Belnap Family Organization Seal

The seal for the Belnap Family Organization combines within a circle a stylized representation of the Organization’s official emblem (the Belnap coat of arms) and the Organization’s official motto (“Love, Unity, Solidarity”) with additional elements:  the Organization name, date of establishment, stars, and gold oak leaves and gold bands.  The traditional corporate-style seal is designed to promote the Belnap Family Organization “brand” or mark for official communications in a way that is dignified yet simple and readily identifiable.

Description and Meaning of the Seal

Colors

  • Blue:  Blue (“azure” in English heraldic terms) is the primary tincture used on the original shield recorded for the earlier noble Belknap family.  The most popular color in U.S. and European public opinion polls, blue is most commonly associated with harmony, faithfulness, confidence, intelligence, knowledge, etc.  Blue is used in the outer ring, on the shield, and the mantling.  The darker navy blue shade (often associated with masculine characteristics) is reserved for the outer protective ring and stars, while lighter blue shades (often associated with feminine characteristics) on the shield and mantling are used exclusively on the central image.
  • Gold:  Gold (“or” in heraldry) is the secondary, “metallic” tincture used to complement the color blue, appearing in the two narrow bands encasing the navy blue circle, the gold leaves, the “gorged” ducal crown, and the closed helm visor.  Gold is commonly associated with royalty, abundance, wealth (of family), glory, etc.  Used only sparingly in the Belnap coat of arms reproduction and only on the crest, gold is more prominently featured in the seal.  (Blue and gold are also the two colors used in the seal of the Relief Society, of which Martha McBride Knight was a founding member, it being organized on her 37th birthday—17 Mar 1842.)
  • Silver:  The complementary “metallic” tincture silver (“argent” in heraldry or “white metal”) is used on the original Belknap shield in the bend and cottises and, with blue, is entwined according to heraldic requirements in the mantling.  (The helm, originally depicted in a darker shade of “steel” on the Belnap coat of arms reproduction, is shown here in silver in the simplified, stylized emblem image.)
  • Green:  One of the five primary heraldic tinctures, green (“vert” in heraldry) is associated in many cultures with new life and eternal life.  Green is used only on the crest of the Belnap coat of arms (although the original color used on Sir Edward Belknap’s crest in some references is said to have been blue).
  • Red:  One of the five primary heraldic tinctures, red (“gules” in heraldry) is used for the dragon’s tongue and helm interior in the Belnap coat of arms reproduction.  Red is at the opposite end of the visible color spectrum and provides a touch of flair, contrast, and added warmth.

Rings

  • Description:  Navy blue outer ring containing the Organization’s d/b/a name in white Roman lettering within the top half, and the Organization motto in cursive script white lettering offset by two gold oak leaves in the bottom half, enclosed within two smaller golden bands.
  • Symbolism:  The traditional circular corporate seal shape in dark blue suggests stability, confidence, continuity, heaven, etc.  The gold rings symbolize the eternal nature of the family and the covenants that seal or bind Gilbert’s family together (think of the edges of a wedding band—or, in Gilbert’s case with two wives, bands).  As concentric bands, the gold rings symbolize the expanding nature of Gilbert’s posterity.  They also represent scriptural references to the course of the Lord being “one eternal round”—where things past, present, and future are one, united through the two levels of the priesthood of God that Gilbert Belnap clearly cherished, and securely enclosing the family.  The rectilinear even-numbered lettering of the Organization d/b/a name (composed of 24 letters—a religiously symbolic number) and odd-numbered cursive lettering of the motto framed by softer-edged leaves complement each half of the whole circle—for “one is not without the other.”

