NEWSLETTER of the

Vol. 3, No. 1Winter 2002

In this issue:

Heraldry, familycrests and coats ofarms tempt theresearcher back intime to the 15thcentury and acrossthe ocean in

!"

Next issue . . .

We look ahead to theTefft Family Reunion,Oct. 12 -14, 2002, with atravel guide to places ofinterest and tips for Tefftsin search of their historyand heritage in RhodeIsland.

he exploration of family history and genealogy willinevitably lead determined researchers as far back intime as their ancestral trail will take them. Forresearchers of families from England and other

European origins, the 15th century beckons. Preserved out ofthe mists of the Middle Ages are family records that deal withheraldry, family crests and coats of arms. These relics relateto the art of war and to a family’s standing in the social orderof the day. Delve into these ancient realms, blow away thedust of centuries, and you find symbols that speak an ar-chaic, almost alien, language.

Make no mistake. Alluring as these murky secrets may be,what lies buried in the dim past is not about to reveal itselfquickly or well without considerable trouble on the part of theseeker. And seekers must beware. Warning signs are every-where and scoffers of these things abound with good reason.The best we are hoping to do in this newsletter is give ourreaders some sense of where the study of a coat of arms mightlead and, without any official stamp of approval implied, offera pictorial representation of something claiming to be anauthentic Tefft Coat of Arms.The Tefft Coat of Arms

The only Tefft Coat of Arms we know of is illustrated in abookplate, or front piece of a book, belonging to EmmaAugusta Tefft, circa 1900. Documentation for the Tefft Coat ofArms design can be found in Bolton’s American Armory, page162, with comments contributed by Dorris Blossom.

In her remarks, Blossom notes that the coat of arms wasdrawn by a heraldic artist from information officially recordedin ancient heraldic archives. The motto recorded with the TefftCoat of Arms is: “UBIQUE FIDELIS,” everywhere faithful.

“Based on extensive research and years of study in ono-mastic sciences (the study of the origin, history and use ofproper names), it is believed the surname Tefft is patronymicalin origin,” Blossom writes. “Scholars agree that the name is

Coat of ArmsTTTTTefftefftefftefftefft

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by Darlene Tefft Cobb andTimothy Nathan Tefft

See Coat page 4

search of ever deeperknowledge of familyroots. Our explorationleads us to a turn-of-the-century reference to aTefft Coat of Arms illus-trated and found in anAmerican tradition ofheraldic art. Like much inthe past, it leaves us withas many questions as itdoes answers.

Winter 20022

Associates and Friends . . .Family, Family Album

Copyright 2002 Tefft Family Association

TFA Newsletter Masthead design by Jamie Tefft Cochran

Our family research tells us that ourroots go deep into the American soil. Thedocument history takes us back to twobrothers, William and John Tefft (Teffe),the family’s founders in America, whoarrived on these shores sometime in the1630s. But from where? England seems tobe the best guess, but family traditionhints at other origins, perhaps Wales,maybe Ireland, possibly even Holland orFrance.

Lacking better evidence of this earliernational origin, one family member jokesthat we must have sprung up on America’sshores like mushrooms and may neverknow how or from whence we journeyed“across the puddle.” (So much for anynotion that Teffts are Somebodies, whichafter all can only be meaningful by com-parison. It is, in fact, all relative!)

We know that Tefft genealogists of thepast surely wondered as much as we dowhere the family originated. And we’reworking to locate, evaluate and expand onthe answers they found. Surviving thissearch for Tefft origins is a bookplateillustration of a Tefft Coat of Arms used byEmma Augusta Tefft around 1900. Doesthis alone prove the family has English orEuropean origins? We don’t think so giventhe record of questionable research andmotives of those who produced (and stillprovide) crests and coats of arms “toorder.” Still, it might be genuine; and if so,then we possibly have the beginnings of ananswer to a most elusive question. Fornow, all we can do is offer what we know ofthis Tefft Coat of Arms and encourageresearchers to discover more. Happyhunting!

Darlene Tefft CobbInterim President, Tefft Family Association

Published quarterly byTEFFT FAMILY ASSOCIATION

3535 West Avenue J-13Lancaster, CA 93536

Hello cousins and friends. My name is Kathleen TifftCooper, and I am a descendant of John Tefft throughhis 3rd great-grandson George (son of Samuel andAmy Gardiner) and his second wife, Harmony Mitchell,who settled in Coles County, Illinois after leavingRhode Island and residing for a time in New York.

