Referring in part to: FUNKHOUSER, A
SWISS-AMERICAN GENEALOGY (1364-1978) by
Frieda Wilson, and a 1495 A.D. Swiss document which was submitted to the
compiler by Hans Fankhauser of Langenthal, Switzerland.
The Monastery Trub, which leased land to Clewi Fankhuser (1408-ca 1476), did in 1520 display a coat-of-arms which consisted of a shield with a tree spreading its roots and branches in a way which somewhat looked like a "T", later changed to Greek "T", know in heraldry as a "TAU" Cross (all sides concave to be different from the Roman "T"). The village of Trub used the "TAU" Cross on their coat-of-arms with two black bears holding the cross upright.
The Arms of "FANKHAUSER von TRUB" became a divided shield (called dimi-diated), as the female side of the family was as prominent or as rich as the male side. the right (dexter) half of the husband's shield is displayed with the left (sinister) side of the wife's shield. The husband's shield is Azure (light blue) with a TAU Cross in the upper right and the right half of a mountain chalet with look-out tower and fencing, all of Or (gold or yellow). The wife's shield had a two-headed eagle, because a one-headed eagle always faces the shield's right side in heraldry. Two sable (black) bears hold the shield in an upright position. They are called "supporters" or "guardants", and are usually reserved for shields of royalty, but not always. On a scroll below the shield is the MOTTO: "FANKHAUSER von TRUB.
A complete search of all 60,000 coats-of-arms recorded in the two-volume ARMORIAL GENERAL by J.B. Rietstap of Holland, and the six-volume ILLUSTRATIONS TO THE ARMORIAL GENERAL by V. & H.V. Rolland, listed only one coat-of-arms, which is Or (gold or yellow) with a two-headed Sable (black) spread eagle, and that is of a family "AVALON de STEINBACH" of Switzerland. So, we can be sure that our 13th or 14th great-grandmother had the maiden surname of "AVALON de STEINBACH". A copy of the arms of FANKHAUSER von TRUB (minus the bears) is always on display at the Haviland, Kansas Reunion each August, as well as a copy of the Association coat-of-arms, which is a composite of six family arms.
PAUL M. FUNKHOUSER, Heraldist
(The above information was received by regular mail from Paul M. Funkhouser)
Thanks, Paul, Frieda, and Hans for this good information.
Tom Fankhouser
Click for another rendition of the FANKHAUSER von TRUB COAT-OF-ARMS
