susan-w
28-02-2005, 11:22 PM
I don't know much about mottos, so I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction.
My ggg grandfather, Charles Watkins, died in 1809 in Bombay. He worked for the East India Company, initially as a writer. I have found out lots of information on his life from old archives, including old letters etc. However, I haven't been able to find out where he came from (his original writer's petition doesn't still exist).
My g grandfather, Frederick, claimed the family had a motto, virtute avorum. I've looked this up in A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, and found that it does belong to a family called Watkins, but I don't know if it is same family :)
As this is the only clue that I have at the moment, how do I find out when the other Watkins family gained this motto?
The Dictionary traces the line back to Joseph Watkins of Abingdon, who must have been born before 1700. Therefore, if the motto was granted after that, it must be the wrong family, and Frederick helpfully adopted it to sidetrack me :)
Thank you
Susan
My ggg grandfather, Charles Watkins, died in 1809 in Bombay. He worked for the East India Company, initially as a writer. I have found out lots of information on his life from old archives, including old letters etc. However, I haven't been able to find out where he came from (his original writer's petition doesn't still exist).
My g grandfather, Frederick, claimed the family had a motto, virtute avorum. I've looked this up in A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, and found that it does belong to a family called Watkins, but I don't know if it is same family :)
As this is the only clue that I have at the moment, how do I find out when the other Watkins family gained this motto?
The Dictionary traces the line back to Joseph Watkins of Abingdon, who must have been born before 1700. Therefore, if the motto was granted after that, it must be the wrong family, and Frederick helpfully adopted it to sidetrack me :)
Thank you
Susan