My Ancestor was a Merchant Seamen

by Christopher T. and Michael J. Watts

published by the Society of Genealogists

Document shown on the cover is Crown copyright - full reference is given inside.

First published in 1986 this 84 page booklet has become, over the 12 subsequent years that it was in print, the definitive work for those who seeking guidance on tracing their merchant seafaring ancestors.

The long-awaited revised edition has been written and is currently in press - hopefully it will be available later this year. It has grown to nearly 250 pages to accommodate the vast range of new material that hs become available in recent years - now permitting one to trace a seaman's career, with luck, up to 1972. It is subdivided into 12 major sections, covering records held both by the PRO and by other archives and libraries, namely:

Trade & Taxation	Military Connections	Legal Disputes
Registration of Merchant Seamen	Certification for Sea Officers	Agreements, Crew List and Log Books
War Service and Medals	Apprenticeship, Charities and Pensions	Births, Marriages and Deaths at Sea
Lloyd's Marine Collection	Registers of Shipping	Miscellaneous

For more details about the contents of the first edition and links to other sites relevant to merchant seamen click here.

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