Our family crest was designed by cousin Sarah Beth (Mackensen) Schmidt of Gaylord, Minnesota. The design was chosen by popular vote of the extended family, following a contest that was held in the year 2015. The family crest was unveiled to the family on January 1, 2016, and has served as an emblem for the Schmidt family from our record-breaking 2016 mega-reunion, to the establishment of the Hans Schmidt Family Association. Please see below for the legend, provided by Sarah Schmidt:
LEGEND:
This crest tells the living history of our Schmidt Family as her members went from local to global.
The outside bands of color represent the German flag - with one additional band of purple. The purple band represents those of us who joined the Schmidt family by choice - not by blood. The bands imply: "It doesn't matter how you got here; we're all in this together."
The compass and flag, in the center of this crest, recognize those who have stayed in Machtlos as well as those who have journeyed in all directions from Machtlos.
The upper left quadrant --- Whether they stayed or left, our family ancestors discovered that the eagle (a sign of bravery) is the national bird of both Germany and the United States. You can see that even though she is flying free, she is also firmly hanging on to her German heritage.
The upper right quadrant --- The leaves of the oak tree represent the strength and perseverance of generations past and present.
The lower left quadrant --- The image of a plow is superimposed upon an open bible. Both then and now, hard work is honorable when based upon strong values.
The lower right quadrant --- The unending road binds together those who wrote the Schmidt family history and those generations to come. The journey continues.
Hence, the words at the top of the crest: "Generationen reisen zusammen," or "Generations Journey Together."
Sarah Schmidt
Gaylord, Minnesota