Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

Hi. My grandfather Alexander Fletcher b 12-06-1876 Liverpool and died 29-12-1939.

I cannot find him on the 1901 census. I think he might be away at sea. That was what I was lead to believe by my father Alexander m. Fletcher b 1903.
My Grandfather got married to Alice Elizabeth Manchester 4/9/1901.
Please help me find him just before this wedding.

His father Hugh Fletcher b c 1854 Glasgow is also missing from the rest of the family in 1891 census.
The rest of the family are at 23, Thackeray St Liverpool. His wife (Ada Harriet Fletcher, Nee GODSOE) is married with no occupation.

Please help me find these strays.

If you are absolutely sure of Alexander's date of birth then I have an incorrect Merchant Seaman, who was born 15 July 1878, Glasgow. A pity because there is a photograph of him also.

If Alexander and his father were both at sea and outside British territorial waters they would not appear in the national census. I haven't found either of them in the MN records but that doesn't mean they were not in the MN.

Thank you very much for your time and research. I wish it was my Grandfather, but I have his birth certificate so I am sure. I would LOVE to find this connection with sea faring as my father, Alexander Manchester Fletcher, used to edit a magazine called "Sea Breezes" (Think that is correct) he also had a large collection of marine flags , which he gave to Bootle Museum. Don't know if they were disposed of during the move to Southport ??

Happy me
I've found him!!!
Anx have put a Liverpool crew list updated September and I searched again and found both my Grandfather Alexander Fletcher and my Great grandfather Hugh Fletcher
I've been so excited I have hardly slept all night. Will do some more searching today . Alex was on a ship called "Sobralense" and my G Grandfather on "Atahualpa" Spelling varies.
If anyone has further info I would be pleased to hear.

Just a few background snippets…….

Liverpool Mercury, Wednesday, December 30, 1891
William Robert CAREFULL, Oct 16th, aged 20, lost at sea from the steamship Sobralense, near Madeira, of 56 Windsor St, Liverpool


Built
Sobralense 1884 1901 taken over with Red Cross Line fleet, 1904 sold to Li Chien, Hong Kong. 1,982 Tons
Built
Hubert (1) 1894 1908 transferred to Iquitos SS Co., Liverpool, renamed Atahualpa, 1911 reverted to Booth Line Hubert, 1919 sold to Franco-British SS Co., renamed City of Algiers. 1,922 Tons


Check out the website…… www.theshipslist.com
Good luck with your search

Thanks David. Will do. Any idea where I can find images??

Hi David, welcome to the forum and thank you for jumping straight in with some information to help.

lynne99 wrote:Thanks David. Will do. Any idea where I can find images??

If you go to the site mentioned by David and scroll down to the name of the ship you will see the comment made by the site owner. http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/descr ... psAA.shtml

Lynne - Sea Breezes was/is a super little magazine and my late father and my oldest brother (who now has dementia) used to love it.

My dad used to get Sea Breezes as well.

I saw very many old copies of Sea Breezes on a bookstall at St Georges during the History weekend.Dont remember the name of the shop they represented but it was definitely somewhere on the Birkenhead/Wirral side of the river ?

Add to edit : All I have is Wirral Book Fair,New Brighton which looks like it is held on 2nd Saturday of each month should it interest you ?

Unfortunately I live in the midlands. So it is along way to go on the chance of getting an image. Thanks very much for your help.

Spooky or what?????
Am resident of New Brighton.......if you tell me what to look for and where will go and have a look for you.

I am looking for images of Singlehurst and co ships around the 1890 to 1910 time, transferred to Booth Line towards the end of that period. Especially SS Sobralense, SS Hildebrand, SS Lisbonense, ss Obidense and SS Atahualpa. My grand father and great grand father sailed on them as Engineers.
VivMar1 says there might be a picture in old copies of Sea Breezes. I'm not sure as this was the journal of PSNC.
Thanks very much for the offer of help. It is really nice.

Googling produced a couple....

http://www.bluestarline.org/booth/hilde ... tcard.html

http://www.bluestarline.org/booth/obidense.html

Thank you Dickie Sam. The second post card is definitely from the correct era as it is dated
Thanks to you all you are so helpful.

Hi Lynne,
Just a footnote.......have located the bookshop referred to by VicMar1.....it is called "Literally....." Was in there this morning and spoke to a lovely lady named Cath.( The Proprietor ) They have lots of old copies of "Sea Breezes"....saw loads from 50's and 60's. I told her what you were looking for and she would be happy for you to e-mail her and she would try and locate which editions contained your info.
LITERALLY E-mail..... literallybooks [at] gmail.com
6 Atherton Street,
New Brighton, http://www.literallybooks.co.uk
Wallasey,
Wirral. CH45 2NY
Good Hunting, David

email address amended to prevent spamming - change the [at] to @ to use - MA

Hi Lynne, You are confusing me now.
In post 4 of this thread you wrote
" I would LOVE to find this connection with sea faring as my father, Alexander Manchester Fletcher, used to edit a magazine called "Sea Breezes"
My suggestion was based on the possibility that if he was an editor of said magazine he was bound to favour some of the ships he sailed on and include them when he could. It just happened that I had seen a positive gold mine of said publication and mentioned it for you as a possible place to think of looking.
David has been and done the groundwork for you so all you need do now is ring the shop and ask them would they mind looking through what they have for relevant info,good luck and hope you find lots to help you.
Add edit: Found this little snippet
originally SS Hubert.
Built 1894 by Hall Russell Aberdeen - Yard No277.
Cargo - British.
1922 tons
L80m x B11.1m.
Single screw turbine.
Name Changes:
1907 Atahualpa.
1919 City of Algiers.
1922 Vita Nova.
Foundered Catania 29.11.1927.
I suggest you search for images under her other names.

Sorry, did not mean to be a bother. I did not find David's reply until today as they do not email me to say there is a reply. I have been looking, but missed it somehow. I am very sorry and will e mail her today.
I will get back when I hear from her. Sorry again and a very BIG thank you.

I'm sure that no one here regards it as a "bother" Lynne?
I just thought some confusion was creeping in to your research and heaven knows we all suffer from that occasionally ?
One of your later posts said "VivMar1 says there might be a picture in old copies of Sea Breezes. I'm not sure as this was the journal of PSNC."(Pacific Steam Navigation Co,y).
From memories of my younger days when I used to read it, that did not preclude it carrying articles on ships from other lines,or even the Royal Navy at times.
I hope that you manage to locate some of the issues that your father may have helped produce and they,in turn give you a clearer picture. Good Hunting