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Author Topic: Born at Sea  (Read 399 times)

Offline seamoon24

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Born at Sea
« on: Monday 30 October 23 08:20 GMT (UK) »
Hello everyone - I'm researching my family's history and in particular the family of Mary Jones seaman's widow. I'm having trouble with the where born column of the 1851 census. I can make out that her daughter Hannah Laker was born at sea on board the Dictator 64 guns but I cannot read the rest of the family. Can anyone help. Could anyone explain why Mary was on board what was clearly a warship when she gave birth to Hannah. I could sort of understand if they were in port but it says at sea.

Online ShaunJ

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Re: Born at Sea
« Reply #1 on: Monday 30 October 23 08:30 GMT (UK) »
UK Census info. Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Online ShaunJ

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Re: Born at Sea
« Reply #2 on: Monday 30 October 23 08:49 GMT (UK) »
I can make out "St George East" and "St George Park" (possibly a badly written "East").

Per the 1881 census, both Hannah & John were born at sea, and Mary at St Georges, Middlesex. !871 also shows both Hannah & John as born at sea.
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Online Jebber

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Re: Born at Sea
« Reply #3 on: Monday 30 October 23 10:14 GMT (UK) »
James was born Limehouse and William Holliman born Aldgate.

It was not particularly unusual for a wife to accompany a mariner, especially a senior crew member  on a warship, they quite often gave birth onboard.
CHOULES All ,  COKER Harwich Essex & Rochester Kent 
COLE Gt. Oakley, & Lt. Oakley, Essex.
DUNCAN Kent
EVERITT Colchester,  Dovercourt & Harwich Essex
GULLIVER/GULLOFER Fifehead Magdalen Dorset
HORSCROFT Kent.
KING Sturminster Newton, Dorset. MONK Odiham Ham.
SCOTT Wrabness, Essex
WILKINS Stour Provost, Dorset.
WICKHAM All in North Essex.
WICKHAM Medway Towns, Kent from 1880
WICKHAM, Ipswich, Suffolk.

Online ShaunJ

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Re: Born at Sea
« Reply #4 on: Monday 30 October 23 10:47 GMT (UK) »
This image is a bit clearer. Looks like the enumerator went wrong with his transcriptions and made some corrections.

So:

Mary the mother born Staffordshire (but in the 1871 census she was born in Stepney)
Hannah: born at sea etc
John:  ditto
Mary: born St George East
James: born Limehouse
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Offline jimbo50

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Re: Born at Sea
« Reply #5 on: Monday 30 October 23 10:53 GMT (UK) »
It looks like The Dictator was part of the French Revolutionary wars at the time, whatever they were.
Also, Portsmouth Presbyterian 1790s Baptisms shows quite a few Soldier's wives who had given birth at sea on the voyage home from America after the War Of Independence. The minister's descriptions in the register were sometimes quite colourful.

Online ShaunJ

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Re: Born at Sea
« Reply #6 on: Monday 30 October 23 11:02 GMT (UK) »
Ship's logs for the Dictator are at TNA. I do not know whether births on board would have been recorded but it's possible:

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1467730
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1467731
UK Census info. Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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