Belgium Forename Variations

[KGarrad]

There are no Passenger records for journeys to and from Europe and the UK!

[TheBanana]

Did you carry out a search? It must be weird how a record can't be found unless he travelled unlawfully...

[KGarrad]

Please read what I wrote!

There are NO Passenger Records for travel between Europe and the United Kingdom.

You can't search them - because there aren't any!


Passenger Records only exists for long-haul sailings - to and from the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa, etc.

[TheBanana]

OK

Why aren't their any? That is a bit dopey don't you think but I do assume that I need to consider the the British Empire but still...?

[KGarrad]

Considering that boats have been sailing into Britain since the Phoenicians traded in Cornwall, and noting that almost any kind of ship or boat can sail across from France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway, etc - how could this be policed?

And of what use would these records be?

The existing Passenger Records were never intended for Family History research!

So, the answer is - no, I don't think it's dopey.

[JenB]

Why aren't their any? That is a bit dopey don't you think

You need to take into account that record keeping wasn't nearly so important then as it is now, when we all expect detailed records of everything to be instantly available.

Many tens of thousands of people - probably more -  must have travelled by boat across the Channel in both directions without any record at all of their journeys being kept.

And even if there were records, there's no reason why we should expect them all to be available and searchable on the internet.

[TheBanana]

OK Thanks Jen B. That is the answer I was looking for.

[TheBanana]

@Leen

I have found a 1911 census of a "FRANS MEES" who was born in Antwerp but was a boarder in London. Do you know what this could mean or is it something not to pay attention too?

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?new=1&gsfn=frans&gsln=mees&rank=1&gss=angs-c&pcat=1911UKI&h=316187&db=1911England&indiv=1

[leen]

Wrong birth year I would think (when it is the correct date). 'Dont know whether "Antwerp" refers to the province or the city, but I cheked the online birth records Antwerp-city / years 1867 to 1886. There are a lot of Mees-childeren in it, none of them with a father named Isidoor.