Husband & Wife drowned on route to USA

[ballydw]

My query is - is there any register of accidental drownings from ships from Ireland to USA.

[iluleah]

Try here

http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/deaths-at-sea-1781-1968
http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/coffin-ships.html

[ballydw]

Thank you but I dont have a sub to FindMyPast & no search facility on other site

Try here

http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/deaths-at-sea-1781-1968
http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/coffin-ships.html

[iluleah]

Thank you but I dont have a sub to FindMyPast & no search facility on other site

FindMyPast you don't need one to see if you can find basic details, certainly enough to let you know if they do have information, should you find that then you can purchase credits

AND Irish records are free until St Pats day

and

Not all websites are 'search and click', some give you valuable information to learn where the information and even documents can be located so you can then go or write or email to find out more

[ballydw]

Thank you but I dont have a sub to FindMyPast & no search facility on other site

FindMyPast you don't need one to see if you can find basic details, certainly enough to let you know if they do have information, should you find that then you can purchase credits

AND Irish records are free until St Pats day

and

Not all websites are 'search and click', some give you valuable information to learn where the information and even documents can be located so you can then go or write or email to find out more

  Thank you. The article on the Coffin ships while v interesting  makes grim reading what suffering.
The FindMyPast registers seem to begin in 1847.  My ancestor was born c. 1795 & family  lore is that he emigrated to USA with wife & young son.  The parents are said to have returned to Ireland at some stage (I find this is doubtful) & left son in care of relations in USA. On return journey to US they are said to have drowned. Thanks for your help

[iluleah]

The article on the Coffin ships while v interesting  makes grim reading what suffering

Yes it is horrific isn't it, it gives you a sense of reality of that time for those traveling and just how dangerous it was

The records are Deaths At Sea, 1781-1968..... prior to 1837 there is no civil record as that is when civil records began so these are who died at sea aboard British-registered vessels between 1781 and 1968, you will need to look at USA registered vessels in the USA. However 'outbound and inbound' records can then be cross referenced as if he got on and didn't get off that is a clue.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/birth-marriage-death-sea-or-abroad/

Additionally the USA has many searchable databases like Castle Gardens but only recorded from 1855 to 1890, the Castle was America's first official immigration center. Prior to that you will need to search for Passenger ship lists there are many BUT generally you will just get  a name, ship, date so not very much use as lots of people used the same name so you have no way to prove it is 'your' ancestor on early lists.

Not sure if it helps but from research I have done on early passengers to the USA at the time you are looking so basing it on he was born in 1795, he was married with a child, then they/he didn't travel before 1820 https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1849782 I have found it was generally only men/boys who travelled ( or were recorded) and in the few who travelled as a family it just states his name and 'family' or 'wife/child' ( in the era of women/children were possessions of the man) It was expensive and dangerous so even with assisted/paid for trips men often went alone to set up a house/job and later bring their family or return as it was not what they expected, which might be where your family stories started from although family stories have a habit of not being true or even have a grain of truth in them as humans work on logic ( not reality) and we all try to make logical sense of everything, trouble is the story is passed from one generation to the next, some bits missing, some bits added, with added logic of the day each time and 200 yrs later the story is so different to reality and little to no records to prove any of it.

I have personally researched two from the late 1770s early 1800s one traveling Ireland/USA, back and forth a guy with son, not the family AND also a generational back and forth so remained in the USA to get residency/citizenship, his son returned ( same name) established in Ireland and had a family, his son returned and so on and so on and to this day that line every other generation one migrates and that establishes the next generation has dual citizenship ( maybe it is not what they are doing it for maybe the line just has "ants in the pants" and a 'genetic' travel gene ) the latest migrator being to the USA in 2003.
The other was a sailor who disappeared, he 'joined up' as it was not his choice, in legal trouble from an early age I tracked him for several years but came to the conclusion he was likely 'beached' basically was dropped off somewhere in the world and left by the other sailors as he was a problem. I had never heard of it but on research it happened a lot. Now his family thought he was 'making a new life in Australia' and that information was written in a village census by his mother. I found the vicar of the day had decided to do a census and that is a document that is no where 'official' to research I found it in the parish chest which is still in the village, it was a real find with so much detail.

[ballydw]

Thank you for all the interesting information I guess I will never be able to solve it due to my lack of information , dates etc. Rgds