need family crest info for last names; Clapper, and Sword?

Answer 1

ALL crests / coats of arms were given to specific indivuals, not families. The oldest legitimate son inherits it.

Supose Sir Thomas Smith, Sir Richard Smith and Sir Harold Smith all get C of A in 1512. By 2006 there is one legitimate eldest son of eldest son of eldest son each, for a total of three men. (Unless someone died before they had a son.)

BUT - there are 3 million Smiths in the US, not to mention England, Canada, Australia and the branch of the family in Argentina started in 1912, after the trouble with the bank auditors in Philadelphia.

You are a merchant, selling plaques, coffee mugs, T-shirts and so forth with coats of arms on them. Hmmmm. Which would get you more sales - to sell them to those three eldest sons of eldest sons . . ., or to the four MILLION people with surname Smith, including some who were "Schmidt" or "Smithkowski" or "Wojohoschmitz" before they came through Ellis Island?

What you get with a "Family" coat of arms is a C of A that was once awarded to someone with that surname, usually. If they get an order for 50 T-shirts for a reunion and can't find a C of A that had ever been awarded to someone of that surname, you get the best guess of the guy in the graphics department, who uses a lot of lions rampant on a crimson field with verdant argules.

If you are truly entitled to a C of A, you are probably living in Europe and it is engraved in the stone above the mantle of the family country home. If not, take your pick from the web sites; they are all equaly false for you, and you might as well pick one whose colors you like.

Wikipedia has articles on Coats of Arms and heraldry, if you are interested.

Answer 2

Put the words family crest in the search box. About everything I looked at you have to shell out some money for.

Answer 3

http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp.fc/qx/clapper-family-crest.htm

http://www.houseofnames.com/coatofarms_details.asp?sId=&s=Sword