Were there two Henry Elthams born in Chatham in 1826?

[LizzieL]

I am trying to track down a Henry Eltham who was a mariner. The merchant seaman records on FindMyPast have a record for a Henry Eltham b 13 Feb 1826 in Chatham - register ticket number 318,144. The record says he had previously served in the RN and went to sea as a boy but it does not say which year. The ticket was issued on 10 Nov 1847 on board HMS Castor. Henry would therefore have been 21 when the ticket was issued. There is an entry in the column for 1853 voyages home, joined Nelson (ship name??) 22/11/57 Dis. Sydney.

Looking at Baptism records, the only match I can find is Henry Eltham bapt 19 April 1826 Chatham, parents William Carter Eltham and Maria. Baptised at two months old - sounds quite typical.
Looking at the 1841 census, I find a Henry living in Chatham with a William Eltham and Maria. His age is 15 (b abt 1826) so that checks out. Address is Coach and Horses, High street, Chatham, father William is a publican. Henry is a pipe maker. Not a boy sailor. So I thought he must have gone to sea after the census in 1841 and by 1851 he would either be missing from the census or be a sailor home on shore leave since he was ticketed in 1847 and there are records of voyages in the 1850s.
But on the 1851 census, I find what looks like the same Henry now with wife Cordelia - a Henry Eltham married Cordelia Townsend in 1850. Henry is still a pipe maker. In later censuses he has moved to Minster in Sheppey and become a sawyer. There seems to be no indication that he was ever a sailor.

Have I got the wrong Henry, and is there another one born in Chatham in 1826 who was actually the sailor?

[LizzieL]

Just found Henry and Cordelia's marriage record - on that Henry was a rope maker - possibly an error?. It confirms his father was Willia, occupation now a butcher. Cordelia's father was Thomas a sawyer, so that could be wht Henry changed occupation. But no real seafaring connection.
Henry made his mark, so he couldn't sign his name - would that be a bit unusual for someone who had got a merchant seaman's ticket? Cordelia signed with what looks quite a proficient hand.

[groom]

Very odd - the Henry Eltham son of William appears on every census up to 1901 and dies in Sheppey Kent in 1904. As you say,no mention of being a sailor, which I would have thought it would say, especially on the 1851 census. It might be worth getting the birth certificate of the son, Henry, born 1852, to see what that says. If there are records of voyages in the 1850, if it is the same man, I would have thought he'd been down as sailor on that.

Having said that, all the records only seem to bring up the one Henry, don't they?

[bearkat]

The burials for the ELTHAM family in Sheppey can be found here:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~penney/cemetary/ce.htm