FindYourNobleAncestors

Personal nobility – as opposed to hereditary nobility (see above), personal nobility means only the person who was ennobled is noble and no privileges can be inherited by his descendants. Personal nobility ends with the death of the person who was ennobled.

Patent nobility – in German “Briefadel”, those families who have been created nobles by means of letters patent later than the year 1400.

Original nobility – in German “Uradel”, and by German (and internationally accepted) definition those families who were ennobled (or generally recognised as nobles) before the year 1400.

Nobiliary law – national legislation, or international or national customs, regulating nobiliary issues. In many cases this is not codified but rather a set of rules and traditions having gained acceptance.

Naturalisation – the adoption and assimilation of immigrant nobility into the domestic nobility, so both immigrant and domestic nobility would have the same privileges.

Loss of nobility – if a nobleman was convicted of a serious crime, he could also be sentenced to lose his nobility (be de-nobled). This meant only he himself lost the noble privileges, but not his wife or children. The other form for loss of nobility is renunciation, voluntarily or involuntarily. Voluntary renunciation of the nobility has occurred due to e.g. political conviction. Involuntary renunciation was most common in the military, when a commanding officer could order a noble soldier who for various reasons could not become an officer, to renounce his noble surname (and assume another, non-noble name). Practice varies if renunciation was binding for the descendants or not. In my personal opinion, the weight of the evidence seems to favour the opinion that renunciation of nobility was, in most cases, not binding for the descendants, whereas renunciation of headship or title was indeed binding, as this would then pass on to another branch of the family.

Incholate – typically the geographical predicate attached to a noble family. E.g. for the Prince of Wales, “Wales” is the incholate. Incholates in another sense can be used by Church dignitaries, e.g. “Titular Bishop of X Y “. In many cases the incholate was the family’s domains, but later developed into a titular attribute. In some families the loss of the geographical domain caused them to write the nobiliary title between their first name and the surname – hence it was no longer “Count X Y”, but “X Count Y”, as the family name became the new incholate. This is also how Catholic Cardinals, who have rank as Princes of the Blood, write their names: “X Cardinal Y”. See also “predicates” below.

Head, headship – with the original nobility (see below) the Head of the family was normally the holder of the title, or the person recognised by the family as its Head. In some families it was common to elect a person to be the Head of the family. In many countries the Headship became hereditary, by Royal decree or by family decision. In many families the Head is the one closest to the founder of the family (the person who was originally ennobled, or the first one to be recorded and recognised as being noble).

Head, headship – with the original nobility the Head of the family was normally the holder of the title, or the person recognised by the family as its Head. In some families it was common to elect a person to be the Head of the family. In many countries the Headship became hereditary, by Royal decree or by family decision. In many families the Head is the one closest to the founder of the family (the person who was originally ennobled, or the first one to be recorded and recognised as being noble).

Hereditary nobility – some historians favour the opinion that personal nobility was the original concept, which later developed into a hereditary one. With hereditary nobility we understand that the children inherit the noble privileges from their parents in either agnatic or cognatic succession.

Cognatic succession – in many countries this was the original form of succession among the ancient nobility, meaning the family, the name and the coat-of-arms (as well as any titles) continued on both the spear (male) and distaff (female) side in parallel lines. The firstborn child, whether a son or a daughter, would have the best claims to the noble inheritance.

Agnatic succession – succession to the nobility (the family, the name and the coat of arms), and the any nobiliary titles, continues only on the spear (male) side, from father to son. The opposite is cognatic succession (see below). Agnatic succession became common when nobles began to be created by means of letters patent.

Adoption – the regulations concerning whether or not the adoption of a child by its non-biological noble parents transmits the nobility of the parents to the adopted child are different in different countries. For families ennobled by means of letters patent it may be regulated in the patent. In the following countries adoption is not normally (from the standpoint of nobiliary law) regarded as transmitting nobility: Austria , Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Holy See, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Nobility may be transmitted through adoption in Belgium (adoption plénière) and the Netherlands.

For details please see “Adelsrecht” (in German) by Sigismund Freiherr v. Elverfeldt-Ulm.

Surname Genealogy Search - SurnameWeb: "Family Tree Guide is a quick, simple and free way for you to share your family history. Within minutes, you can have a dynamically driven website that creatively portrays your family tree. Invest a little more time, and you can add pictures, stories, gravestone photos, and more to bring your family history alive. All for free! Visit Family Tree Guide Today!"

