From Heraldry: About the von Cölln Family Crest
The following is from a description of the family crest which I
believe was developed by a heraldry group. While many of the features of our
family crest match the description, there are some differences. Also, while the
description makes many mentions to the city of Köln, we do not believe our
family originated from that city
- The surname von Cölln is a slightly
anglicised form of the German von Cölln which is locative in origin;
 that is to say derived from the name of
a place -- the great city of Köln, better known to English speakers by its
French name, Cologne. The city is situated on the left bank of the Rhine in a
fertile plan and was originally a well-known Roman colony of Veterans called
Colonia Agrippina named after the daughter of Germanicus, consul of Rome and
later Emperor Caligula.
- In the days when communities were small
a person was identified by a single name only -- but with the increase in and
movement of population, confusions arose and it became necessary to adopt an
additional cognomen, coined usually from one of four sources; the name of an
ancestor, a place of origin or residence, an occupation or some personal
characteristic or nickname. Thus a man named John who haild from Cologne might
be known as "John (of) Cologne -- Johann Köln or Cölln" in order to
distinguish him from others of the same Christian name. In course of time the
cognomen became hereditary in what we now term surnames ceasing to have any
reference to the bearer's place of origin.
- Although the preposition von means "of"
it is not used before German surnames merely to indicate that a person (or
rather his ancestor) was "of" or "from" a certain place: John of Cologne, used
as an illustration above, would not have been called Johann von Cölln. The
preposition is in fact an indication of nobility. The nobles of the Middle Ages
usually derived their surnames from places, principally the land which they
held or the castles they inhabited, and were therfore "of" these places in a
special sense. It is no doubt from this situation that von was recognised as an
indication of nobility so that eventually the curious situation arose whereby
the preposition was used even in cases whre the surname was not derived from a
place name -- such oddities as von Schmidt and von Braun being the result!
- There are a number of armigerous and
noble families of the name including an ancient one of Micklenberg. They had
landed possessions at Gollmitz, Schmiedeberg and other places in the Uckermark
towards the end of the fourteenth century and in 1575 Gerhard von Kölln or
Cölln was a page at the court of the Prince of Anhalt. Another family were
nobles of the Principality of Glogan and the Principality of Jägerndorf.
Adam Friedrick von Cölln was lord of Zossen in 1617.
- The arms illustrated which may be
dexcribed heraldically as per fess gules and azure, in chief two swords in
saltire points downwards proper hilts or, in base two hawks bells in fess
argent, Crest: Issuing from a coronet or an angel habitea vert his hands
resting on the hilt of a sword as in the arms, are those of a noble family name
von Cölln of Hesse.
- Writers in the past have attributed
symbolism to the charges and tinctures of heraldry -- thus or (gold) is said to
denote Geerosity; argent (silver), Pease and Sincerity; gules (red) Military
Fortitude and Magnanity; azure (vlue) Loyalty and Truth; and vert (green) Hope,
Joy and sometimes, Loyalty in Love. The sword is the emblem of Government,
Justice and true Military Honour, whilst the hawks bells denote one "who feared
not to signalise his approach in either peace or war." The angel with the sword
may be intended as the avenging angel or to represent St. Michael the
Archangel, a patron of warriors.
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