Ancestor in Merchant Navy - how to trace

[usignuolo]

One of my ancestors was in the merchant navy from around 1837-1850. He was born and lived in Holland where his father, a British subject was working at the time but was orphaned at an early age and decided to go to sea. His guardian was an English Uncle in Yorkshire and he had a lot of relatives in Hull so he might well have joined the navy there. The family were not without means and many were traders so I suppose he could have joined the East India Company Navy. He left the sea in around 1850 and settled in Michigan in the USA where he started a wholesale grocery business in Saginaw. He was prominent on the town council there and his own son ran a large successful manufacturing company, so he seems to have had means and education. How can I find out more about his years at sea?

[grangers14]

I will move this over to gen discussion you may get more help there.
Jo

[morty]

I had a branch of the family in the merchant navy. They never worked for the East India Company though.

I think there's a lot of info about the EIO in the British Library but that might not be much use to you if you're based in the USA as I don't think it's online.

However ... as mine owned their own ships, packet boats (post) and also 'Letters of Marque', as well as working for another biggie company, The General Steam Navigation Company, they had to have insurance when transporting their merchandise ... usually with the insurers Lloyd's of London.

If your ancestors were Captains, or Master Mariners (the equivalent in the Merchant Navy) this place might help.
It's an archive of old UK papers and and I found their departures and arrivals and burthen of ships etc listed, for the insurance and investors, I presume.
You can do a search free on any surname and then you can see a snippet of the whole entry.
To see the whole entry you have to pay. It's a very nominal fee ... something like £10 sterling for 48 hours or the viewing of so many entries.
I used the site myself and had no problems.
http://newspapers11.bl.uk/blcs/dispBasi ... e=blcsuser

Infact ... I originally went there, as a long shot, to research a crimminal ancestor who I also found.

Good luck

[grangers14]

May be if you gave us some names we can try and look?

Possibly try here?
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/docu ... e/navy.asp
Jo

[morty]

Sticking with old newspapers ...
I've just had another thought.

A lot of libraries, in the UK and abroad have already paid to have access to old copies of 'The Times', so it might be worthwhile to check your library first.

[peterd]

try here

http://www.naval-history.net/index.htm

[MarkCDodd]

Find My Past have digitised the Marchant Seaman records.

Give me a name and approximae yerar of birth and I will look for you.

[usignuolo]

How far back do the records go? I am looking for for Thomas L Jackson, British subject born in Amsterdam in 1825. I know he went to sea as a boy for many years.

[MarkCDodd]

There are two pages of records for Thomas Jackson born 1824 to 1826....

[usignuolo]

Sorry been away in New York visiting new grandaughter, Ancestor was Thomas Leonard Jackson born in Amsterdam (British subject) in around 1824/5. Father was also called Thomas. I think he went to sea at around age 14.