdom and innocence in
heraldic imagery.

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The cadency markings of male progeny are silhouetted sable (black)
symbols, while female descendants are denoted with silhouetted gule
(red) symbols. I chose silhouettes over line drawings to minimize the
detailing of an already fairly detailed coat of arms and to make them
easier graphics to locate. Remember what is registered is not a
pictorial representation of the coat of arms, but a detailed description
to enable future generations to accurately recreate it.

In the table below, Ive captured how that would translate to the
generation immediately following Hiram and Lillian Bleekertheir five
children Gary, Larry, Ronald, LeRay and Marlene by cadency markings.

st
1 Born Son Label Gary

nd
2 Born Son Crescent Larry

rd
3 Born Son Mullet Ronald

th
4 Born Son Martlet LeRay

st
1 Born Daughter Heart Marlene

The firstborn sons mark of cadency is called a label which is

essentially a table typically with a three-point base of triangles but
occasionally depicted with rectangular base legs. It also closely
resembles the strap with pendants which form the saddle placed across
a horse's chest in battle. The label of three points represented the
heir during the lifetime of his father; five points, during the lifetime of
his grandfather; and seven points, while the great-grandfather still
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lived. According to the modern system, the elder son of an elder son
places a label upon a label which Ill explain when I cover descendant
generational cadency later.

The firstborn son, then, would retain that mark until his father was
deceasedhence, the Hiram W. Bleeker coat of arms is now Garys
without any brisure at all. All subsequent born sons keep their mark
of cadency as long as that family coat of arms bears their name.

The second born sons mark of cadency is appropriately called a

crescent with the points facing up. This bearing clearly resembles a
half moon. This would have been Larrys brisure. Since he had no
offspring prior to his death in 1967, there will never be another coat of
arms like his.

Since I am the third born son of Hiram Bleeker, my cadency marking is

called a mullet (a 5-point star). It is sometimes called a rowel spur
which in medieval times was attached to leg armor to urge on a riders
horse. Spur rowels are, of course, still in use today by riders to give
direction to their horses.

Tonys cadency brisure is called a martlet and has one of the most
interesting histories concerning its use as the symbol of the fourth son,
because it is curiously displayed with thigh feathers but no visible legs
or feet. Its footlessness symbolized his inability to inherit, and walk on,
his ancestral lands. So it likely signifies one who had to subsist by virtue
and merit and not inheritance. It also denotes promptness. It is said
that the use of a martlet indicates that a bearer of arms with that
brisure had acquired nobility through his own exertions or by
patronage, with the absence of feet on the heraldic martlet signifying
the lack of ancestral foundations for his nobility. While there is also

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some dispute as to what kind of bird a martlet really is, in English
heraldry, it is a swallow. In German heraldry, it is said to be a lark.

The cadency brisure designating Marlene, the firstborn daughter of

Hiram Bleeker, is a simple heart. The heart is one of the oldest
symbols of charity, devotion and truth. In Christendom it further
denotes the sacred heart of Christ.

I compiled the following table to reflect the cadency markings that

would be used in conjunction with the Hiram W. Bleeker Family Coat of
Arms through the 2nd generation of his descendants that are still living.

There are ample directories of cadency brisures available online

should you wish to carry this coat of arms to a 3rd generation.
Normally, after a few generations of marriages into other families, a

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morphing of armorial bearings from their predecessors into new arms
would occur, not unlike the process by which this Hiram Bleeker coat of
arms evolved and was assembled. This, however, was and is a point of
practice and not a precise protocol of heraldry.

Since subsequent generational cadency markings, although somewhat

smaller, are placed on the nombril point directly below their fathers
cadency mark (and continuing down the ordinary on the Hiram
Bleeker arms), ones coat of arms would become quite cluttered after
more than three generations. At this juncture, families would typically
extract elements from the armorial bearings of both sides of the family
and create a new baseline coat of arms.

On the following pages are the 4 first generation ordinal derivatives still
living (as of this writing) of the now registered Hiram W. Bleeker Coat of
Arms - they are the same as the primary armorial bearings except for
the cadencies on the escutcheon ordinary (the center of the cross on
the shield) denoting his children by gender and birth order. [Note: The
descendant name titles are not part of the graphic.]

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The Gary L. Bleeker Coat of Arms

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The Ronald R. Bleeker Coat of Arms

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The LeRay E. Bleeker Coat of Arms

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The Marlene K. Clark Coat of Arms

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Below are the 15 second generation ordinal derivatives still living of the
Hiram W. Bleeker Coat of Arms - they are the same as their fathers
escutcheons except for the respective cadencies on its ordinary
(the center of the cross on the shield) denoting his grandchildren by
parentage, gender and birth order. To that end, instead of redisplaying
the full armorial bearings of the registered Hiram W. Bleeker Coat of
Arms, Ive reduced the graphics to just the escutcheon and the
appropriate cadency markings for your quick reference. [As before, the
descendant name titles are not part of the graphic.]
[It is interesting to note here one of idiosyncrasies of the cadency system of
denoting individuals. With the passing of Hiram, as Ive already pointed out,
Garys is now the same as Hirams. But that also means that Marlene and Tamis
shields (both firstborn daughters) are identical as well.]

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That then is as full an explanation of the elements of the Hiram W.
Bleeker Coat of Arms as registered with the American College of
Heraldry, their appropriate heraldic nomenclature, their placement
with relation to other armorial bearings, in some cases their origins and
finally their symbolic meanings both historically and specifically to our
family, as I am capable of providing to you at this time.

Should you have further questions, to the extent that I have knowledge
of the answers or know how and where to find them, I am happy to try
to answer them for you.

Ron Bleeker, 2016

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