Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

Previously on roots chat see link here:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.ph ... msg4271688

Looking for assistance with the birth record for my Great Grandfather Hugh Duncan he was a ships Captain and sailed from Liverpool between 1860-79.
Unable to trace his birth record as the only Census 1871 on which he appears on states b Liverpool 1834. His family is on census but he would be away on ships untill he died in 1897.

He married 1863 Ellen Curwen in Liverpool

and when she died in 1871 he married Elizabeth Webster again in Liverpool.

The 1841 Census has Hugh Listed age 8 , there is another poss relative Matthew Duncan engineer.
Hugh then appears again when he marries Ellen in 1863, the marrriage ceert records his father as Hugh Duncan - Baker.
Hugh gives his date of birth as 1835 on his ships masters cert as 1835 hwhen he passed the exam in Liverpool.
Let me know if I can provide any other information.

I believe your request has also been on roots chat. If that is correct please could you link your post to that post so searchers on here do not duplicate anything that has already been tried.

Yes, quite a lot of help has been given on your Rootschat post.

Without trawling through it all has anybody pointed out that there will not be a birth registration in 1834 since Civil Registration didn't begin until 1837.

Perhaps a spanner in the thinking works..?

The 1841 has Hugh Duncan born in Scotland, not Lancashire.
DUNCAN, Hugh - 8 - 1833 - Scotland.
Piece: 564 - Book/Folio: 19/17 - Page:26.

The Matthew Duncan in the household is too old to be a brother..
DUNCAN, Matthew - 49 - 1792 - Scotland.
Much more likely to be an uncle.

It was quite common for people to think/say they were born in the place they were raised in from a very young age, while they were actually born elsewhere.

DS

Yes I did have this same enquiry on Roots chat but didn't realise you could link the two , so I have now put a link back to my original enquiry.

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.ph ... msg4271688

Thanks for the suggestion re born Scotland as the family - all now no longer here - always talked about their past in Dunoon.
I have been through and found the Duncan's inc 2 family of Bakers but n/t of a birth for Hugh nor identified birth. Can't identify why the family in Dunoon would bring/send an 8 year old to Liverpool - as per the 1841 Enland Census.

Hope these comments help.

Still reverting back to your original query of a birth entry for Hugh - there would not be one in England as Civil Registration didn't begin until 1837. The Scottish statutory recordsdon't begin until 1855.

I'm afraid it will be only a baptismal entry, if anything, to be found.

Thanks for your comments,I am now following up a lead via the new source for Merchant Navy personnel - they have two listings for Hugh Duncan b 1835 +/- 2yrs at Dunoon, 1845-1854.
Now looking to other sources to verify details surely there aren't two people same name same birth place but 2 separate Register Tickets ?

I do believe that one seaman could have two separate ticket numbers, but offhand I am unable to remember the reason why.

If this is definitely your man you will find the National Archives to be of a lot more help.

Some years ago I looked at the early seaman's register the National Archives, that is now on FMP.

First you had to look at an in dex of names that gave a number to each name. Then you had to look at another set of records listed by number that gave the man's date and place of birth.

My feeling is that both indexes have been filmed and that will be the reason for 2 entries.

I've looked at the family member, William Ambrose, I originaly looked up in the National Archives on FMP and the 2 entries correspond to what I have described above.

What the records contain is described in the Merchant Seamen Registers FAQ to the right of the page on FMP

Can't help with a birth record, however he's mentioned here on the Indexes to Lloyd's Captain's Registers with a birthdate of 1835 in Liverpool.

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

Hope this is helps

Ann

Went along to Mersey Maritime Museum & found most of the ships details.
A success at last

Now have the service record from May 1849 to April 1862 when Hugh left the navy to marry take his Mates Examinations and gain his Master mariner Cert in 1868.
Still no birth record available as date prior to 1837, actual date 4th April 1835 in Liverpool