Help locating shipping records

[OliviaRed]

Hello everyone,

I am fairly new to RootsChat and wondering if anyone could help me find or give me some advice on locating shipping records. I am trying to find some information on an ancestor who I know was a Cook on the ship 'Peer of the Realm' official number 70251. On his papers is states he joins the ship in Calcutta on 15.10.1881. It says the previous ship he lasted served was names 'Minerva'. I've tried searching the ship name but there seems to be quite a few ships named Minerva, if anybody could help I would be extremely grateful.

Thank you,

Olivia

[hanes teulu]

Have you checked   http://www.mun.ca/mha/1881/crews1881.php

[OliviaRed]

Hello and thank you for your reply!

Yes that was the website I used to locate the record for him on on the Peer of the Realm ship. It was very useful! When I search his name on that site it seems to be the only record that pops up. I have had trouble trying to locate this ancestor, so I wondered if there was a way of going back from this record.

[seaweed]

Have you tried just typing the name MINERVA in to that 1881 search  at MUN? Comes back with 38 pages.
Yes There were least 16 Sailing vessels around in 1881 with the Name MINERVA.
 PEER OF THE REALM  70251 was a Steamship
I would contend that your man was Steamship sailor so it follows that the MINERVA we are after was a Steamship. There were only 4 Steamships named MINERVA around in 1881. My guess. and it is a guess, that the MINERVA we are looking for is the one with O/N 67556 her crew Agreements for 1881 can be obtained fron the British National Archive

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2478660

Was your ancestor any of the following
Fred Trist from West Hartlepool age 25
Jonathon Easton age 54
W Baldwin born 1832

You wrote

 I am trying to find some information on an ancestor who I know was a Cook on the ship 'Peer of the Realm' official number 70251. On his papers is states he joins the ship in Calcutta on 15.10.1881. It says the previous ship he lasted served was names 'Minerva

Could you explain what you mean by "papers" or better still post a copy.

[OliviaRed]

Thank you very much for replying to my post. I will attach the following records that I have. His name is Giuseppe Piscopo and is 13th down on the list. I am not entirely clued up with shipping lists and agreements so I apologise if I am causing any confusion.

[OliviaRed]

Attachments

[OliviaRed]

Attachments

[OliviaRed]

Attachments

[seaweed]

 Thank you.Thats great. Part of the problem you are faced with is no central index of Merchant Seamen was kept between 1857 and 1913. Records of Merchant Seamen for the period of WW1 have been destroyed. So Crew Agreements are the only game in town
I suggest that you try and obtain the relevant Crew Agreement of MINERVA O/N 67556 to see if he is there, if not, you can at least eliminate that particular vessel from your search. A trip to Kew would be your best bet. It's a pity that 3 of her 1881 Crew Agreements which are online, contain a list names, the 4th one do's not.
The official number of the other 3 Steamers named MINERVA are as follows. 58331, 44812, 71878.
I came across a seaman named G Piscopo born 1925 in Adelaide. Any connection?