[Genealib] Handling those family crest requests

[Cynthia Van Ness]

I sympathize with the concerns about most family crest requests.
 If I get a chance on the way to the shelf of heraldry books, I
say, "Just so you know..." and explain that crests are a form of
private property, like a trademark, and that just because your
name is McDonald doesn't mean you get to put the golden arches
on your front door.  People seem to grasp the concept when given
a friendly explanation.  What they choose to do next is up to them.

*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:**:-.,_,.-*
Cynthia Van Ness, MLS, bettybarcode AT yahoo DOT com
http://www.BuffaloResearch.com

"Everyone claims to want a city, but no one here wants city living.  City living by its definition is crowded.  It is tolerant of other people.  It is dependent on a sophisticated population that makes a hundred compromises daily so that they can benefit from the collective energy that a city generates."     --Robert N. Davis, Jr., May 4, 2004