Help & suggestions sought on elusive mariner, 4x GG Father

[jimmijam]

Hi there,

After several decades of searching, I have a great lead on the life and death of my elusive 4x great grandfather and I'd really like suggestions that would help me to confirm this.

James Whittet, born Errol, Perthshire in 1816, was a Ship's Master, who married Ann Davidson in Perth, Scotland in 1858. They had my mum's great grandad, Thomas in Newburgh, Fife in 1859. This is the last official record that I have found for either Ann or James. (I have no definitive census records for either of them too!)

Both were recorded as deceased when Thomas married in 1883 and going backwards, in the 1871 census, Thomas was being looked after by his Aunt Elspeth in Newburgh, Fife.  James's father Thomas was a ship builder who died in Newburgh, Fife in 1866.

Finally, at the weekend, I found a maritime website that listed a Captain James Whittet, who, along with his crew, were lost in a storm (along with 10 other ships) in October 1860:

"British schooner LADY OF MAGDRUM (Mugdrum). Capsized in severe westerly storm in Skagerack, stranded at Blysundsholm and  towed in to Stigbergsholmen, Herron, Tjorn, Sweden were she  sank. The ship had a cargo of wheat. There were no trace of  her crew. (Befälhavare: James Whittet)."
http://www.mareud.com/Timelines/1800-1899.htm

I searched the newspaper archives and found this record in the Glasgow Herald on Friday, November 16, 1860:
"Scotland - Loss of a Newburgh Schooner. - Intelligence has been received in Newburgh of the loss of the schooner Lady of Mugdrum, belonging to that port. She sailed from Elsinore on the 18th of October, laden with wheat, on her voyage from St. Petersburg to London. On the 22d of the same month she was discovered on the Swedish coast a total wreck. It is feared that the captain and the crew - most of whom belong to Newburgh - have been lost. The schooner was comparatively new."

(Incidentally, Mugdrum is also the name of a Country House in Newburgh, and an Island in the Forth of Tay.)

So where do I go from here?

I'd like to confirm the Captain, as the two records seem to point towards my 4x great grandfather. Also to find out about the ship, by whom she was made etc  (perhaps James's father Thomas was involved - it was a ship local to the Town, according to the newspaper). Would there be records and where would I go?  I also saw on a recent WDYTYA that Laurence Lewellyn Bowen was able to obtain his ancestor's maritime CV.  Does anyone know how to do this? And does anyone know of resources local to Newburgh that might be useful...

Any and all suggestions gratefully received,
Best wishes, Jimmijam

PS Never give up on those brick walls!

[Lolly2881]

do you definately know he was a mariner?

as i have found this snippett at this link

'That James Whittet, printer of the Perthshire Chronicle, and a distinguished citizen of Perth, met his death by drowning in the South Inch Lade.'

http://www.scottishprintarchive.org/page.php?id=37

wondering if its anything to do with your james whittet, could it be that he was just the printer of the story about the accident at sea?

[Lolly2881]

The Perthshire Chronicle was printed by James Whittet at 60 St John Street, in an old house within a coalyard on the south of Baxter’s Vennel, and published at 25 High Street. In 1841 the paper became a Chartist organ but when Whittet relinquished the printing during that year it was taken over by William Belford who had for several years been foreman to Sidey. The Chronicle ceased publication in 1841 and the following year Belford became printer to the Perthshire Advertiser. He immediately introduced new type fonts and a new press capable of print-ing 1200 copies per hour.

When Whittet gave up printing the Chronicle he commenced business on his own account in the Old Ship Close. Sadly, shortly afterwards, he met his death by drowning in the South Inch lade.

http://www.scottishprintarchive.org/reputation_dundee/perth_reputation12.html

[jimmijam]

Hi Lolly,
Thanks for replying and for the links.

I don't think he's mine.  There are a number of Whittets involved in publishing (mainly Dundee), but, none on my direct line.

On Thomas's Birth Certificate for 1859, High Street, Newburgh, his father is given as "James Whittet, Ship Master", and its his James's mother that is the witness and was present at Thomas's birth.

On Thomas's wedding certificate of 1883, he gives his father as, "James Whittet", Ship Master, Deceased".

On Thomas's Death Cert of 1929, his father is listed as "James Whittet, Master Mariner, Deceased".

But you never know!

Best wishes, Jimmijam

[hiraeth]

Hi jimmijam

Congratulations on your discovery!

This is one link that may help to explain some of the complexities of researching a Merchant Mariner.

http://www.history.ac.uk/gh/capreg.htm

As the ship was involved in european trade she would most likely have been registered at her home port of Newburgh.  Contacting the local archives might be a good place to start there.   There is also the Scottish Maritime Museum http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/irvine/maritimemuseum/index.html

Hope this helps
Heather

[jimmijam]

Hi Heather,
I know, I'm over the moon!

Thanks for the links, I'm going to visit them. I'm fairly sure that this is the man, what with the dates, places and occupations...

I just need to be sure, well as sure as you can be in this area!

Many thanks, Jimmijam

[jimmijam]

Hi there,
I've spoken to a lovely archivist attached to Fife Council who is very interested in this story, as it ties in a lot of local activities. So thanks again, Heather.

I discovered that Skaggerrak is the sea area between Norway, Sweden and Denmark connecting to the North Sea. Elsinore is now known as Helsingør, that Stigbergsholmen and Blysundsholm (Blue Sundholm) are islands close to Goteburg in Sweden.

After plotting the Lady of Mugdrum's course, it looks like the Schooner must have just cleared the tip of Denmark, before being caught by the westerly storm and as a result, driven onto the Swedish shore.
 
Incidentally, it is interesting how world events effected this, as the export of Wheat from Russia was very important through the latter half of the 1800's and that in the 1850's, this trade had been affected by the Crimean War.

I'll update if I hear of anything else,

Best wishes, Jimmijam

[hiraeth]

Hi Jimmijam

I'm so glad you have found an "expert" interested in the story.  It makes such a difference to finding out further information.  Although it sounds like the loss of the ship was well recorded.  Sad for the families of the crew but better than just being told the ship was "lost at sea". 

Please keep us posted on your Mariner findings as you progress with the research.

Heather

[jimmijam]

Hi Again,

Whilst waiting to hear back about James Whittet, I've been wondering about his wife Ann Whittet nee Davidson.

If I assume that James died in 1860, what happened to Ann (born 1825)?

I haven't found a Death Cert for her on SP, and I've looked under both her maiden name and married surname. I can't find her in the 1871 census (son Thomas was being looked after by his Aunt), nor 1881 census. According to son Thomas's marriage certificate in 1883, his mother was, by then, deceased.

I'm now working on the assumption that Ann could have stayed single, remarried anyone, moved anywhere and died anywhere...   

If she had remarried prior to death, it will be difficult to track her down.  Between 1860 and 1883, I found 3 marriages on the IGI for Ann Whittet in Scotland.  However, I found 138 marriages for Ann Davidson.  She was born in Peterhead, had been in England prior to her marriage to James in 1858, was married in Perth and lived in Newburgh, Fife where son Thomas was born. So the net is cast pretty wide (to use a maritime expression)...

(My mum remembers seeing two wedding certificates for one female relative for several years apart. On both certificates, she was registered as a spinster. Whether this was Ann, I'll never know, as the wrong bag was put in the dustbin...)

Does anyone have any idea, if she had remarried, whether she'd have used her maiden name or married name?  I'm going on to Ancestry to cross reference Ann Davidson's birth date and place with the surnames of the men I discovered in the Ann Whittet IGI marriage records, to see if any match up.

Any other ideas would be gratefully received.

Best wishes, Jimmijam