COAT OF ARMSThe Coat of Arms of this Chandler Family was prepared by Miss Fanny Chandler, from an original cut and obtained, from an original obtained from the Herald's College, London, by the Rev. Thomas Bradbury Chandler, D.D., of Elizabeth Town, N.J., when he was there in 1775.The crest borne on the closed helmet above the Coat of Arms is that of a Pelican in her nest, wounding her breast to feed her young with her own blood — an emblem of parental affection expressive of the family motto "AD — MORTEM FIDELIS". The mantle cut and jagged hanging from the helmet indicates the faithful service of the wearer; the gauntlet, his prowess.Heraldic colors on the shield are designated by the direction of the lines."HE BEARETH CHECKIE, ARGENT AND AZURE, ON A BEND OF THE FIRST, SA., THREE LYONS PASSANT, GULES,"BY THE NAME OF CHANDLER
So I'm guessing that my great-grandmother, Greta Miriam Chandler Adams (1894-1988), is related in some tangential way to Rev. Thomas Bradbury Chandler (1726-1790), which I could surely confirm if I took the time to sort through my grandmother Helen's genealogy papers and charts, written in her sometimes-hard-to-decipher cursive.
Corroboration concerning this coat of arms can be found, for now anyway, at this RootsWeb page. (Chandler was a moderately common surname in England, originally describing someone who made and sold candles.)
Additional information and artwork can be found at the Anglican Diocese of Canberra & Goulburn, the Center for Humans & Nature, and the Book of Traceable Heraldic Art.
(By the way, in the real world, pelicans do not actually wound themselves to feed blood to their young. They give them fish — sometimes regurgitated — and stuff.)
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