CadyTech home

Dumas home

"At the Sign of the Crest"

Cady Coat-of-Arms

By MABEL LOUISE KEECH

He beareth for Arms: "Argent three piles engrailed gules, all meeting in the base point. Crest — On a mount vert a cockatrice argent, combed and wattled gules, ducally gorged and chained or."

The above description of the Cadye — Kadye Coat-of-Arms, is registered for the family of county Gloucester, England, in Burke's General Armory, and confirmed in Fairbairn's Book of Crests. This is the one pictured here, and others we shall mention later. This was the first granted, in 1575, as explained to a Nicholas Cady, descendant in the College of Arms in London.

Translated into non-Heraldic terms: A silver (argent) shield (on) which are charged three triangular-shaped figures (piles) with the points meeting in the center of the lower third of the shield, or "base point," and red (gules) in color. The piles have escalloped or "engrailed" edges. The crest is a fabulous dragon-like monster called a cockatrice, having the head of a rooster, body of a serpent, wings, two feet, and an arrow-point tail. It is silver (argent) in color, having comb and wattles of red. It wears a gold (or) ducal coronet as a collar, and is chained with a gold (or) chain.

The picture is sketched with the color code, the silver shield plain white, and the piles drawn with perpendicular lines, representing red. Some artists interpret this description or blazon differently, and you may see some variations, but this sketch is technically correct. For instance, the outside piles might not come to the corner of the shield at the top; or the outside piles might issue from the sides of the shield. The latter form is usually designated by the terms "issuing from dexter and sinister sides." (right and left). Or, the outside piles might have some of the surface along both the top and side of the shield.

Sometimes you may see the points of the piles come to the bottom of the shield. But the description does not read thus. It says, "meeting in base point." The "base" is the lower one third of the shield, and the "base point" is the exact center of the "base." Therefore the piles must meet at this point and not at the bottom of the shield.

The pile is one of the nine so-called Honourable Ordinaries, straight-sided figures first painted across the shields when it was necessary for the young men in armour to be identified. As many might earn the same honors, variations were soon used, each man having his own personal insignia. In this case, three piles were granted, straight lines converted into engrailed.

But the variation as well as the original must be earned. The pile represents the large pieces of wood used by engineers in the construction of bridges, or of buildings on marshes or insecure ground, therefore granted to engineers showing great ability in this work. The engrailed edge, or "division line," indicates the holding of large landed estates.

The cockatrice, like the dragon, is guardian of treasure committed to its charge because of its sharpness of sight. It is the most valiant of creatures, and stands as a symbol of a valiant defender of treasure, and expert in finance. This one indicates service in the court of the duke, as it is "ducally gorged and chained."

Colors are representative of the personal characteristics of the original owner, and granted only upon merit. Silver signifies sincerity and peace; red, courage and magnanimity.

Other Cady Arms.

As was stated, the above was granted in Gloucester. As this was the first one, if others granted later were similar, this would be the basic Coat. This does not hold in all families, as there may be no two with the same symbols, but does hold true with the Cady family. The variations of the name seem to make no difference. There are 5 variations of the Arms recorded.

In county Norfolk, the piles are black, each charged with a gold cross. The crests vary with this shield—a pile, a bird, and a cross. The Arms for the Essex family was like the Gloucester, except that it had no crest. Those living in counties Kent and Suffolk had the same grant—an ermine shield with a sable (black) chief or band across the top, engrailed, and three sable piles issuing from this chief. These piles do not meet at the points, nor are they engrailed. The crest is a demi-cockatrice, red, with red comb, and gold wings.

Nicholas Cady came from county Suffolk, so his family may have used the last grant described, but, it might have been his uncle, or great uncle, or cousin, to whom this variation was granted, and not a direct ancestor and as there seems to be no proof available, most of his descendants in this country use this basic Arms instead of the one granted in Suffolk.

The motto—"Esse quam videri"—"To be rather than to seem" recorded for nearly 60 families, is not recorded for the Cady family, although sometimes used.

The Name

Patronymic or surname books give the origin of this name as Gaelic, Ca-dia, meaning "The House of God;" also as a messenger,—whence "caddy" on the golf courses. Some of the spellings are Caddy, Caddey, Caddie, Cadey, Cadye, Kade, and Kadye. But the first record of the name is CADE in the "Hundred Rolls," and this name is still in use, even by descendants of Nicholas, who is recorded under both Cade and Cady.

