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The
ancestors of the Gertz
family in the male line
can be traced back to
1810. The entire family
tree currently comprises
526 people. There is no
evidence of a previously
existing family coat of
arms so this achievement
was created anew by the
armiger to be used
exclusively by his male
descendants as a family
coat of arms for
private, non commercial
use.
The family is divided
between a branch based
in Gümmer, Germany, and
another branch that
resulted from the
migration of a family
member to the United
States. The heraldic
animal of both countries
is the eagle, here in
the form of the bald
eagle in the US and the
otherwise unspecified
eagle of the Federal
Republic of Germany.
The
Gertz family has
produced a total of two
amateur writers and has
a line of ancestors with
administrative
professions (municipal
directors, mayors,
chairpersons of employee
representatives,
including a recipient of
the Small Cross of
Merit), which is
expressed by the quill
pen. The stylized sword
illustrates a tradition
of military careers,
which is particularly
relevant today. In
addition to the family's
conscripts, there is a
professional soldier
(who fought in World War
I from the first to the
last day of the war in
France) as well as a
living family member
with 21 years of active
service in the US Air
Force and (in the
extended family) an
active member of an F-15
ground crew and a
participant in Operation
Desert Storm in the US
Army. Due to these two
predominant areas in the
biographies, a divided
shield was felt to be
appropriate.
The
motto, Ora Et Labora,
which can be translated
to Pray and Work, was
chosen because the
chapel is a defining
feature of the village
of Gümmer; it is the
oldest building in the
village and was built in
1508 as a late Gothic
hall church made of
plastered quarry stone.
The year 1508 is carved
above the entrance, and
a bell from the 13th
century hangs in the
ridge turret. A house
belonging to the Gertz
extended family is
located four houses away
from the chapel. A
member of the family
works for the
Evangelical Lutheran
Church and this is where
the connection to prayer
(ora) comes in. The
willingness to work
(voluntarily and
professionally, and in
caring for elderly and
adolescent family
members) is illustrated
by the “labora” and
should also be defined
as a harmonious
combination of prayer
and work, as a goal and
an incentive.
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