A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Ballah family of France.
cross symbolChristian faith and serviceJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'or à la croix ancrée de gu.”
The Ballah arms were recorded in Maine, c. 1663.
Maine was quiet farming country in western France, held in small manors by families who stayed for generations. Nothing about it was grand, but steady landholding is exactly what puts a name in the registers.
This is where the arms were entered in the register. Families often moved to other parts of the country, so the same name can turn up in more than one region.
The body that granted and recorded arms in France in this period.
Reigning in France when the Ballah arms are first recorded.
In France, a coat of arms was a mark of honor that passed down through the male line to all legitimate descendants. Families often used the same shield without changes to show their shared heritage. If a branch wanted to stand out, they could add a small mark to their shield to show their specific place in the family tree.
The history of the Ballah family in North America is deeply rooted in the rugged landscape of colonial Maine. Records confirm that family members were established in this region as early as 1663, a time when the area was a challenging frontier for European settlers. During this period, the family likely lived in small, isolated communities along the coast where they relied on fishing, timber, and subsistence farming to survive. Life in seventeenth-century Maine was defined by the harsh climate and the complex interactions between settlers and the local Wabanaki people. As the family put down roots in this wilderness, they became part of the foundational generation that shaped the early development of New England. Their presence in these historical records highlights a commitment to building a life in a new land despite the significant hardships of the colonial era.
Derived from the Latin word for a dance or ball.