International Genealogy Sleuth: "Below is a list of sites that we use when conducting International genealogy research. Visit the United States Genealogy Sleuth page. These are all searchable online databases or informative tools. There are more helpful sites located here. If you find a record online marked X for which you'd like a copy of the original, please contact us, because we have access to these records. Subscriptions sites are marked $. This page updated and all links checked on 30 September 2005. Enjoy! Do you have Irish Ancestors? Try the Irish Genealogy Sleuth!"

The WorldRoots Royal Pages: "Major families in my list of surnames include the old nobility of W�rttemberg, their titles featuring the Karolingers up through Karl the Great (ca. 800), to which I am connected in hundreds of different ways. My relatives also include the famous poets Goethe, Schiller, Friedrich H�lderlin and Wilhelm Hauff, as well as many other well known scholars. Also included in this collection are the Renz and Stockmayer families who were government officials and families of high social status in the duchy and later the Kingdom of W�rttemberg."

About GenealogySpot.com: "GenealogySpot.com is a free resource center that simplifies the search for the best online genealogy resources for beginners and experts alike. Sites featured on GenealogySpot.com are hand-selected by our editorial team for their exceptional quality, content and utility.

From the site, quickly and easily find the best resources to perform ancestor searches by state, country, ethnicity and religion, browse historical records, access reference tools, locate lost family members, join genealogy communities and much more."

Heraldry on the Internet, Coats of Arms, Family Crests: "Welcome to Heraldry on the Internet.

This site is designed to help you conduct heraldry research on the Internet. I have compiled as many links as I can find to the various sources of heraldic material available. You can look for a family name coat of arms used by someone with the same surname as you. Search for coats of arms for cities and towns or use Pimbley's Dictionary of Heraldry or one of the other dictionaries or glossaries listed to identify the various charges and symbols found on coats of arms.

There is a section containing heraldry clip art which can help you to create your own coat of arms. The heraldic clip art section will eventually contain hundreds of heraldic charges and a few blank shields with mantling wreath and helmet so that you can create your own coat of arms. Clipart submissions are always welcome. If you have some copyright free heraldic clipart that you would like to see posted here, please forward it to me. "

Genealogy | Family History | Kindred Trails Worldwide Genealogy Resources: "Where Did The Swedes Go?

'Day is finally breaking. We see land - we see America! I seem to understand the feeling of Columbus when he saw before him the hoped-for western land.'(1) This was the joy of one Swedish immigrant as he arrived in America in 1858. Many thousands more would share his excitement as they landed in New York in hopes of a better future in the New World. Swedish immigration reached its peak in the late 19th century, but these Swedes were by no means the first from their country to arrive in America."

Genealogy | Family History | Kindred Trails Worldwide Genealogy Resources: "Where Did The Swedes Go?

'Day is finally breaking. We see land - we see America! I seem to understand the feeling of Columbus when he saw before him the hoped-for western land.'(1) This was the joy of one Swedish immigrant as he arrived in America in 1858. Many thousands more would share his excitement as they landed in New York in hopes of a better future in the New World. Swedish immigration reached its peak in the late 19th century, but these Swedes were by no means the first from their country to arrive in America."

Genealogy | Family History | Kindred Trails Worldwide Genealogy Resources: "Where Did The Swedes Go?

'Day is finally breaking. We see land - we see America! I seem to understand the feeling of Columbus when he saw before him the hoped-for western land.'(1) This was the joy of one Swedish immigrant as he arrived in America in 1858. Many thousands more would share his excitement as they landed in New York in hopes of a better future in the New World. Swedish immigration reached its peak in the late 19th century, but these Swedes were by no means the first from their country to arrive in America."

Royalty, Nobility and Medieval Research Class WebSite: "ROYALTY, NOBILITY AND MEDIEVAL
RESEARCH WEBSITE & CLASS
Los Angeles Family History Center
Instructor - Jon Schweitzer
Revised 2 May 2004 by Jon Schweitzer

HOME

Additional information may be found in my Red 3 Ring Notebooks: 'Royalty, Nobility and Mediaeval Research', 'Ancestral File Research', 'IGI Research' and 'Computer - PAF- Utilities' Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Copies of this class handout and all transparencies shown in this class are in my Red 3 Ring Notebook 'Royalty, Nobility and Mediaeval Research'."

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This site has been helping connect families since 1999 with its unique collection of databases and innovative search tools, original articles from experienced genealogists, and a marketplace with an extensive catalog of products for family tree building.

