The Whetten Coat of Arms, as found by John D. Whetten while on his mission in England. The arms show a golden dog, collared, above a knight's head. Upon a red sheild are three brown dogs. Between them is a gray chevron with black arrows. The outer garnishments are gold and red.
When a coat of arms was given to a person, the description was given in words, and the image could be artisticly rendered in several ways. Direct adherance to a particular interpretation was not necessary.
A Coat of Arms is generally given to a particular individual and can be adopted by the direct male descendant line following the eldest son. It is not known to whom this Whetten Coat of Arms was first granted, and thus there is no proof of lineage. While a coat of arms in genealogy allows a family to unite under a specific symbol, the English laws pertaining to the display of these arms are very strict, and refuse the bearing of the image unless a direct lineage can be proven. It appears that different branches of the Whetten family were granted different sets of arms. Further research into the heraldry of the Whetten family would be an interesting undertaking.
The following is an artistic re-interpretation of the plaque which John D. Whetten obtained in England. Click on the images for a larger version.
A photo of the original plaque held by John D. Whetten shows a hand-painted representation of the arms: