Map of Germany showing where the Wussow arms are recorded
The Wussow arms were recorded in Pomerania, c. 1765.
Pomerania was flat farming country on the Baltic coast, held in large estates by a small number of families. They kept their land for generations, and generations of landholding is what fills 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.
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Sovereign of the period
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
1745–1765
Reigning in Germany when the Wussow arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in Germany
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.
Granting authority
The Holy Roman Emperor held the sole power to grant new coats of arms throughout his vast imperial territories.
How they got arms
Families typically obtained their coats of arms through a formal imperial grant or by proving their noble status to the authorities.
Where arms were recorded
These grants were officially recorded in the Imperial Chancery registers, which began keeping formal records of such honors during the Middle Ages.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Pomerania.
Origin & History of the Wussow Family in Germany
The surname Wussow originates from the historical region of Pomerania, which was once a territory of the Kingdom of Prussia. The name is locational in nature, meaning it was likely adopted by families living in or near the village of Wussow, now known as Osowo in modern-day Poland. By 1765, records confirm that members of the Wussow family were well-established within this region, where they often worked as landowners or farmers. During this period, Pomerania was a rural landscape defined by feudal traditions and agricultural life. Families often identified themselves by the specific village where they held property, which helped distinguish them from others in the area. As the family grew, they became deeply integrated into the local social and economic structures of the Prussian state.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Wussow
Derived from the Slavic place name Wussow, meaning a settlement.
This name
WussowA locational surname referring to individuals originating from the village of Wussow in Pomerania.
also spelled
Wussowe
Wussowh
Wussow-Sow
Wusso
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Berghaus, Heinrich, Landbuch des Herzogthums Pommern und des Fürstenthums Rügen, 1868
Brüggemann, Ludwig Wilhelm, Ausführliche Beschreibung des gegenwärtigen Zustandes des Königl. Preußischen Herzogthums Vor- und Hinter-Pommern, 1784
Landesarchiv Greifswald, General-Musterungslisten von Pommern, 1765
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stagPeace and harmony, and one who will not fight unprovoked
stagPeace and harmony, and one who will not fight unprovoked
