The Arms of Dennis Abel Ragen
Dennis Abel Ragen, a member of the Order of St. John, petitioned for a grant of honorary arms with the encouragement of his brother. As Dennis was the eldest son and the son of the eldest son, he petitioned for arms that could be displayed by all the descendants of his grandfather, according to the rules of English heraldry. His agent in the process was Robert Noel, then Lancaster Herald.
Harry Joseph Ragen, whose progeny now bear these arms, was a haberdasher in Oskaloosa, Iowa. The three maunches, which are stylized medieval sleeves, allude to this ancestor in the rag trade. While there have been physicians and college professors among his descendants, most have practiced law, and the three scales recall the scales of justice.
The crest is blazoned as,
Upon a Helm with a Wreath Argent and Vert A natural Sea-Lion couchant Sable in front of a Light-house Argent the lantern room and gallery Sable glazed ArgentThe family left Oskaloosa for Omaha so the most of the first generation could attend the Catholic institutions, Creighton University and Duchesne College. But the Second World War took the boys into the service and sent the girls to San Diego, California for war work of other kinds. The had no intention of returning to the midwest, so Harry Joseph Ragen, Jr. and his brother joined them there. The Ragens became very much a California family, and the imagery of the crest and badge reflects that. The beast in the crest is a California Seal Lion, blazoned as “natural” because a heraldic sea lion is a mythical beast with the head and torso of a lion, webbed forelimbs, and a fish's tail. It stand before a lighthouse, which recalls the "Old Spanish Lighthouse," which stands at the end of Point Loma at the entrance to San Diego Bay. (Despite the name, it was built after the American conquest of California and recalls its architecture is pure New England.)
The badge also recalls the family's California heritage. The seaweed wreath brings a new plant into English heraldry and evokes Southern California's beach. The Coast Live Oak, it also new to English heraldry. It is a form a chaparral that regrows and blooms after catastrophic fires. It suggests the family's resiliency and is the reference of the motto: Incendo. Floresco. “I Burn. I Flower.”
The badge is blazoned as,
Issuant from a burnt Branch Sable a branch of Coast Live Oak slipped leaved and flowered proper all environed by two Sprigs of Seaweed (Rhodophyta) the stems cross in saltire in base Or
Dennis Abel Ragen, a member of the Order of St. John, petitioned for a grant of honorary arms with the encouragement of his brother. As Dennis was the eldest son and the son of the eldest son, he petitioned for arms that could be displayed by all the descendants of his grandfather, according to the rules of English heraldry. His agent in the process was Robert Noel, then Lancaster Herald.
Arms and Badge of Dennis Abel Ragen,
as depicted the in the letters patent granting them.
The arms are blazoned as,
Argent a Chevron engrailed Gules between three maunches Sable on a Chief Vert three Balances the central beam fesswise the dexter beam bendwise sinister and the sinister beam bendwise Or
Harry Joseph Ragen, whose progeny now bear these arms, was a haberdasher in Oskaloosa, Iowa. The three maunches, which are stylized medieval sleeves, allude to this ancestor in the rag trade. While there have been physicians and college professors among his descendants, most have practiced law, and the three scales recall the scales of justice.
The crest is blazoned as,
Upon a Helm with a Wreath Argent and Vert A natural Sea-Lion couchant Sable in front of a Light-house Argent the lantern room and gallery Sable glazed ArgentThe family left Oskaloosa for Omaha so the most of the first generation could attend the Catholic institutions, Creighton University and Duchesne College. But the Second World War took the boys into the service and sent the girls to San Diego, California for war work of other kinds. The had no intention of returning to the midwest, so Harry Joseph Ragen, Jr. and his brother joined them there. The Ragens became very much a California family, and the imagery of the crest and badge reflects that. The beast in the crest is a California Seal Lion, blazoned as “natural” because a heraldic sea lion is a mythical beast with the head and torso of a lion, webbed forelimbs, and a fish's tail. It stand before a lighthouse, which recalls the "Old Spanish Lighthouse," which stands at the end of Point Loma at the entrance to San Diego Bay. (Despite the name, it was built after the American conquest of California and recalls its architecture is pure New England.)
The badge also recalls the family's California heritage. The seaweed wreath brings a new plant into English heraldry and evokes Southern California's beach. The Coast Live Oak, it also new to English heraldry. It is a form a chaparral that regrows and blooms after catastrophic fires. It suggests the family's resiliency and is the reference of the motto: Incendo. Floresco. “I Burn. I Flower.”
The badge is blazoned as,
Issuant from a burnt Branch Sable a branch of Coast Live Oak slipped leaved and flowered proper all environed by two Sprigs of Seaweed (Rhodophyta) the stems cross in saltire in base Or
The letters patent granting Arms to Dennis Abel Ragen
The undifferenced arms will someday be borne by Dennis Ragen’s son Patrick and then by his son Romare. Here are versions of the arms borne by Patrick and his sister Helen immediately after the grant was made:
Differenced version of the arms may be displayed by Patrick’s cousins and uncle.