Stars

  • Description:  Seventeen navy blue 5-pointed stars within the outer circle while surrounding the inner/central Organization official emblem.
  • Symbolism:  The 17 stars represent the 17 children of Gilbert Belnap, Adaline Knight, and Henrietta McBride.  An unbroken circular chain, the stars symbolize the eternal family unit comprised of distinct but unified individuals inside the protective outer ring.  The circular shape also evokes the early colonial America “Betsy Ross” flag in reference to the family’s colonial New England roots and service in the American Revolution.  The number of stars approximates the number of generations from most current descendants to the earliest known Belknap ancestor, Richard Beltoft (born before 1470).  The stars are a reminder of the Abrahamic Covenant where Abraham (after whom the first Belknap to emigrate to America, Abraham Belknap, was named and who serves as a prototype for Gilbert as the first in his family to join the Church) was promised that his seed would be “as innumerable as the stars” (D&C 132:30) and through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed.  The chain of stars also embodies President Gordon B. Hinckley’s counsel:  “Do not become a weak link in the chain of your generations” (Ensign, Nov 1999, p. 30).

Coat of Arms Emblem

  • Description:  The center coat of arms is a stylized version of the official emblem, the Belnap coat of arms reproduction that has been used by the Organization since 1965.  The official emblem has been reproduced and sold on many Organization items, including the Crier, banners, name tags, t-shirts, silk ties, balloons, key chains, refrigerator magnets, frisbees, and even matchbook covers.  It is featured prominently in the seal as the central focus.
  • Symbolism:  A detailed discussion of each part of the coat of arms, which has a long and venerable history stretching back to at least the late 14th Century, can be found here.

Oak Leaves

  • Description:  Two gold oak leaves on navy blue outer ring, bridging the Organization name and the Organization official motto.
  • Symbolism:  The two gold oak leaves symbolize Gilbert’s two wives, Adaline Knight and Henrietta McBride, who were first cousins.  Because they share a common ancestry from a shared pair of grandparents, they are mirror images of the other, closely linked from the same family tree.  The individual leaves symbolize the larger family tree.  Oak leaves refer to the stately English oak (Quercus robur or also European oak), a national emblem of England, and the smaller Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii or scrub oak), a pervasive tree found on the lower mountain elevations of western North American, including the Wasatch Mountains where the Belnap family settled beginning in 1850.  Oak is a hard wood, noted for its durability, utility, and beauty.  Gilbert Belnap’s tool chest, in which John McBride Belnap’s body was placed in 1850 and buried at the Saline Ford near present-day Ashland, Nebraska, was made of solid oak, as was the replica tool chest commissioned in 1997 that was carried across the Plains by the South Mormon/Ox Bow Trail wagon train in honor of John McBride Belnap as part of the Mormon Pioneer Trail Sesquicentennial Celebration.

Motto

  • Description:  The words “Love, Unity, Solidarity,” official motto of the Organization that has been used since at least 1967.
  • Symbolism:  While the meaning of each word is self-evident, together they reinforce the importance of charity—the pure love of Christ—as the first principle that fosters family union.  The flowing script symbolizes the refined “higher” characteristics that Gilbert, his wives, and posterity have strived to attain by applying each motto trait.  The words also embody the hope of Gilbert Belnap that his posterity would be as “one” in the Gospel.

Date

  • “Est. 1904” is the year the first Belnap Family Reunion was held after Gilbert Belnap’s death and is used in other contexts as the date of the Organization’s establishment.  The first formalized structure with officers, etc., was in 1923.  The Organization was reestablished in 1992 after it was allowed to become dormant in 1980.

Seal Images

NOTE:  The Belnap Family Organization Seal is a trademark owned by the Belnap Family Organization!  All unauthorized use is prohibited!

Note sent to Officers in August 2020 from Brent J. Belnap who envisioned the design and commissioned the creation of the seal:  “The attached image is the final selection chosen after at least 15 bids/pitches from designers followed by a dozen-plus iterations from the winning designer. . . .  As a privately commissioned item intended for use by the Organization and provided everyone agrees to accept this seal, I am happy to donate all image files and 100% ownership rights to the Organization in perpetuity—as did Howard K. Belnap when he commissioned the Belnap coat of arms reproduction in 1965.”

 

Last update:  23 Jun 2023

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