Genealogy Chat

Hi
I'm trying to find my greatgrandmother's birth. I believe she was born on a ship (her Father was a master mariner). Do I really have to go in person to an office or is there another way?
Any help would be great please.
Thanks
Irene

Do you know if the ship was at sea or in dock when she was born?

Kath. x

What was her name?

In which year was she born?

Have you checked the findmypast website?

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Reg

Thanks. She was Susan Smith born 1867, records say New York but I was always lead to believe the birth was on ship. Her Father was Austin Smith (I think the captain) and her mother was Elizabeth.
Irene x

If the ship was on it's way to New York then she would probably have been registered there when the ship berthed, so you won't find her birth in the registers in England.

Kath. x

Thanks Kath, but how do I find that information and will they be able to tell me the name of the ship?
Irene x

Sorry Beryl, I don't know anything about American birth registration.

Kath. x

thanks anyway Kath.

Irene x

thanks anyway Kath.

Irene x

When was Austin born? Might be able to find him on some passenger lists.

Rose

If the birth occured on board a ship at sea, she's supposed to be registered under the rules of the ship's nationality, so if it were a Dutch ship, the birth might be registered in Rotterdam, etc. The parents could register the birth with the local consulate, in which case a near standard certificate can be obtained thru the GRO. (The advantage of registering births abroad are that you don't have to send off to, say, Bhutan for a replacement, nor have to find a Dzongkha translator every time you need a copy.)

If the ship was under a British flag, then births at sea are in the marine register - it's not clear to me how they sorted out the births of the various British nationalities, or if it just went by port of registration. Similarly, it's not clear if the birth would be registered in New York city (where records go back to 1847) or New York state outside NYC, where records go back to 1881.

You might want to check out ScotlandsPeople

Minor Records
The Minor Records comprise records of births, deaths and marriages of Scottish persons outside Scotland. Images of Minor Records are now available here on ScotlandsPeople.

The following sample images illustrate the type of information found in the Minor Records:

Births
Foreign Returns
Marine Register
Service Returns

http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/help/index.aspx?r=554&628
lets you look at examples of these records, as well as a standard registration.
(NB The images are of the register, not of certificates manufactured from the entry.)

Other sites:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/html/vitalrecords/visit.shtml
http://www.health.state.ny.us/vital_records/

Thanks
Had to go last night but all very helpful. I believe Austin may have been the ships captain as he was a master mariner. That would also account for him never being on any census return. Another thing, Susan's siblings are mostly born in New York according to a census return but I can find them on the gro as registered in Liverpool.
Irene