Although there are variations of the Bard Family crest, the one pictured above is most commonly associated with the Bard name. The custom of subtly changing an earlier Coat of Arms, and officially accepting it as your own family's, (especially in a new situation) is not uncommon, and indeed, can still be done today through payment of fees, submission of application, and subsequent official assignation by government affiliated agencies in Ireland and England.

Our BEARD to BARD name change really throws a monkey wrench into our genealogy. Here are, as I see it, the relevant facts:

1. The make-up of the BARD Coat of Arms is fairly consistent, although there are subtle variations (as is common and expected, and even sometimes officially sanctioned).

2. Here's the rub: name usage was anything but exacting in the old days because of illiteracy, language differences, accents, etc. Anyway, Archibald, our ancestor who came over from the old country, was named BEARD. This is documented. His children (Richard, William, and Rev. David) sometimes used the spelling BAIRD or BARD (but never Beard).

3. In the Bard Book, NOTHING is factually documented about the genealogy of the Bards of "Carroll's Delight" earlier than Archibald BEARD; Archibald's father (David BEARD); and Archibald's grandfather (William BEARD). The earlier genealogy info in the Bard Book is undoubtedly accurate in itself, but has not been connected to our Archibald offically- through research. This situation concerning our probable, but unsubstantiated, early genealogy is described in the Bard Book by G. O. Seilhamer, as follows:

** BB page 142: "As to the ancestry of the Bards of Carroll's Delight, NOTHING THAT IS CERTAIN IS KNOWN"; the foregoing SPECULATIONS are given not as a settlement of the question but as FACTS and CONJECTURES that may aid in future research."  (CB- my emphasis)

** BB page 143: "Archibald Beard, the emigrant ancestor of the Bards of "Carroll's Delight," was a son of David Beard, and a grandson of William Beard. He was PROBABLY born in County Antrim, Ireland, and was PRESUMABLY of Scotch antecedents. Among his POSSIBLE Scottish forebears was William Baird of...". "...The American family, whose genealogy follows, has adopted the uniform spelling - BARD -...."  (CB- my emphasis)

4. Soooo, is the early BARD Coat of Arms really ours?? It's basic description is mentioned (no picture) in the Bard Book, (page 42) as part of a line that died out. (AND, THAT'S PART OF THE INFORMATION THAT SEILHAMER HAS NOT ACTUALLY CONNECTED TO OUR LINEAGE. ie: the undocumented parts about SUPPOSED, and PROBABLE connections). More likely, (I think) the BEARD or BAIRD Coat of Arms would be ours, because our earlier name was PROBABLY spelled that way. But since very little has been factually determined before the American Bard spelling was adopted, we have to say - we just don't know!

Other than the Coat of Arms situation, this name problem has other adverse effects too. For instance; did Archibald's brothers, sisters, and other relations use the BEARD name, or use BAIRD or BARD?? Did some come here to America??- Are there direct lines back in the old world? Are we related to the ancient LOMBARDs (long Beard), MAC'NBHAIRDs, MACWARDS, &c,... I don't think anyone really knows.

This is why I've tried to center communication and exchange of information on what we do know; (Ie: things after  our ancestors came here and took up the BARD spelling). But research  should be centered on the things we don't know.

* An important "find" would be well documented ancestral links to the early BEARDS - Archibald, his father, and his grandfather.

This "name issue" is probably the single most problematical aspect of our otherwise, rather straight-forward genealogy.