The Van Hook coat of arms has a long history. Riestraps lists the family as "of Courlande, originally of Holland." Courlande was a local district in Holland. This is where the family obtained the arms which means basically that the family owned land there in 1516. We know from James M. Van Hook of Charleston, Indiana (1899) that the motto was "Te Deus Defendet." The arms show up again on July 4, 1750 when it was reconfirmed to the Van Hook family. Ten years later a "Coat of Arms" was mentioned in the inventory of Aaron Van Hook (d. 1760 in North Carolina).

The representation of the arms can change from generation to generation as long as it has the essential elements. The armorial representation found in Aaron's inventory had the name "van Hoecks." This probably means that Arent Isaacszen Van Hoeck brought it over from Europe. From records in the Hague in Holland, we know that Arent was born in Hooksiel in the county of Oldenburg (in modern Germany) in 1623, and this would account for the "s" in the Dutch transliteration of the surname on the arms. Added to this is the fact that after 1664, when the British took over the Dutch Colony, "Van Hoeck" quickly became "Van Hook."

So, Arent would have given the arms to his son Lawrence Van Hook, of New York and New Jersey. Before he died in 1724, he would have given or willed the arms to his son Aaron. At this point some other family may have disputed the arms forcing each to go to court. The arms were reconfirmed (as previously stated) on July 4, 1750. Aaron moved to North Carolina in 1755 and died in 1760. The Coat of Arms was next given to Lloyd Van Hook who died in 1815 in New Jersey leaving it to his son Lawrence who died in 1847. His son, Marcus Aurelius Van Hook, had it when he lived in Jackson, Mississippi. It was he who corresponded with James M. Van Hook of Indiana and hence preserved the motto, date, and name on the arms in 1899. Marcus's son, Henry Ware Van Hook, left it to his son Benjamin Ormond Van Hook. The last person ever to see the representation was Benjamin's daughter, Alma Eugene. Supposedly, she took it to Power Elementary School in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1934 where it was lost or stolen. Fortunately, she remembered enough of what it looked like for a rough sketch to be drawn. When later this was compared to Riestraps Armorial and what Bernice Keister knew, it was nearly identical.

What you see on this page is based on all of the historical evidence given above. Alma believed that the helmet, however, was slightly opened making it a knight's instead of an esquire. The artist is Edna Graham of Abilene, Texas. You can order a full color version of what you see from her by writing to 3441 Edgemont, Abilene, Texas 79605 or calling 915-692-3060.

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