Ship Keeper

[troymantis]

I have a copy of a marriage certificate (sent as an e-mail attachment) for my GGG Grandfather which states that he was a Ship Keeper.  To be honest the handwriting is terrible, and I thought it said Shop Keeper!

I got someone to look at it and he is certain that the 'o' is in fact an 'i'.  Does anyone know what this profession is?  Is it like a watchman who is employed to keep looking out for potential dangers to the ship?  Or is it literally a keeper of ships, ie. a ship owner?

merseyclyder

[MonicaL]

Hi Troymantis

Welcome to RootsChat 

A Ship Keeper:

Definition from Smyth's "The Sailors Word Book" - " ...the man who has
charge of a ship whilst she is without any part of her crew". In other words,
when a ship was laid up, he was employed in staying onboard to ensure the
vessel was kept safe and secure.

This is from a response someone posted to the same question 

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/Mariners/2006-06/1150366803

Monica

[troymantis]

Thank you.  My ancestor was named Joseph Lezart, and very little is known about him.  He may or may not, have been born in France.  A person that I am in contact with through A******y, who has the same ancestor on his family tree has been researching this man for 5 years.

He has found that there were a large number of Lezarts who left Malta in the 1800's, in a mass migration to Quebec in Canada.  The reason is unclear.  There are no Joseph Lezart's on any online database.  My GG Grandmother Jospehine Lezart was born in 1867, and her father is recorded as deceased on the birth certificate, his occupation is given as Mariner.

As I said previously, on Joseph's marriage certificate, it states that he is a Ship Keeper.  Clear as mud this!

merseyclyder

PS My GG Grandmother married twice in her life, on her first marriage certificate it states that her father is a Ship Keeper, but on her second certificate it reads that her father was a Master Mariner.

[avm228]

Hi and welcome

What were the name and occupation of Joseph's father, according to his marriage certificate (which I take it is the 1865 one to Mary Abraham)?

Anna

[troymantis]

Yes, that's right!  Joseph's father was also called Joseph and he was a farmer.

Can I add a question to my original one?  Would he have travelled on board the ship with the crew, and then done his job when they landed?  Or would he have been anchored as it were, and employed to travel to the docks to look after the ship when it docked?  I need to know this as it it useless me trying to find him on ships crew lists, if his job didn't involve actually travelling on board the ship.

If he was land based, and employed to look after the ship who paid his wages?  Was it the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company, or the Captain of the ship?  Where in the records office do I look for this information?

Thank you to anyone who can help with this query!

merseyclyder