Some claim that the spear shaft should appear broken,

aunt minerva collection
The Foster Family by W.T. Foster cont.

denoting that he was tenacious and would fight on after his arms were destroyed. Others claim a whole spear in good condition and I prefere the latter. Three eight stringed lyres, the oldest of musical instruments, indicate art, culture, refinement. The head armour explains itself. Three ox-horns, strung for carrying, indidate the war trumpet, the hunter's horn and the dinner bugle of this agricultural and war-like people. In a painting the background should be silver, the gloved hand, tan deer skinn colors, the armour, bronze, the lyres, red, the horns, horn color, darker near the small ends; the suspenders of the hunting horns, tanned and smoked buckskin color.
No.6-Baldwin I Coat of Arms. In this the stag, stag head, hunter with cross bow and the motto are added to Anacher's coat of arms. The stag is made the crest denoting that Baldwin I was the great Forrester keeper of all the government lands and wild animals belonging to France besides the governor of Flanders and commander of the Nrothern French armies. That title was given to his father, Anacher but does not seem to have been included in Anacher's coat of arms. These coats of arms were secured to their wearers by official acts of the King of France, were of record and were secured as we protect patents and copy rights. Baldwin I was of greater muscular strength that his father and was nick-named "Of the Strong Arm." In a painting the stag, hunter and stag-head should be in natural colors, The stag is very much like our elks; but has a shorter neck. Arm of Baldwin I is not in armour in order to make his strong arm more prominent.
No.7-Sir John Foster's Coat of Arms. This bears the same symbols as Anachers and Baldwin I, with the chevron added as the crest. This chevron was bestowed by King Richard at the great battle of Acre in Palestine, In a painting the chevron should be a medium green on a red coat sleeve. These coats of arms should be put on a shield, the form for which can be selected from Webster's unabridged dictionary. The painting may be of any size. Nan Wyatt, my grand-daughter, is the most competent painter in that line that I know. She has painted our coats of arms inwater colors. These three coats of arms are official and the only ones I know of. I have added eleven figures to the Foster Family Escutcheon as mementos of important historical events in the lives of our ancestors.
No.8-Bamboro CAstle. In Northumberland, England, home of the Fosters for five hundred years. See description elsewhere.
No.9-Scotch Smbols. The bagpipe indicates their military music, the dress is distinctly highland, the man will pass for a Foster and he holds the thistle-the national flower of Scotland-in his right hanad. One of my great delights is to see a good Scotch theatrical troupe dance the "Highland Fling" to the bagpipe music.
no.10-The Irish Harp, on the Irish flag needs no explanation. It is adopted by our family as a memento of a long residence by our ancestors in the country of Londonderry in Ulster, Ireland. The flag is green, the harp, light bronze.
No.11:-William Foster, the Revolutionary soldier and my great-great-grand-father.
No. 12:-Crossing the Alleganies. Migration of our ancestors into the western wilds.
No.13:-Down the Ohio. A notable event in the histories of the Fosters and 300 other families en route to the wilderness of Kentucky.
No.14:-Crossing the Mississippi. They crossed the Mississippi at Hannival Missouri in September 1841 and found homes farther west, near the streams that empty out into the Missouri river.
I have also adopted for our family an American coat of arms which needs no further explainations.