Coats of Arms

The Thomas and Bridger Coats of Arms, reproduced in this book have been carefully researched. The Thomas Arms is that of the Thomas family of Wales. Numerous other branches of the Thomas family have Coat of Arms resembling it. This is the most widely used of all Thomas Coats of Arms, and “The Thomas Book,” published in New York in 1896, records it as the Arms of Sir Rhys ap Thomas, Knight of the Garter. Many Thomases of America descended from him as did numerous allied lines. This Arms has been used for generations by other American branches of the Thomas family including descendants of the Thomas families of Virginia, North Carolina and Kentucky.

The Bridger Coat of Arms is also very old and was brought to America by Joseph Bridger when he came in 1653. It was used by the family in Gloucester, England. Just what the crabs represent, or, for that matter, what the crows represent on the Thomas Arms, is not known. Crests of both Arms are available, however the Thomas crest varies. Some have the bird standing on a small section of tree branch with wings outspread. Other do not include the branch. The Bridger crest also includes a ducal coronet — gold crown with a crab above.

These Arms are described in Burke’s General Armory, Burke’s Landed Gentry, Burke’s Peerage and Baronetage, and other reliable works on heraldry, in some cases accompanied by illustrations and pedigrees.