A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Ophelan family of Germany.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'azur à un croc d'arg., posé en bande. C.: trois pl. d'aut. d'arg., ou, une d'arg. entre deux d'azur.”
The Ophelan arms were recorded in Silesia, c. 1765.
Silesia was farming country in the east of the German lands, held in large estates by families who stayed put for generations. Owning land was what entitled a family to arms, so the region fills a good deal of the register.
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 Ophelan 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 family name Ophelan traces its early documented roots to the region of Silesia during the mid-eighteenth century. By 1765, records indicate that members of the family were established within this territory, which was then a significant crossroads of Central European culture and trade. During this period, Silesia was undergoing major political shifts as it transitioned under the administration of the Kingdom of Prussia. Families living in the area often found themselves navigating a landscape defined by agricultural development and the growth of local industries. The presence of the Ophelan name in these historical records suggests that the family was part of the local social fabric during a time of rapid regional change. Their early history reflects the broader movement of people across the borders of the Holy Roman Empire and the subsequent Prussian influence that shaped the lives of those residing in the Silesian provinces.
Derived from the Hebrew name meaning God is my helper.