My husband John and I live in Carlsbad, Calif., withour two parrots, Sunny and Princess. John's son,Philip, visits when possible from London where he is abudding architect. John is originally from Yorkshire,England, but is thoroughly hooked on California living.He is not involved in genealogy except to add hissupport (that includes searching very wet cemeteriesin Ireland on our vacation) and enjoy my successes —although any part of the process that connects tocomputers will grab his attention for a time. When I began researching our family history aboutsix years ago, my father, Edward Bradford Tifft, toldme his sister had uncovered a connection to GovernorWilliam Bradford of Plymouth, which he thought wasvery important. And oh, yes, there were a lot of Tiffts inNew York, but he didn't know where they came from.Little did he know I would briefly explore the Bradfordconnection, but be thoroughly hooked by the Teffts.

After meeting Timothy Nathan Tefft and Dick Tefft viae-mail, I was caught up in the cause of saving whatwas left of the Tefft homestead in Rhode Island andeventually saw it myself while attending the 2000reunion. What a serendipitous thing this has been,leading to new friendships and interests, reconnectingmany immediate family members, and greatly expand-ing on my definition of family. I can honestly say I havenot met a new cousin who is not a 'keeper!'

Kathleen Tifft Cooper with husband John and featheredfriends, Sunny and Princess.

!"

3Winter 2002

With fundraising to purchase the 225-year-oldTefft Homestead property over, past andwould-be contributors have been asking:What now at the homestead?

WFour years ago, when a builder was about tostart construction of a tract of new homes onthe Tefft Homestead land, the goal was topurchase and save it from destruction. Today, aportion of the Tefft Homestead — about 28-acres containing most of the important historicfeatures — is safely in the hands of the SouthKingstown Land Trust, a nonprofit organizationthat seeks to preserve open space.

Since the property’s purchase in March 2000,it has been renamed and is now known as theTefft Historical Park. The state of Rhode Island,the town of South Kingstown and others in thepublic and private sectors have committedresources to purchase and preserve the land.

There’s a long-term plan in place for protect-ing the historic features contained within thepark and a management committee to makesure work on the property is carried out consis-tent with the plan. There’s work going on to getthe property named to the National Register ofHistoric Places. And there’s been additionaleffort to raise money to take care of someimmediate and future needs at the park includ-ing addressing such problems as soil erosion(drainage), restoration of natural features suchas meadow grass, safety such as a covering anopen water well, and access such as pathways.In short, we have the land and we have theplan. With continued funding and volunteersthe natural and remaining historic features canbe protected and the park can be turned intosomething we all can learn from and enjoy.

Contributors toward purchase of the land, andmore recently to its maintenance and improve-ment, to date have provided what was needed tocomplete the purchase with about $1,200 leftover at this time to address other needs.

Recently the SKLT has learned that a$100,000 grant, applied for last fall, has notbeen accepted. While this means no funding forthe full range of Tefft Historic Park projectsplanned in 2002-2003, SKLT has announced it

In 1999, when Tefft descendants held their firstreunion in South Kingstown, R.I., the propertypictured above was known to us as the Tefft Home-stead. The Tefft Historical Park was born with theMarch 2000 purchase of the remaining 28-acres ofland that once comprised the homestead. Thepurchase was the first step in protecting andimproving the property, its stonewalls, historiccemeteries, house foundations and other archaeo-logical features. Grants and private donationscontinue to be sought by the South Kingstown LandTrust to protect what is there and turn the park intosomething we all can learn from and enjoy.

intends to apply for a state grant to support areduced schedule of work.

Volunteers are filling in some gaps. Forinstance, TFA member Henry Oately, a retiredcivil engineer, has provided a drainage plan forthe property. Another, Brian Tefft, a naturalresource expert, is working to ensure themeadow grasses and other natural elements onthe property are stabilized.

More information about what’s happening atthe Tefft Homestead (aka Tefft Historical Park)can be found at the Tefft Family AssociationWeb site www.geocities.com/tefft_family. Thosewho want to know more about the SouthKingstown Land Trust or make a donationtoward improvements and maintenance of thepark should call 401-789-0962 or write SKLTat 313 Main Street, Suite C, Wakefield, RI02879.

