Books with author Rosemary A. Chorzempa

Hundreds of years ago, warriors identified themselves in battle by using certain colors and symbols on their shields. Later, these distinguishing marks also appeared on surcoats worn over armor. Thus, the term "coat of arms" was born.Now, with genealogist Rosemary Chorzempa's fascinating new book, anyone interested in the ancient and distinctive language of heraldry can create his or her own coat of arms. This easy-to-read, profusely illustrated guide to the history, symbolism, and construction of heraldic devices allows even a child to fashion authentic designs.Step-by-step directions tell how to trace the shape of the shield and its divisions and how to select symbols that reflect personal origins, traits, and achievements. (Forty-seven illustrations include human forms and manmade objects such as forearms, helmets, crowns, whips, books, crosses, bells, and much more. Celestial, plant, and animal shapes include suns, roses, trees, eagles, bars, dolphins, dragons, and serpents.) You'll find tips on necessary materials, how to color and outline your design, how to achieve professional results, and even how to register your coat of arms. You'll also find sample coats of arms belonging to some of the world's most famous people, corporations, and nations.Once you've finished your emblem, you may want to display your work on personal belongings such as a hooked rug, a wall hanging, or other needlecraft projects. Decorate a plate, mug, or other ceramic objects — or make sew-on patches, pin-on badges, and T-shirt decals. Rubber stamps, bookplates, stationery, and jewelry can be custom-made to depict your coat of arms.Here's a book for lovers of traditional design and for those interested in the study of family histories, relationships, and accomplishments — a veritable treasury of information for anyone wishing to display his or her family's roots in a long-cherished form.

“Know thyself” is good advice; one fascinating, deeply satisfying path to self-knowledge is through your own relatives and ancestors. This workbook helps bring you in direct, active contact with your heritage, using the tools of genealogy.Genealogy (from a Greek word meaning ‘tracing generation or descent’) is a very old, honorable discipline for determining who truly belongs (by blood or marriage) to a family. Its visible result is a family tree, or pedigree. Formerly pedigrees were necessary to princes and aristocrats to prove their birthright; today anyone may take pride in his or her family past. This book enables beginning genealogists, including young children, to take the first steps in discovering the origins and growth of their lineage.Rosemary Chorzempa began tracing her Polish immigrant family’s roots as a teenager and now lectures on genealogy. She has designed this introductory volume as a workbook in which the reader is a participant, researcher, recorder, and pedigree-maker. The pages provide the family historian space to document information (including photos) on self, father, mother, brothers and sisters, and other relatives paternal and maternal. Instructions clarify the making of a basic family tree and pedigree chart; important rules of research method and etiquette teach the beginner good genealogical technique. In addition there are pages on autographs, family tales, heraldry, geography, foreign languages, ethnic crafts, foods and customs, a sample notebook filing system, correspondence record, glossary, bibliography, ideas on further study and projects. As a final note, Mrs. Chorzempa includes her own autobiography and family tree.Easily accessible to the youngest of historians, this volume assists in learning fundamental research principles and beginning the search — part science, part detective story — that may ultimately lead to years of discovery, enjoyment, and even self-knowledge.