Corrine,
Here is a summary of what is known about your great-great-grandfather Charles Wilfred Paris.
1855 He was born in Port Louis in Mauritius. If you are thinking of trying to establish his exact date of birth the following link may be helpful to you - unless other Rootschatters can advise otherwise.
http://news.rootsweb.com/th/read/AFR-MAURITIUS/2004-07/10912149981875 He is listed as a member of the crew of the ship “Mary Ann” which arrived in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia from Mauritius on 14 March. His age is given as 19 and his crew status is that of Boy. (source: image in Ancestry)
1878 He is listed as a member of the crew of the barque “Cyprus”, which departed St John, New Brunswick, Canada on 22 September & arrived in London, England on 1 July 1879. His age is given as 25 and his crew status is that of Able-bodied Seaman. (source: transcription in Ancestry; original document with the Maritime History Archive [MHA] in Newfoundland)
1879 In December of this year he enlisted in the US Navy (source: image in FamilySearch - see this link:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939N-8S2G-3?mode=g&i=294&cc=1825347)
1880 On 19 February Charles Wilford Paris was admitted to a US Naval Hospital with a diagnosis of Synovitis (source: image in Ancestry)
1881 He is listed, in the company of his wife, as a member of the crew of the “Snow Queen” (see this link:
https://www.mun.ca/mha/1881/viewcrew1881.php?Record_ID=212755&CrewListPage=2&page=4)
1884 Your great-grandfather is born on the barque “Saga”. Incidentally this vessel was registered at Pictou, Nova Scotia (rather than Picton).
1887 As the result of an incident on the barque “Longfellow”, he is charged with, and cleared of, manslaughter.
1891 In the census for this year he is a Boarder at 165 Bute Street, Cardiff. His age is given as 35 and his occupation is recorded as that of Steamship Stoker.
1892 On 10 December he married Elizabeth Ann Coggan in Cardiff. His signature on the marriage record is compatible with his signature on the “Snow Queen” crew agreement. (source: image in Findmypast)
1896 In July he had a reported confrontation with a gunman - who may have been a wanted murderer.
1901 There is no trace of him in the census for this year.
1905 & 1906 He is listed as a member of the crew of the SS “Monsaldale”. His crew status is that of Donkeyman and, most notably, his surname is recorded as Parris. (source: transcriptions in Findmypast)
1911 There is no trace of him in the census for this year.
1915 He is listed (under the surname of Parris) as a member of the crew of the the ship “Euterpe” (source:
http://1915crewlists.rmg.co.uk/crew-member?crew_member_search%5BlastName%5D=parris&crew_member_search%5BfirstName%5D=&crew_member_search%5BvesselName%5D=&crew_member_search%5Bcapacity%5D=&crew_member_search%5BbirthPlace%5D=mauritius&crew_member_search%5Bsubmit%5D=)
1918 He is awarded a Merchant Navy war service medal (see this link:
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8078020) - again under the surname of Parris.
1918 On 14 August he is listed as a passenger arriving in New York on the “Empress of Britain”. The image of the passenger list shows that he was “in transit”, in the company of other seamen en route to Montreal to crew an unnamed steamer. His next-of-kin is named as his wife, Mrs E Parris of 26 Oakley Street, Cardiff. As his ticket was paid for by the “Ministry of Shipping” this suggests that the unnamed steamer was a British ship and that he will be on another crew list somewhere.
This latter journey from Montreal may have been amongst the last of his many voyages because……..
1923 There is a death registered in Cardiff (in the January/February/March quarter) for a Charles Parris,- aged 67. The GRO references are: volume 11A & page 494.
I still have a little more information relating to your great-great-grandfather and I plan to post this separately & soon.
Willyam
Author
Topic: looking for crew list (Read 5525 times)