Merchant Navy Masters and Mates Certificates 1850-1927 - ancestry

[kiterunner]

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=2271

I can see quite a few of my family on there!

[ElizabethHerts]

Thanks, Kate - there are some of my Purkises on there.:)

[ElizabethHerts]

The record for Joseph Charles Purkis is pages long!

[kiterunner]

I was just coming back to say that when you have found a match, you should make sure to browse through pages around it, as not all the pages are indexed, only the certificates.

[ElizabethHerts]

I was just coming back to say that when you have found a match, you should make sure to browse through pages around it, as not all the pages are indexed, only the certificates.

Yes, Kate, I just kept going through the pages until I came to the end.

Any of my Purkises who didn't make the RN went into the Merchant Navy, so this should keep me gainfully employed for some time.

They have the record of my great-aunt's father who died in Durban, South Africa, when she was ten. It's lovely to see that. She was one of my favourite people of all time.

[Lindsay]

Yay! My gg grandfather was first in the list when I put in his name.

Also confirms he was born in London, which is nice!

[Shona]

Does this include fishing vessels?

[kiterunner]

I've picked a few fishing vessels off the 1881 census and looked for the masters on the database, and I don't think so. You could try the names you have just in case.

[kiterunner]

That's weird - in 1884 my great-grandfather's personal description is height 5'4, complexion dark, marks - heart on left arm, hair dark, eyes grey. But then in 1902 he is the same height, complexion dark, marks - none, hair dark brown, eyes brown! They didn't have laser tattoo removal in those days, so what happened to his tattoo?! And how did his eyes change colour?
Edit - found another form he filled in in 1902 which does mention the tattoo. But his eyes still brown rather than grey.

[JBee]

Thank you Kite and also pointing out to use the arrows - have found my lst Mate and his career up to then.

Shame it doesn't go any further with his career as I'd liked to have seen what ships he was on until he drowned off the Farne Islands on the SS Calcium in 1876 some 8 years later.

[Phoenix]

I've already looked at all these records, using microfilm at TNA, but patently not properly: the only reason my rellies were in London at census time was to sit their exams.