This is the consolidated and unduplicated edition of three separate volumes on the armorial bearings of American families published by heraldic expert John Matthews between 1903 and 1923. All told, Matthews furnishes illustrations of some 1,500 coats of arms, complete with heraldic descriptions of the arms and crests. Most entries furnish a line of descent connecting the earliest known holder to the current representative and his issue (at the time of original publication).