Hi all. I'm new here on RootsChat.
I have been looking for William H. Welsh who is my father's father. He was a ship's purser and also see him as a 2nd and 3rd steward on ships from Liverpool to NY, also going to Sierra Leone and the Caribbean. He worked for White Star Lines, Elder Dempster and the United Fruit Company. Trying to find out what family he was born into. I ordered shipping manifests from Newfoundland where he lists Manchester as his place of birth, but I know that he lived in Liverpool. There are so many William Welsh's that it is very confusing.
We are not sure if this information is true, but was told that William's father owned a shipping company and that he didn't want an office job but wanted to be out on the sea, and that is where we find him. He was born, according to the ages from the shipping registers, anywhere from 1880-1884, as he lists various ages during the years. Recently found a ship's register showing his address as 5 Hatherley Street, Liverpool in 1918. I then located who lived at that address in 1911 and there were two unrelated people that I didn't know and an Edward Welsh on 30 Hatherley Street, Liverpool (Seacombe?) in the 1911 Directory, but don't know if they are any relation; interestingly my dad was named Edward. I assume that he could have been renting a room for when he was back from sea, or it could be family.
One thing that I also just found out is that about 1921 on these ship registers he starts listing himself as Race: British, Nationality: Australian, instead of British, British. I'm not sure if he ever lived in Australia? or his family migrated there? That year Australia became independent I understand. My dad had never heard anything about Australia, although he never knew his dad and was told he died at sea, but his mom was prone to untruths. He seems to disappear off of the ship registers before 1930. I wonder if he went to Australia? I attempted to find him there, no luck. Any ideas?
