Hi there.
From your posting information I gather you are domeciled in Canada - is this correct? If not, just where are these entities (the Society of Heraldry, and the Society of Genealogists) located? Your answer to this question will have a great bearing on any valid advice offered to you.

If you are from Canada, I'm afraid that you have been misled because there is no such thing as 'family arms' in Canada which, as a Commonwealth country, basically follows the British heraldic tradition of granting personal arms and corporate arms only. Whilst there are certainly arms registered in the names of a 'family association', they are regarded as corporate arms which is not the same concept as 'family arms'.

If you wish to have a more detailed communication on this subject, please email me at 'gjksau at yahoo.com.au' - substitute the 'at' symbol in lieu of the word 'at'.