A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Schröter 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 scarabée volant en bande, au nat. Cq. cour. C.: deux antennes de scarabée, de gu. L.: de gu. et d'azur.”
The Schröter arms were recorded in Saxony, c. 1557.
Saxony had mines, trade and old landed families all at once. Silver made some fortunes and land held others, and both sorts of family kept arms, which is why Saxon names appear so often 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 Germany in this period.
Reigning in Germany when the Schröter 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 surname Schröter originates from the Middle High German word *schrotære*, which historically described a person who cut or sawed materials. In the medieval period, this name often identified a professional woodcutter, a sawyer, or a person who transported heavy barrels of wine and beer. By the middle of the sixteenth century, the family had firmly established roots in the region of Saxony. Records from 1557 confirm that members of the Schröter family were active participants in the social and economic life of this area during the height of the Reformation. As the name spread across German-speaking lands, it evolved into a common occupational identifier that reflected the hard physical labor required to sustain growing towns and trade networks.
To cut, grind, or shred into small pieces.