!"

by Darlene Tefft Cobb

Photo

s co

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esy

Kat

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ifft

Cooper

Winter 20024

associated with the Germans and Dutch, andmeant, ‘descendant of Theudofrid’ (Prince ofPeace). ”1

The heraldic artist of the Tefft Coat of Armsis unknown.Considering the source

Authenticity of this coat of arms is beyondthe scope of the authors of this newsletter.Based on an interpretation of the introductionin Bolton’s, the following is offered by TefftFamily Association Genealogist TimothyNathan Tefft:

Heraldry first came about circa 1164 andwithin 25 years was a recognized art form.From this time forward, leaders of men haveassumed coats, sometimes appropriating oneassociated with another’s family. For example,sometimes brothers would take on differentcoats, or a husband would use that of hiswife’s family.

The College of Arms was chartered in 1483,though grants of arms from the Crown andother nobility began much earlier. Members ofancient families have not always looked favor-ably at the College. Descendants of men whowon or assumed their coats on a great medievalbattlefield “will never look with favor upon armsgranted by authority on payment of a fee.”2

In America’s colonial days, arms were oftendrawn by carriage painters or traveling “heral-dic artists.” They often performed this servicefor about ten dollars or perhaps bed and break-fast. Stationers then came into the picture.These coats were often done in watercolors, ordone on portraits. They might be found en-graved on seal rings, silver, or on a bookplate.The owners of these arms probably did not caremuch about their right to use them.

Bolton goes on to say that bookplates are“not often reliable heraldrically,” and cites thework of a Mr. French, one of the best knownAmerican engravers. If Mr. French “had anaccurate knowledge of heraldry, there is littleto prove it in his handsome bookplates.” TheTefft Coat of Arms was taken from a bookplate.

In summary, we can’t say whether EmmaAugusta Tefft’s bookplate representation of aTefft Coat of Arms is authentic. So interpreta-tion of its symbols by family historians may bea trip down the wrong road. This just happensto be the only road available to travel at themoment. And the subject itself has been

SOURCES1. Bolton, Charles Knowles, Bolton’s American Armory, ARECORD OF COATS OF ARMS WHICH HAVE BEEN IN USEWITHIN THE PRESENT BOUNDS OF THE UNITED STATES,Boston, 1972, The F.W. Faxon Company. The introductorypages of Bolton’s offer these words of caution: “This is a recordof those coats of arms only that have been in use (some of themfrom the earliest Colonial times) within the bounds of the presentUnited Sates. Readers whose chief interest is in ‘authentic’ armsor the right to bear arms must look elsewhere,” page ix.2. Ibid, page ix.

fascinating enough to draw us down the path abit further.A rendition

Curiosity has led us to ask what the TefftCoat of Arms described in Bolton’s might looklike. Some time ago, Tefft historian A. CraigAnthony contacted artist and “Tefft-in-law”Norm Burdett for a rendition based on thedescription given in Bolton’s. A serious histo-rian and “lifelong amateur student of RhodeIsland 17th century colonial history,” Burdettresponded by generously contributing a ren-dering in what may be a more modern style.(See sidebar, opposite page.)

“I have translated the Old French descrip-tive paragraph into a coat of arms,” Burdettwrote in an e-mail accompanying the artwork.“All of the elements described are included andthe only difference from the original would bethe style of my rendering.”

The art of heraldry is called blazoning,which employs a remarkably precise technicallanguage to describe arms. Each element isdescribed in its proper order, for instance, thefield is given first, then the color or arrange-ment of colors, then the character of partitionlines when parted, and so on.

This precision and order allows artists torender the coats today. “Descriptions of coats ofarms began to be recorded in Norman times inEngland,” Burdett says. “The language of thatperiod is what we refer to as ‘Old French.’ All ofthese heraldic descriptions follow the sameformula today, so we are able to recreate coatsof arms that are centuries old accurately.”Parting word

For those researching Tefft genealogy, thesubject of heraldry, coats of arms and familycrests may yield new and valuable information,particularly when the surname’s links back toEurope are still so misty. There are a numberof Web sites offering information on this topic.Most want to sell you an authentic Tefft coat ofarms rendered by latter-day versions ofBolton’s Mr. French. Our humble advice—letthe buyer beware!

