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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Sbowie70 on Saturday 25 November 17 20:23 GMT (UK)

Title: Tracking Merchant Seaman records and voyagers
Post by: Sbowie70 on Saturday 25 November 17 20:23 GMT (UK)
I am interested in finding out if there is a way to obtain further records or information regarding a merchant seaman David John Bowen. He appears to have been ticketed in 1846 with registration number 194 740.  I have an image, but it is too large to post here.  Also there are columns for voyagers undertaken, but information is recorded by a series of numbers.  If anyone has any idea of where I could find more information on David John or knows where I might search to identify the voyagers by these numbers, it would be greatly appreciated.

Title: Re: Tracking Merchant Seaman records and voyagers
Post by: Roobarb on Saturday 25 November 17 20:46 GMT (UK)
The numbers relate to the ports, this should explain better than I can  :) :

http://nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/abbreviations-merchant-seamens-records/
Title: Re: Tracking Merchant Seaman records and voyagers
Post by: Rosinish on Saturday 25 November 17 20:50 GMT (UK)
It may be an idea to post further information e.g. his year of birth, where born & Country, where/when married, where lived/where he could have signed up/what years you know he was MS etc?

"He appears to have been ticketed in 1846"

Where in the world?

Annie

Title: Re: Tracking Merchant Seaman records and voyagers
Post by: seaweed on Saturday 25 November 17 22:53 GMT (UK)
I am interested in finding out if there is a way to obtain further records or information regarding a merchant seaman David John Bowen. He appears to have been ticketed in 1846 with registration number 194 740.

Together with the details requested by Annie. Could you give us a link to the page where you found this information?
Title: Re: Tracking Merchant Seaman records and voyagers
Post by: Sbowie70 on Sunday 26 November 17 14:53 GMT (UK)
Thank you all for your interest.
David John Bowen born 12/12/1831 Bristol, Somerset. Son of David John Snr and Winifred Bowen. Here is a link to the document I have, hopefully it works.
https://www.ancestry.com.au/mediaui-viewer/tree/47953178/person/13043619155/media/f21d1510-4090-4abf-94b5-1872dec5672a
1841 census has him in Back street, St Nicholas, Bristol with his parents and younger brother William.
David John first went to sea in 1842 at age 11 as a ships boy, ticketed in 1846.  He eventually made his way to Australia where he had his first born in 1856 in Sydney NSW. I havent located any definitive entry to Australia for him and can't find any record of his marriage to his first wife Catherine Amelia ASHER.
David John died in Sydney NSW 1898.
Thank you for all your help
Title: Re: Tracking Merchant Seaman records and voyagers
Post by: dawnsh on Sunday 26 November 17 15:31 GMT (UK)
The Ancestry link does not work unless you have a valid subscription
Title: Re: Tracking Merchant Seaman records and voyagers
Post by: Bilge on Sunday 26 November 17 16:00 GMT (UK)
Have a look at this valuable research aid.

http://www.crewlist.org.uk/
Title: Re: Tracking Merchant Seaman records and voyagers
Post by: seaweed on Sunday 26 November 17 17:48 GMT (UK)
There are duplicate records at FindMyPast
https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=tna%2fmsea%2fbtoth%2f4585096%2f00494&parentid=tna%2fbt113%2f2132789068%2f1
All I can tell you from these is that he was an apprentice seaman in 1845/46 on board a London (Port number 75) registered vessel with the port rotation number 714.
There is no "key" to relate port rotation numbers to the name of an individual ship so it would mean trawling through some 28 boxes each containing several dozens of crew agreements to try and find the name of the ship.
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_ep=london&_cr=bt98&_dss=range&_sd=1846&_ed=1846&_ro=any&_st=adv
You would need the visit Kew to do this.
Hardly seems worth the effort to me.
Title: Re: Tracking Merchant Seaman records and voyagers
Post by: Sbowie70 on Monday 27 November 17 07:07 GMT (UK)
Thank you for the hints. I will look into the links you guys posted to see what I can find.  I will have to try and work out how to post the docments I have, as this site says they are too big to attach.  When I work it out, or find the original source of the document I will try again.  Thank you all
Title: Re: Tracking Merchant Seaman records and voyagers
Post by: maddys52 on Monday 27 November 17 08:47 GMT (UK)
I see from his death notice 1898 that he worked for the ASN Company (the Australasian Steam Navigation company).
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14168273

Have you seen some items on Trove that probably relate to him?
Contribution to Patriotic Fund 1855 (on the Waratah steamer)
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12967011

Possibly chief officer on the Nestor 1854
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12959259

Title: Re: Tracking Merchant Seaman records and voyagers
Post by: Sbowie70 on Friday 01 December 17 21:36 GMT (UK)
Hi Maddy,

I had seen the death notice, but not the other two articles, thank you for your help.  I am yet to fully explore TROVE and what I can find there.  Something else to add to the long to do list. lol

Once again thank you
Sean
Title: Re: Tracking Merchant Seaman records and voyagers
Post by: Sbowie70 on Thursday 07 December 17 19:01 GMT (UK)
I am not sure if you need a subscription ti view this Seaweed, but here is a link to the document I found;
https://search.findmypast.com/record?id=tna%2fmsea%2fbtoth%2f4585096%2f00494&parentid=tna%2fbt113%2f2132789068%2f1
Title: Re: Tracking Merchant Seaman records and voyagers
Post by: Sbowie70 on Thursday 07 December 17 19:23 GMT (UK)
Oops just went back over the comments and saw that you were one step a head of me seaweed. thank you for your help.