Macrander website

Blazon & Motto

“In red, between two silver lions rampant facing each other, gold tongued and nailed, a silver linden tree (¹) uprooted. On the helmet with red-silver mantling, a black eight-pointed star (²) between two eagle-wings addorsed, divided into two equal parts, red above and silver below.”
Motto: “Crede quod potes et potes" (³)

¹) A 'Gerichtslinde', a court tree as a symbol of judicial functions practiced by various early Macrander ancestors, like a Ratschöffe (a lay judge in a council),
a Gerichtstschöffe (a lay judge in a court) and (Gerichts)prokuratoren (attorneys/lawyers). In the Middle Ages, the court trees were used as places for the conclusion
of marriages and judicial matters. Also a 'Lutherlinde' as a symbol of the religion that was strongly adhered by early Macrander ancestors.;
²) The star of Waldeck;
³) "Believe that you can, and you can".

Registration:
Based on this data, the above described coat of arms is listed in the Deutsche Wappenrolle and can be used by all descendants of the common ancestor Arnold Macrander (Langemann) (*1566-†1620), as long as they bear this familyname. This coat of arms is published in volume 73, under the number DWR 11221/09.

(Coat of Arms-letter of the Deutsche Herold in Berlin)

(Page 78 from Volume 73 of the Deutsche Wappenrolle)

Armorial drawings, respectively by:
Frank Macrander, Piet Bultsma-Vos & Henk 't Jong

Seal 1

Seal 2

Seal 3

Seal 4

Seal 1 (1719)
Seal-bearer is Johan Caspar Macrander (*1657/89-†1738/43), Gerichtsschöffe (lay judge) from Wetzlar. He was a son or grandson of Philips Josias Macrander (*1629-†1719) Ratsherr, Ratschöffe and Burgermeister/Consul (councilman, lay judge and mayor/consul) of Wetzlar. The seal from 1719 is in very poor condition. On the seal are clearly recognizable the initials "I C M". Below that is no armorial shield, but an armorial image that was put freely in the field of the seal. After professional editing in Photoshop, an image was revealed of an uprooted tree and a jumping lion. (Source: Siegelabdruck von 1719, der Akte Abt. 1, Nr. 2925, Hessischen Hauptstaatsarchiv Wiesbaden)

Seals 2 and 3 (1777)
These seals come from a deed of sale from 20-04-1777. The original deed came in my possession through Sidney Macrander from Brazil, descendant of Master White Leather Tanner Johnannes Macrander (*1745-†1800). The deed concerns the sale of a tanner workshop to Master White Leather Tanner Johannes Macrander by "Geschwistern" (brother and sister) Hans Henrich Macrander and Elisabeth Macrander, assisted by their guardians Johann Jacob Macrander and Conrad Deis.

The signature next to seal 2 mentions the name 'Johann Heinrich Macrander'. The signature next to seal 3 is unreadable and seems a childish handwriting. My presumption is that the first 2 signatures are of the vendors, meaning Hans Hennrich and Elisabeth Macrander. (Hans Henrich > Johann Heinrich).

Who these Hans Henrich and Elisabeth are is not sure. The only candidates in the current extensive family tree that qualify (because: brother/sister in combination with the year), are Johann Hendrich Macrander (*ca.1765) and Elisabeth Jacomina Macrander (*1754), children of Johann Hermann Macrander (*1728) from Wetzlar who served as a corporal in Sas of Gent (The Netherlands). However, in 1777 Elisabeth Jacomina Macrander was married since half of year and almost 23 years old. This appears to be contradictory to the need for a guardian in a sales transaction.

Seals 2 and 3 correspond to the armorial image on the seal of Johann Henrich Martin Macrander (see: Seal 4). A logical question would therefore be whether this perhaps be the latter person here. But this does not seem very likely for 3 reasons:
1. Place of action is Wetzlar, not Frankfurt am Main which was 70 km (43 miles) further;
2. In other deeds (before and afterwards), the signatures consistently mention 'Johann Henrich Martin'. But no mentioning of 'Martin' in this one;
3. Furthermore, the handwriting also differs from the other known acts/deeds of Johann Henrich Martin Macrander.

Seal 4 (1784)
Seal-bearer is Johann Henrich Martin Macrander (*1750-†1786), Gerichtsprokurator (lawyer/attorney) from Frankfurt am Main. The house deed 'Hausurkunde 2794' (purchase treaty of 18-09-1784) contains a red wax seal of Gerichtsprokurator Johann Henrich Martin Macrander, who acted as a witness. The seal from 1784 shows a planted tree between two lions rampant facing each other.
(Source: Institut für Stadtgeschichte Frankfurt am Main.)

Conclusion

At least 2 different branches of the Macrander family in 1719 and 1784 used seals with a tree and lion(s). And possible even 3 different branches. The seal of Philip Nicolai, the brother-in-law of Arnold Langemann (Macrander), also contains a tree.