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Help searching for someone who died at sea

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Mad Alice

Mad Alice Report 25 Aug 2004 00:08

can anyone advise what I should do next? I am lookinf for a relative who older relatives say died at sea. On his son's birth certificate it says'seaman , royal navy'. On his son's marriage certificate it says 'seaman merchant service deceased'. I have looked on deaths at sea on 1837 online with no luck. Can anyone give me advice please?

Devon Dweller

Devon Dweller Report 25 Aug 2004 00:21

Hi Linda Ive had the same problem with all the male members of my family from 1900 going back to 1600. All Royal Navy all died at sea and Ive looked high and low for their death records. I think that the only place left is Kew at the Records Office. Sheila

PennyDainty

PennyDainty Report 25 Aug 2004 00:27

Linda if you look at this site it will tell you where you can get the info. http://www.mariners-l.*co.uk/UKDeathsAtSea.html Christine

Phoenix

Phoenix Report 25 Aug 2004 00:42

Might they have left a will? Pre 1858, PCC wills, available on Documentsonline, contain a lot of sailors' wills. Other early deaths might be picked up in Trinity House Petitions: widows and orphans seeking support. I have picked up deaths in this way, where there is nothing in civil registration. If you were lost at sea, eg by shipwreck, then nobody would be in a position to report the death. If the ship wasn't British registered, then it wouldn't fall within the system. Brenda

Guinevere

Guinevere Report 25 Aug 2004 07:21

Hi, My gt gt grandfather was lost at sea. I have found no record of his death but this was on the gravestone of his wife: "Sacred to the memory of John Tyrrell who was unfortunately drowned during the gale May 28, 1860 aged 63 years Also Hannah wife of the above who departed this life April 5, 1869 aged 75 years. O Lord in thee we trusted may we never be confound" There were other graves in the church yard with similar inscriptions. And the burial records up and down that coast have a lot of burials of "unknown sailor washed ashore" I'm lucky that the family could afford to have the details written on the stone some who were "lost at sea" have nothing to indicate when they were lost. Gwynne

Researching:
Lowestoft and North Suffolk, Monmouthshire, Breconshire, Somerset

Mad Alice

Mad Alice Report 25 Aug 2004 08:20

Thank you all for your help, I will see if I can follow some of these leads. If not...I'll be back...... Linda

JillGr

JillGr Report 25 Aug 2004 09:57

Linda, Try this site. It depends what dates you are looking at. I found one of mine on here and you can see the original entry. http://www.nationalarchivist*com/ Good luck, Jill

Mad Alice

Mad Alice Report 28 Aug 2004 18:06

Thank you jill linda