St. Peter's on Church Street?

[Hilary]

This is the website for the Royal Seamen's Orphange Institution www.rsoi-org.uk Their website states you need to contact them about records.

[MaryA]

Apparently the records are held at the Maritime Archives.

[Dkgerman]

Thanks, MaryA, I've written to the orphanage. And thanks also, Hilary, for the links and information about Kew. It appears that, with the closing of the Family Records Center, the primary things we might find at Kew are maritime related. Ships logs from the Napier would be great, or captain's lists that would help us narrow down which Napier he captained.

The Letter of Administration for his estate says that he died around February 25, 1872 and wasn't filed until August. That makes me wonder whether the ship was lost at sea...if Peter had simply died, wouldn't this have been filed sooner and be more definite about the date of his death?

A quick question re the Liverpool Record Office and the Lancashire Record Office: I presume that the first generally holds city records and the second generally holds county records. Are there any or certain types of Liverpool records that are likely to be in the Lancashire office, or will almost "everything" from the city be held exclusively in the Liverpool office?

[Dkgerman]

Apparently the records are held at the Maritime Archives.

Would that be the Liverpool Maritime museum? Or the museum in Greenwich? Thanks again.

[MaryA]

It's doubtful that you would find anything at the Lancashire Record Office, at Preston relating to Liverpool, we are quite proud of our own collections and hold them here in our own archives.

The Maritime Archives would be here in Liverpool for the Liverpool Seamans Orphanage, although Greenwich may hold archives for other places.

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/

[Hilary]

Maritime Museum Greenwich would be for the Captain's records

Maritime Museum Liverpool would be for the Seamen's orphanage - they don't open Monday and Friday I believe. It would probably be best to contact them in advance.

I think you need to make a list of what records you are wishing to consult in Liverpool and then we can try and help you as to where they are. Records that are at the temporary record office at Sandhills have to be ordered in advance. At the moment due to renovations at Liverpool Record Office all the filmed records are held at the World Museum and the rest is either at Sandhills or off site. One thing you might be interested in is the large photographic collection which is held at Sandhills.

[MaryA]

Sandhills is expected to close early in November in preparation for the move back to the Library, but I hope your visit will be sooner than that.

[Dkgerman]

Maritime Museum Greenwich would be for the Captain's records

Maritime Museum Liverpool would be for the Seamen's orphanage - they don't open Monday and Friday I believe. It would probably be best to contact them in advance.

I think you need to make a list of what records you are wishing to consult in Liverpool and then we can try and help you as to where they are. Records that are at the temporary record office at Sandhills have to be ordered in advance. At the moment due to renovations at Liverpool Record Office all the filmed records are held at the World Museum and the rest is either at Sandhills or off site. One thing you might be interested in is the large photographic collection which is held at Sandhills.

I think the only thing we're unsure of at this point is the log of the brig Napier, Liverpool, Master Peter Hudson, for the months of January and February 1872.

[Hilary]

It may be that this hasn't survived. Have you tried the National Archives? Their research guides are very helpful and are on their website.

[Dkgerman]

Hurrah! Yesterday at Kew we found the original logbooks and crew agreements from Master Peter Hudson's final three voyages aboard the merchant brig Napier, 263 tons. She sailed from Liverpool for the last time on October 14, 1871 for America and the West Indies, and called at Savannah, Georgia and Fernandina (Florida?) in January, 1872.

In June 1872 the shipping master declared the Napier lost at sea on or about February 11, 1872 with all hands presumed drowned. (Other than the lucky fellow who was released from the voyage "by consent" in Savannah.)

We'd love to find the insurance records...any thoughts? The owner was a George McAndrews, and the ship's number was 38760.

Rather poignantly, we have a copy of what was probably Peter's last letter home,written from Fernandina, with the hope that he would be home for his wife's birthday in late February. Peter left behind a young wife and four young children, who were orphaned when she died of tuberculosis just two years later.

Most likely the only on-line record of a Peter Hudson lost at sea, at age 18, is a transcription error. Yet another reminder to always treat secondary sources as clues, not facts!

Looking forward to visiting Liverpool next week. Thanks again for all your assistance,

Doug & Karen

[MaryA]

How wonderful to find such a wealth of information, only sorry that it's not all up here in Liverpool.

For insurance details I think you will need to enquire with the Lloyds Register http://www.lr.org/about_us/shipping_inf ... rvice.aspx they do have a Historical Research Service although your costs could mount up a bit.

Hope you enjoy your travels.