House of Kortvelyessy

A Hungarian noble house

Shield: In the foreground, a pelican rests in a nest. It is piercing open its chest with its beak, and feeding its three young with the blood that is coming out of the wound. On top of the crest is an armored arm, holding a Turkish curved sword that has a hand-guard.
This family was a part of the Hungarian clan of Bogat-Radvan from Zemplin (currently a small town in south-eastern Slovakia, formerly a part of Hungary), which was one of the original clans that conquered Hungary in the 9th century. The Kortvelyessy name has its root in the Hungarian word for 'pear tree', which are a common sight in this part of Hungary/Slovakia.

This family was raised to the status of nobility by King Ferdinand II on April 11, 1625. This crest/sigil was first published in Borsod in 1626.
(The seal itself dates to 1459, and was first used by Andreas de Kerthwyles, Vicar of Eger ("Erlau" in German.)

The last member of this house was my great-grandmother, who was the last Baroness of Kortvelyessy.