Nicholas Cady

Nicholas Cady was born in Bury St. Mary, co. Suffolk, England, in 1615, coming to America in 1630, settling first in Watertown. As he was only 15 when he came, and his parents were not with him, he had been placed in the hands of the family friend, William Knapp, and apprenticed to him. About 1648 he married Mr. Knapp's daughter, Judith. He was in the Train Band of Watertown under Capt. Mason, and took the oath of fidelity in 1652.

About 1668 Nicholas was a "planter" in Groton, Mass. He was chosen corporal in the Indian Wars, constable, surveyor, and tense viewer. As a land-owner he sold land to Simon Coolidge, ancestor of our President Coolidge. In 1685 "It was granted to Nicholas Cady a small pes of land at the South Sid of injin hil at the sid of his own lot Soo he Dooe in no way in trench upon the hye way." His home was near Cady's pond, named for him, about a mile south east of Groton on the Boston road. His wife and he are buried in Groton.

Nicholas and Judith had 8 children born in Watertown: John, Judith, James, Nicholas (died young), Daniel, Ezekiel, Nicholas (again), and Joseph. The 7 who lived, all married and had families.

"And Some of His Descendants"

Orrin Peer Alien wrote a very good genealogy—"Nicholas Cady and his Descendants," but some lines were not well extended. In my possession, through the courtesy of Nellie Cady Reimers of Nebraska, are many of the letters written to and by him, from 1891 to 1910, and from their content, I am sure he had much difficulty in getting replies from descendants who could have helped him in the compilation. (Moral—answer such letters—even if you do not care to—if any one writes you for data for a genealogy!) These letters were from many stats, and from people of many professions. To Mrs. Reimers I am also indebted for other material which she sent for use in this article, but being of Cady stock also, we had consulted the same authorities,—and perhaps you have too!

A large settlement of Cadys developed in Conn., at and near Killingly, as the sons and grandsons of Nicholas moved to that locality, so usually the Mass. branch and Conn. branch are designated in tracing a line.

A group in Pa. have had frequent reunions, and perhaps next month there will be some word from some of them, which was expected for this issue. There are many descendants in Mich., Ohio, Ill. and Wis.) and farther on into the Great West.

As for individuals, some names are familar to all of you, such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and. the several Daniel Cady Eatons, one a merchant of New York City, and his son and nephew, professors in Yale. A Cady was a governor of Wis. in 1851.

Descendants of Nicholas are eligible to several patriotic-lineal societies. Society (and Daughters) of Founders and Patriots of America, if one's father's or mother's name is Cady, and there is a Revolutionary soldier in the line back of him to Nicholas; Society (and Daughters) of Colonial Wars; Daughters of American Colonists. Some of the descendants married into families which connect them with royal lines, and the Barons of Runnemede.

A few of the interesting first names of early days are: Barachia, Barnabus, Bathsheba, Damaris, Deliverance, Eliakim, Jedediah, Nedadiah, Selah, Shubael, Sabra, Tamesia, Thankful, Zadoc, Abilene, Benijah, Laurana. (Can you tell which are boys and which girls?)

One descendant whose first name is Lucia, a name that has been in the family for generations, is wondering—"Where did Lucia get into a New England family?"

Personal

Several times I have written about a family in my line, Benjamin, Coffin, Gates, et al, but always as a result of a request or suggestion of some one else. Such is the case this time. My mother was a Cady, the line—Nicholas; John, who married Joanna - -; Jonathan who married Hannah - - -; John, who married Deborah Benjamin; George Washington, who married Sally Gates; Silas, who married Susannah Coffin; and Susan Mary who married George Keech Jr. Not through Nicholas Cady, but through intermarriages, my lines connect with several Scottish and English royal lines, (and Barons of Runnemede) and run into Holland and Burgundy. But, I am not satisfied. Whoever is? Probably we shall never know the last name of the wife of the first John, but I shall not give up on the wife of Jonathan, for in notes written by my great uncle, Jonathan married Hannah Darling, or Dorling, or Dorley, or something like that, and I still believe I can find her. Orrin Peer Allen only has "Hannah." Neither does he have George Washington the son of John and Deborah, so our branch of the family which could have numbered near a hundred at the time the genealogy appeared, was entirely omitted. (Not my fault in 1910). Shall gladly exchange with some one who can find my Hannah.

Correspondence on Cady