CoatCoatCoatCoatCoatFrom page 1

5Winter 2002

Tefft Coat of Arms (modern)Norman Burdett, artist

Tefft Coat of ArmsTefft Coat of ArmsTefft Coat of ArmsTefft Coat of ArmsTefft Coat of Arms (c. 1900s) From Bolton’s (courtesy Timothy Nathan Tefft)

mullet — A bearing resem-bling a five-pointed star. It issometimes called a spurrowel, but it was in use longbefore the rowelled spur.When used as a difference, itdenotes the third son.3

Heraldic Description of theTefft Coat of Arms

Quart 1 and 4: Gu 4 mullets pierced 2, 2, 1; 2 and 3: Gu a heart bet 3 mullets pierced, all argentCrest: a boar’s head couped Motto: Ubique fidelis1

Some Definitions

heart — The human heart is some-times borne. A case in point is the

arms of the Douglass family inallusion to the mission of JamesLord Douglas to the Holy Landwith the heart of Robert Bruce.Douglass: “Argent, a man’s heartgules, ensigned by a royal crownproper, on a chief azure two

mullets of the first.”4

NOTES:1. Description from Bolton’s American Armory, pg. 162.2. Pimbley’s Dictionary of Heraldry, www.digiserver.com/heraldry/Pimbley’s Dictionary of Heraldry, Jan. 11, 2002.3. Ibid4. Ibid

gule (Gu) — To color red; to givethe color of gules to. Gules arebloody.2

Winter 20026

Want toknow more?

Visit the Tefft FamilyAssociation Web site at

www.geocities.com/tefft_family

E-mailDarlene Tefft Cobb at

dcobb@antelecom.net

Write us at:3535 West Ave. J-13,

Lancaster, CA93536-6320

News Briefs FROM THE TEFFT FAMILY ASSOCIATIONNews Briefs

What’s new with TFA? — Maybe you!Total membership in the Tefft FamilyAssociation reached 130 on March 1.We welcome our new members andsend heartfelt thanks to all for yoursupport.Members’ interests — Those whoenroll are asked where their chiefinterest lies. Here’s what membersanswered. Most, 60, joined becausethey have an interest in genealogy andhistory. Thirty-six members indicatedthey want to participate in preservingthe Tefft Homestead. Preservation ofTefft cemeteries attracted 31 members.And 24 said they were most interestedin attending family reunions.Where do members call home? —Most of our members live in the conti-nental United States with 31 statesrepresented. We have heard from Tefftdescendants as far away as Hawaii,Canada and Australia. To date, thestate of Rhode Island has provided uswith the most members who aredescended from John or William Tefft.Seventeen hail from Rhode Island,followed by 15 from the state of NewYork. California and Florida come inneck and neck with ten apiece. By theway, the most common spelling of thelast name continues to be Tefft, how-ever, 8 percent spell the name Tifft orTift.Are you a member? — Membershiphas its privileges. At this time, onlythose enrolled as a member of the TFAand current with their dues for 2002will continue to receive the quarterlynewsletter.

If you have a question about yourmembership, please e-mail, call orwrite Membership Chairperson LoriHorton at LHorton@ LHorton.com;401-782-2078; 99 Stonehenge Rd.,Kingston, RI 02881.

Those with access to the Internet canenroll on the TFA Web site. Follow thelink listed under the Main Menu on thehomepage. The address for the TFAWeb site is www.geocities.com/tefft_family.

A brief look atTFA’s progress

Established in Oct. 1999, the TefftFamily Association continues to makeprogress in building membership andaccomplishing goals intended to benefitmembers and preserve Tefft history.Here’s a brief look at what’s been doneto date:

1. Formed a family association with acurrent membership of 130. Westarted with about 30.

2. Held our third family reunion inRhode Island in 2001 with a fourthplanned Oct. 12-14, 2002.

3. Helped spearhead and finance thepurchase and preservation of the225-year-old Tefft Homestead, turnit into the Tefft Historical Park, andprovide for its long-term manage-ment and maintenance.

4. Expanded our knowledge of Tefftgenealogy and established a geneal-ogy e-mail service — the Tefft-L list— to exchange information on ourresearch. The Tefft-L list hovers ataround 80 to 85 subscribers andinquiries about Tefft genealogy aremade at the rate of about one to twoa week.

5. Established and upgraded the TefftFamily Association Web site. SinceMay 2000, when we first startedcounting, there have been over10,000 hits on the various pages atthe site. We know that Teffts arediligent researchers, since the mostpopular page on the site is “Resources.”

6. Developed a quarterly newsletterthat covers topics of interest to Tefftdescendants. Seven issues havebeen published to date.

