Family Roots Publishing is offering Wagner Heraldry and Genealogy: A Geographical Perspective for 25% off. Regularly $27.95, it is offered at just $20.96. To make the deal even better, we are also offering volume 1 of the series, Muller/Mueller Heraldry and Genealogy: A Geographical Perspective at the same discounted price. Buy both and save on shipping!. Click on the links to order.
Following is a full description of the Wagner book.
Wagner Heraldry and Genealogy: A Geographical Perspective; by Frederick George Siler; 2017; 163 pp; 8.5×11; paperback; ISBN: 978-1-62859-167-5 Item #: FR0701.
This volume deals with the Germanic heraldry of families whose name was one of the most common in Germany – that of Wagner. The Wagner surname was first found in the old Duchy of Saxony which existed from 804 to 1296. Its lands included what are now the modern German states of Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Schleswig-Holstein, and Saxony-Anhalt. The name is now well established in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Eastern Europe, and elsewhere as well as in other German-speaking countries.
Because the Wagner surname has become widespread, not only in German-speaking lands but throughout central and eastern Europe many different spellings, have arisen over the centuries. In English and other European languages, including Yiddish and Dutch, the name is also spelled Wegener, Wagnor, Wagener, Waggoner, Wagoner, Waegener, Wagner, Wagonner, Wegner, Waganer, Waggener, Wagen, Weagener, Wagnerin, Wahner, Wahnerr, Wehner, Vegener, Vagner, Vegner, and many more.
German heraldry is unlike British heraldry where a coat-of-arms is associated with one person. Siler’s book includes arms that originated as house marks, guild marks, and burgher arms that have been used by families for centuries. Also included are noble armorial bearings that have been granted to the children of an individual and have been passed down through descendants.
It should be noted that the volume is heavily footnoted, allowing the researcher to locate and examine the original source materials from which the author drew his information. An amazing place index is found at the rear of the book, allowing genealogists to often associate a specific place with Wagner families. It is the author’s belief that there is often a coat of arms that may be associated with one’s European ancestor. It may not be that of a direct ancestor or that of ones ancestral family, but it could well be linked, if only by the proximity of geographical location.
This one-of-a-kind book is the first in a series exploring the heraldry and genealogy of common German surnames with a focus on the English-speaking family historian who seeks another fresh approach to their research. This is not another book about how to trace your German ancestors or a reprint of readily available information from old sources. Most family historians will concede that the research process begins to become more tedious when we attempt to deal with European historical locations and records written in a foreign language. Armed with this book, you will start to overcome barriers of language and shifting state boundaries. Learn how the following components can enhance the story of your Wagner ancestors.
Included in this volume are:
- Over 2,300 historical and modern geographical locales of the Holy Roman, German and Austrian Empires, as well as Switzerland;
- Synopses of 31 current and past political states and regions; with links to a catalog of genealogical records by FamilySearch;
- Colorful illustrations of 53 coats-of-arms along with genealogical and geographical information on 70 Wagner, Wehner, Wagener, Wegner, or Wegener families.
The following is from the Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
CHAPTER 1 – Synthesizing Heraldry and Genealogy for a Practical Research Tool
What is Heraldry?
Common aspects of Genealogy
Heraldry and the family historian
Geography as a fundamental tool for integrating heraldry and genealogy
Associating a coat-of-arms with your ancestor
CHAPTER 2 – A Brief Introduction to German Heraldry
Historical Background of Germanic Heraldry
Components of the Germanic Coat-of-Arms
Modern German Heraldry
CHAPTER 3 – Heraldic Symbolism
Introduction to heraldic symbolism
Symbolism of the colors, furs, lines, divisions, and ordinaries
Symbolism of the common charges
CHAPTER 4 – An Introduction to the Wagner Surname
Origins and meanings of the name
Variations of the Wagner surname
Location and distribution of the surname
Some historical documentations of Wagner
CHAPTER 5 – Wagner Armorial Bearings: Defining the Elements
Introduction to the geographical territory
Bearer(s) of the coat-of-arms
Particular geographical locale(s) associated with the bearer(s)
Description of the coat-of-arms
Interpreting the coat-of-arms
Other Wagner arms bearers of this geographical territory
Additional geographical and genealogical resources
CHAPTER 6 – Wagner Heraldry and Genealogy: A Geographical Perspective
Austria
Baden-Württemberg
Bavaria
Berlin
Croatia
Czech Republic
East Prussia
Estonia
Hamburg
Hesse
Latvia
Lower Austria
Lower Saxony
Mecklenburg-Vorpommeran
North Rhine-Westphalia
Pomerania
Prussia
Rhineland-Palatinate
Saarland
Salzburg
Saxony
Saxony-Anhalt
Silesia
Slovakia
Styria
Switzerland
Thuringia
Transylvania
Tyrol
Vienna
West Prussia
CHAPTER 7 – Interpreting the Heraldry of Wagner
Charges associated with the meaning of the surname
Coats-of-arms that display symbols of the bearer’s religious faith
Armorial achievements that illustrate a military theme
Arms that address a significant accomplishment of the bearer
Charges that identify an occupation of the bearer or his ancestors
Symbols of honorable characteristics
Ancient house or family marks
Dealing with different branches of a family in Germanic Ancestry
APPENDIX A – Glossary of Heraldic Symbolism
APPENDIX B – Online Genealogy Research by Location
APPENDIX C – Gallery of Wagner Coats-of-Arms
INDEX – Historical and Modern Geographical Locales