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Nobility and Analogous Traditional Elites - Chapter 2: "The Universal Scope of the Allocutions to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility

The Situation of the Italian Nobility in the Pontificate of Pius XII

1. Why Focus Specifically on the Italian Nobility?

In 1947 the constitution of the Italian Republic abolished all titles of nobility.1 The last blow was thus struck against the juridical status of an age-old class—which lives on today as a social reality—and a problem, complex in all its aspects, was created.

Complexity was already perceptible in the antecedents to the issue. Contrary to what occurs in other European countries—France and Portugal, for example—the makeup of the Italian nobility is highly heterogeneous. Before the political unification of the Italian peninsula in the nineteenth century, the various sovereigns who ruled over different parts of the Italian territory all bestowed titles of nobility. This holds true for the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire; the kings of Spain, of the Two Sicilies, and of Sardinia; the grand-dukes of Tuscany; the dukes of Parma; and still others, including the patriciates of cities such as Florence, Genoa, and Venice. It is principally true—and this is of the utmost interest for the present study—of the Popes. The Popes were temporal sovereigns of the relatively extensive Papal States. They also granted titles of nobility and continued to do so even after the de facto extinction of their temporal sovereignty over these states."

Hispanic Genealogy: "Welcome to one of the best places to begin the search for your Hispanic ancestors
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GENUKI: Guidance for First-Time Users of These Pages: "The aim of GENUKI is to serve as a 'virtual reference library' of genealogical information that is of particular relevance to the UK & Ireland. It is a noncommercial service, provided by an ever-growing group of volunteers in cooperation with the Federation of Family History Societies and a number of its member societies."

Pellissippi Genealogical &�Historical Society Home Page: "The Pellissippi Genealogical and Historical Society is headquartered in Clinton, Anderson County, Tennessee.

The primary interest of the PGHS is the preservation of the history and genealogies of Clinton and Anderson County and the surrounding counties in East Tennessee.

The name Pellissippi is the historic Native American name for the Clinch River, the major waterway running through the area."

Getting Started - GenealogySpot.com Feature: "Researching your roots can be a lifelong project. With so many records and resources, it's not easy to find a starting point. While every family history follows a different path, there are general guidelines that every beginner should know.

Document your Living Relatives

While you may be tempted to begin your research online, the first thing you should do is turn off your computer and pick up a pen and paper. 'The starting point for anyone doing family history research is their own family,' said Mary Popovich, a member of the Association for Professional Genealogists with 16 years of experience. 'Older relatives should be interviewed to see what they know and papers should be sorted to see what information they contain.' "

Society of Genealogists Genealogists' Magazine: "The following lists and indexes to the Genealogists' Magazine were constructed by Brian Randell with the help of Ancestry's on-line version of the Allen County Public Library's PERiodical Source Index (PERSI)."

Heraldry on the Internet, Coats of Arms, Family Crests: "This site is designed to help you conduct heraldry research on the Internet. I have compiled as many links as I can find to the various sources of heraldic material available. You can look for a family name coat of arms used by someone with the same surname as you. Search for coats of arms for cities and towns or use Pimbley's Dictionary of Heraldry or one of the other dictionaries or glossaries listed to identify the various charges and symbols found on coats of arms."

Nobility: "Why do people want to have noble ancestors?

During the late 1400s and early 1500s, German noble families propagated
their descent from patricians of the ancient Roman Empire. During the 18th
century, several families in the Duchy of W�rttemberg claimed that their progen-
itors were driven out from Austria for their religious beliefs. Around the turn
of our century, many people started to claim their descent from German nobility.
Between 1933 and 1945, many Germans were proud to have just German or, in a
wider sense, 'Aryan' ancestors."

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Every single day of the week, we are working to make GenCircles a better place. With suggestions from users and our determination, GenCircles can become the future in genealogy."

Almanach de Bruxelles: "The Reference Website ...
ALMANACH DE BRUXELLES, created in 1996, is the reference website of dynasties out of Europe.

A Unique Information ...
A unique information not available on any encyclopaedia on more than 2,290 dynasties, with more than 1,100 dynasties in India, Indonesia and Pakistan, in more than 7,560 screen pages."

Origin Search - Free genealogy search, Free name search and family record search online: "WELCOME TO ORIGIN SEARCH - Free Genealogy Search.
Our state-of-the-art NameX� powered free genealogy search tool, Origin Search, identifies web pages containing genealogical data and indexes names within. Pages are not limited to UK and Irish data so results include ancestors from countries worldwide. Now featuring free name search with results across 500 million names!"