7Winter 2002

or the advanced Tefftologist — and an easytip for all — it is quite possible to generallynarrow down several of the “loose ends” in

your genealogical database by identifyingnaming patterns that have become traditionalin certain branches. For instance, it is reason-able to conclude from the Vermont list of Tefftancestors in the 1800s that Peter, Moses,Rufus, etc., are most likely descendants ofJoshua Tefft through Rhode Island ancestors ofthe same name. Certain names were common toonly one branch of the family. Of course, this isonly a generality and many names are just tooobscure to make this connection.

— A. Craig Anthony

Spotting connections

F

What is the origin and meaningof the Tefft name?

he name “Teft” or “Tefft” is Saxon and means,“a piece of ground where there has been ahouse,” according to the Etymological Dictio-

nary of Family and Christian Names. More poeti-cally, it is a place where a house once stood,which takes on a somewhat ironic, almost melan-choly, meaning in light of the efforts to save theTefft Homestead and its near loss.

The following is an abstract from a letterwritten by Benjamin F. Tefft, D.D., LL.D. (adescendant of Joshua Tefft) to Parker W. Tefft ofChicago in the latter part of the nineteenthcentury:

While in London on a mission for theUnited States Government, I employedsome one to hunt up the family namein England. The result was the following:The family originally belonged to the FrenchHuguenots when the spelling of the namewas “Thevet” and pronounced as ifspelled ‘Tevay.” The family and manyothers were driven out of France bythe St. Bartholomew Massacre, and cameto England. The Teffts of this countryundoubtedly came from (Lincolnshire)England.

Source: William Arthur, A.M., Maria E. (Maxon)Tifft

T

The great-grandsons of Bertrum

Walter Tefft, (1867-1940), from left,

brothers J. Perry, Jerry and James,

accepted the Idaho State Historical

Society’s Century Farm award for the

family’s 160-acre homestead near Cul

de Sac, Idaho. Born in Elgin, Ill.,

Bertrum settled on the property in

1886 and was granted the land patent

in 1893. The homestead documents

were signed by Presidents Grover

Cleveland and Theodore Roosevelt.

The award was presented last year. J. Perry, Jerry and James Tefft, March 2001

Winter 20028

The Tefft Family Association welcomes new members.Benefits include the TFA quarterly newsletter and infor-mation of interest to genealogists, historians and otherswho are curious about Teffts, Tiffts, and other spellingsof the surname. For more information, visit our Web siteat www.geocities.com/tefft_family.

Come out of hiding to join us.

Just complete the enrollment form below and mail to:

The Tefft Family Association3535 West Avenue J-13

Lancaster, CA 93536

Tefft Family Association

About the

Who can join?Descendants of JohnTefft (Tift) of RhodeIsland and his brother,William Teffe ofBoston, including allthe various spellings ofthe Tefft surname.

Others who wish to joinas associate membersare also welcome.

What are theannual dues?

Dues are $10 peryear/per member.

Contributions to covermailing costs and otherorganizational costs forthe TFA would also begreatly appreciated.

The TFA has not yetfiled for nonprofitstatus.

1. Your name

2. Mailing addressStreet

City/State/Zip

3. Home phone 4. Business phone

5. E-mail address

7. Are you applying for membership as a family (Tefft descendant) or associate member?

8. My primary interest in joining the TFA is: (please check one ONLY)

9. In addition to my annual membership dues of $10, I wish to make a contribution to the TFA in support of the following:

Tefft Family AssociationIndividual Membership Enrollment - 2002

Thank you! Please mail to: TFA Enrollment, 3535 West Avenue J-13, Lancaster, CA 93536

Tefft Family Association

Board of Directors

Interim Officers

President Darlene Tefft Cobb

Homestead Preservation Rick Norwood

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Tefft Family Association3535 West Avenue J-13Lancaster, CA 93536-6320

Management of Tefft Historic Parkin South Kingstown, R.I.

Unspecified Dues ONLYat this time

Preserving TefftHomestead

AttendingReunions

ResearchingGenealogy

Preserving TefftCemeteries Other

6. Are you a Tefft descendant? Yes No Unsure

Tefft descendant Associate member

Communications Kathleen Tifft Cooper

Vice-President Timothy N. Tefft

Membership Lori Horton

Sandy Lemkin

Jeannie Tefft Clark

Henry Oatley

Darlene Tefft Cobb

Brenda Arms

Scott Bill HirstHans Hammer

Charles Tefft

Treasurer Otis Wyatt

Please make checks payable to the Tefft Family Association

Genealogist/Archivist & CemeteriesTimothy N. Tefft