Working in Gold Coast (Ghana) 1902-1907

[paulwilliams]

Hi,
My grandfather worked in numerous gold mines in the Gold Coast (Ghana) 1902 -1907, i have been looking for his travel there, but have not found any evidence, i know there were ships going from Liverpool to Ghana, and Liverpool to Sierra Leone, which method would one have taken?
there is oral history in the family that his family travelled too, i have only seen
one document which mentions a Mr and Mrs Williams travelling with 3 children, but thats all it says, would be helpful it said more.
I was wondering would a whole family travel on the fathers passport? includeding his wife?
Also if his wife died abroad where would the record be?
Any help would have be most welcome.
kind regards
Paul Williams

[jorose]

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=109
 - he most likely wouldn't have needed a passport.

http://www.findmypast.com/passengerListPersonSearchStart.action - I presume you've been looking here? There seems to be mostly only initials and sometimes no first name at all. If you knew the name of any co-workers, you could use that to narrow it down a little.

There are overseas indexes (although whether the family registered their overseas events is another matter!) http://www.familyrelatives.com/ has the overseas indexes free of charge (including some deaths at sea, etc).

[GreySquirrel]

The West Coast of Africa ships were feeders -- they sailed the route round the coast, and called off as required at the many ports. The Sierra Leone ship is therefore the same as the Gold Coast one. There's a blog about it here

http://www.ancestorsonboard.com/getSingleArticle.action?id=Anyone%20for%20Jones%20River?

No British passport would have been needed before WW1.

Records of deaths of Brits overseas registered by British local authorities and sent to General Register Office are on Find My Past. However, the GRO never collected all overseas deaths -- some are in the miscellaneous "RG" series of records at TNA in Kew.

[paulwilliams]

Hi,
Thanks for the updates, yes i had been looking at some of these links.
My grandfather did have a passport Number 1 issued by the British Embassy
in Batavia in 1915. It explains alot that there were no passports earlier.
I have been told that in the oral history of the family that his family travelled with him to West Africa but i can find no direct evidence, only one mention of a
Mr and Mrs Williams and 3 children under 12 which might be them?
kind regards
Paul Williams