A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Hostetler family of Germany.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Taillé-cannelé d'or sur azur. Cq. cour. C.: deux cornes de buffle, d'or et d'azur, ornées de crêtes le long du dos de l'un à l'autre, les angles ornés de plumes de coq de sa.”
The Hostetler arms were recorded in Wurttemberg, c. 1518.
Wurttemberg was southern German country of small estates and well-off market towns. Both landowners and leading townsmen kept arms there, so the region carries far more names than its size suggests.
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 Germany in this period.
Reigning in Germany when the Hostetler arms are first recorded.
In the Holy Roman Empire, coats of arms were often granted to individuals by the Emperor or his representatives. These arms were then passed down through the generations to all legitimate descendants of the original holder. Younger branches of a family usually kept the same shield design without needing to change it, as the arms belonged to the entire lineage.
The Hostetler family name traces its roots to the German-speaking regions of Europe, with documented evidence placing early ancestors in the territory of Württemberg as early as 1518. The name itself is derived from the German words "Host," meaning a farm or a homestead, and "teler," which refers to someone who works or lives on that land. This suggests that the family were likely farmers or landholders who identified themselves by their specific place of residence. Over the following centuries, members of the family became deeply involved in the Anabaptist movement, a religious group that faced significant persecution for their beliefs. This religious commitment eventually led many family members to leave their ancestral homes in the German states and migrate to North America in search of religious freedom and new opportunities for their families.
A guest or a host providing lodging
