say: "It will be readily understood that seals used by any of the first generations of colonists were of foreign origin and until such a subsequent time as seal engraving was practiced here must have been imported." The committee further decided, in effect, that all coats of arms used in New England before the year 1760 should be deemed authentic without other evidence. (New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 18, p. 268.) James King died May 13, 1722, but the use of the signet and coat of arms was continued by his children. His son, Capt. Joseph King, very prominent in the public affairs of the town, was a wealthy man for his time and transacted a great deal of private business requiring his signature and seal upon legal documents. The papers relating to his private affairs are very numerous and on all of these which have been preserved, such as deeds, bonds, releases, etc., wherever he has signed his name as grantor or obligor he has affixed his seal bearing the King Coat of Arms. This he continued to do until his death on March 6, 1756. Among the last documents executed by Capt. Joseph King is a deed of gift to his "loving wife Hannah King," dated the "eighth day of September, in the twenty-ninth year of His Maj'ts Reign Anno Dom. 1755." The seal affixed to this document is a diamond shaped piece of white paper attached by a wafer to the instrument and upon this paper is plainly impressed the King Coat of Arms. The soft wafer beneath the paper seal yielded easily to the pressure of the signet and thus caused the paper seal to receive and retain the imprint of the King Arms. (See cut on page facing this. This deed is given in the paragraph devoted to Capt. Joseph King No. 10.) In the inventory of the Estate of Capt. Joseph King, on file in Probate office at Hartford, appears among other things the following item: "One silver seal, King Coat of Arms” and in the distribution of the Estate of Capt. Joseph King, made Dec. 23, 1762, this "silver seal" is set off to Joseph, the eldest son of Capt. Joseph King. After the death of Capt. Joseph King his descendants continued to use these King arms on their seals. A will made by his eldest son Joseph King is dated Feby. 27, 1813, and appears never to have been presented for probate for it is found among the old documents in possession of Miss Margaret E. King of Dayton, Ohio, and has no filing mark or note thereon. This will also bears, after the signature of Joseph, a seal having the King Coat of Arms thereon, very plainly impressed on a paper seal placed over a wafer attaching it to the instrument. (See cut on page facing this) This will is given in full in the paragraph relating to Joseph King No. 32 This Joseph King died March 19, 1814, as shown by a tombstone in the graveyard at Suffield, and his descendants also continued the use of the King Arms on their seals and otherwise, but I need not mention here any more documents, as the foregoing evidence is quite sufficient for my present purpose, and shows the continuous use of these arms by the Suffield King family from at least as early as 1722 down to the present time. The "Silver Seal, King Coat of Arms" mentioned in the inventory of the estate of Capt. Joseph3 King, and in the distribution of his estate awarded to his oldest son Joseph King, has however, a history of its own. From Joseph King, son of Capt. Joseph3 King, this seal passed to his son John Bowker King (born at Suffield Dec. 9, 1779), who died at Suffield May 31, 1853, leaving it to his son Joseph Warren King, born at Suffield Aug. 30, 1814. Joseph Warren King moved to Xenia, Ohio, where he died, July 8, 1885, and upon his death the old "Silver Seal, King Coat of Arms" became the property of his daughter Miss Emma Cornelia King, who continues to reside at Xenia, and in whose possession it still remains. This seal is composed of a silver plate of circular form with a diameter of three quarters of an inch upon which are engraved the King Arms. The silver plate is mounted on a turned and polished ebony handle three and one-half inches long, all showing excellent workmanship. The seal is now much worn from long usage and some of its finer lines, such as those connecting the mantling with the helmet, are almost obliterated co that they scarcely show in the zincograph here presented. In 1897 Miss Emma C. King was travelling in Europe, and, desiring to know the origin of the arms engraved upon her seal submitted it for examination to the College of Arms, London, England. The result of the investigation is explained in the following letters: Dear Madam: "The College of Arms, 20th August, 1897. Referring to your visit here and enquiry re arms on a seal produced, I have to inform you that I find there is a record here of a grant of these arms, viz: "Sable, on a chevron or, between three crosses-crosslet of the last, three escallops of the first" to King of London, the date of the grant being about 1611 and there being no pedigree recorded in connection therewith. A copy of the entry with a painting of the arms can be made if you should desire it, on receipt of the fee, one guinea. The fee paid by you was for the search, the result of which has been duly communicated to you. The arms are entered as I informed you, merely to "King of London," the date of the grant would from adjoining entries appear to be 1611 and the entry occurs in a book of Grants by William Camden, who was then Clarenceux King of Arms. Yours faithfully Miss E. C. King. G. AMBROSE LEE, Miss King being compelled to leave London very soon thereafter did not at that time order the painting of the arms, but at the request of the compiler of this genealogy did so in 1904 and a cut |