Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

Hi,
I was wondering if any one knows the best way of finding a crew member of any ship docking in Liverpool.My g.g grandfather came to Liverpool on a ship from Mauritius.

I went to Mauritius in December 2010 but didnt get any where as the bdm records where getting transcribed.

John Charles Fredericks B. 1860 D 1887 in the work house.On his marriage certificate to my gg grandmother it says he was a mariner and his Father was Geff Widnes ( sic ) carpenter. Sic apparently means not sure of spelling and as he leaves his mark I presume he is illiterate.

John Charles actually has three versions of his name just to make matters worse.

On his daughters birth cert he is John Fredericks. Marriage he is John Fredericks whose father was Geff Widnes and on his daughters marriage certificate he is John Fredericks Whitney.

There isn't any one left to ask any questions of him.

My cousin thinks he found him on the Mauritania but that is speculation.

Any help would be appreciated,thanks

Hi,
There are Merchant Navy records available to search. The early ones can be pretty sparse in the information on them though.

I am wondering if there a typo in your post regarding the YoB of John Fredericks? The only death i could find in or abt 1886 is this one:
Death: FREDERICKS, John
Registration district: Liverpool
Year/qtr of registration: 1887 / Oct-Nov-Dec
Age at death: 42
Volume no: 8B; Page no: 96.

The above 'Age at death' puts him born about 1845 not 1860. Makes a big difference searching for MN records!

And can you tell us how you know he was from Mauritius? And when/where/who did he marry?

A note: The first RMS MAURETANIA in the records was built in 1907 and the replacement in 1939.

Hi and thanks for your quick response.Thanks for pointing out my error it was the wrong yob.

I know he was from Mauritius because my Mum is still alive as are some of her siblings ,so they grew up knowing this..I have pictures of his daughter ,my great grandmother and she is half cast.I was also lucky with the begining of my research because my great uncle had started a tree years ago and I had the tree.

On 28 July1881 he married my great great grandmother Martha Elizabeth Rooney b 1860 d 1935,and on the certificate he was 26 which makes his yob 1855.They married at Bevington st Albans,liverpool. I have this certificate so I know this is correct.

We have the record of him dying in the work house in 1887 but there he is 42 which is 10 years difference.We are fairly certain it's him because of the address given for his wife.

When I was in Mauritius I spoke to an English man who lived out there and was a geneologist.He said John could have actually come from Madagascar but we have know way of checking this.

I hope I have answered your questons,

Thank you

There's a man on the 1881 Census called John Frederick, aged 23, born about 1858 in Zanzibar, on board as a crewman of the Royal Navy vessel "Wild Swan", the only problem with it is that it says he was married.


Blue

Hi,
I have a suspicion that John wasn't at all sure of his year of birth hence the variance.

There is an entry in the early Merchant Navy records for a John Frederick from Mauritius aged 26, sailing in 1853 and 1854. Record set BT 116/35. Some details there, perhaps the name of the ship but very hard to decipher.

Thank you dickiesam,

I agree about the dates and I do know he was illiterate so that would've helped either.

I am not sure where the merchant record are to be found .I am a member of ancestry but can't seem too find them on there.

Thank you so much for your help so far.

You need to look in Findmypast for those records.

Thank you I've just found it but haven't any credits left now.Not to worry lots more digging to be done

Just want to say a big thank you to everyone of you for the help and information you have all given me today. Carol