Tracing Births, Deaths, Marriages

Tracing Births, Deaths and Marriages at Sea

Ref: SOG-1004x

Supplied by Society of Genealogists.

At sea finding the birth, death or even marriage of one of your ancestors? Well perhaps the event did actually take place at sea.

This book will help guide you through the myth and fact of what records there are to help you discover the truth. Addresses what records were, or should have been, created recording births, deaths and marriages, aboard British Merchant ships (including colonial ones), passenger ships to the UK, and Royal Navy ships.

Pitfalls and special cases such as events in territorial waters, and those related to army personnel are also examined. Subsequent chapters identify what records have actually survived, for what period, what they contain, where they are to be found, and how they are arranged.

The book also summarises details of the provisions which a number of colonial administrations - particularly in Australia - made for the recording of events that took place at sea.

There is a good section on subsidiary sources, which may throw up information not otherwise available, be this from newspapers, gravestones, wills or occupational records. The book concludes with a search strategy and appendices to aid your research.

Written by Christopher & Michael Watts. Pub.
Society of Genealogists 2004, 180 pages.
ISBN 1-903462-82-7

£11.99