Coats of Arms of
DORNSEIF,  DORNSEIFFE,  DORNSEIFFEN
(The illustrations were prepared & provided by Wolfgang Sonneborn of Wuppertal)
The   DORNSEIF   Family
Coat of Arms
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Wappen: In (Gold) ein (schwarzer) flugbereiter Vogel, der ein (rotes) Schild mit (goldenem) D im schnabel halt. Auf dem Helm steht der Vogel. Dis Decken sind (schwarz-golden).
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Coat of Arms: In (gold) a (black) bird ready for flight, which has a (red) shield with a (golden) D in its beak. On the helmet stands a bird. The covers are (black-golden).

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Die Ehefrau Christiane des Rektors und Diakons Henrich Andreas Christian Dornseif (1778 bis 1826) in Mengeringhausen siegelte am 11.11.1809 mit dem frei im Siegel stehenden Zeichen. Der Vogel, das der Schild mit dem Buchstaben D im Schnabel halt, ist ein Adler oder eine Taube. Christiane Dornseif war eine Tochter des Munzmeisters Wilhelm Steinmetz in Helsen. Ihr Mann war 1808 Rektor in Mengeringhausen und 1825 Pfarrer in Heringhausen, wo er schon 1826 starb. Sein Vater, GroBvater und UrgroBvater waren Pastoren und wohl Nachkommen des Pfarrers Gottschalk Dornseif (1463) in Bromskirchen.
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The wife Christiane of the Rector and Deacon Henrich Andreas Christian Dornseif (1728-1826) settled in Mengeringhausen on November 11, 1809 with the emblem standing free in a signet*. The bird, which is holding the shield with the letter D in its beak, is an eagle or a dove. Christiane Dornseif was a daughter of the coinmaster Wilhelm Steinmetz in Helsen. Her husband was Rector in Mengeringhausen in 1808 and in 1825 Pastor in Heringhausen, where he died in 1826. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were Pastors and probably descendants of the Pastor Gottschalk Dornseif (1463) in Bromskirchen.

*possibly a signet ring
This is the coat of arms adopted by the DORNSEIFs  in the USA.
A written description appears below
Johannes Dornseiffe
.1575 +1636
1601 - 1625 Lehrer in Bromskirchen
danach Pfarrer zu Dodenau
Siegel vom 25.07.1606-
Amtsbuch Hallenberg 1005,S.49-
Hermann Gottfried Dornseiffen
.1676 +1747
Richter zu Haus Rhade /Kierspe
Wappen am Hof Nieder Bremecke
Henrich Andreas Christian Dornseif
.1778 +1826
Rektor in Mengeringhausen
ab 1825 Pfarrer in Heringhausen
Siegel vom 11.11.1809-Waldeckische Wappen 2
Johann Daniel Dornseif
1706 Burger zu Frankenberg
Farmer auf der Eisenhulle zu Rosenthal
Wappen auf Epitaph an der Liebfrauenkirche
Jacob Dornseif
.1646 Bromskirchen +1706
Burger zu Frankenburg
Wappen auf Epitaph an der Liebfrauenkirche
(More about this at bottom of this page)
Excerpt from "The DORNSEIF Family History" web page.

...Johann Daniel Dornseiff (born March 8, 1674 in Frankenberg) worked as a craftsman at the ironworks in Rosenthal. When Johann’s father, Jacob, and his first wife, Anna Catharina (born Wiesemann) died in 1706, he had two epitaphs produced. They are presently outside on the south wall of the Liebfrauenkirche in Frankenberg. The tablets are basically the same. However, they bear different texts and coats of arms.

The coat of arms on Jacob’s tablet features a
scaffolding in the form of a large “A”; the
crossbar is significantly fainter than the
supporting arms. Hanging from the top of
the “A” almost to the crossbar is a
pendulum-shaped weight, bobbin, or plumb line.



















The tablet belonging to Anna Catherina features
a pair of coats of arms. The one on the left
repeats the “A” with a pendulum, but it is more
slender and has a higher crossbar. In addition,
going from the top left corner to the middle is a
stout rod covered by a mallet-like tool. Presumably,
it represents tools used in ironwork. Her tablet is
more worn away than Jacob’s, and the right side
is especially difficult to read. It could include a
swimming swan, representing the family of Johan
Daniel’s second wife, Christina Schwan (swan).
Another interpretation one gets from photographs
is that of a bathing woman or cherub. Between the
two sections is a tree with two trunks. The left trunk
reaches the border of the shield, the right one only
to the water line. Whether this trunk is a part of the
coats of arms or merely a decorative division of the
single coat of arms is hard to say.



















Metal plates wth Coats of Arms at
Liebfrauenkirche in Frankenberg
Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Lady)
in Frankenberg
Latitude 51.01667N     Longitude 8.8E

The current town was built in 1233-1234 but was almost utterly destroyed
in a fire on 9 May 1476
The Gothic Liebfrauenkirche ( modeled on St Elizabeth's Church in Marburg )
was built during the period 1286 to 1360 and stands on the highest point in the town.
Click here to go to The DORNSEIF Family Home Page at  www.dornseif.org/