A Genealogical Goldmine:
The Ships and Seafarer's CD from the Memorial University of Newfoundland
http://www.mun.ca/mha/The NEHGS review of this CD is located in the July 1999 New England Historical and Genealogical Register book review section pp. 370-372 by George Freeman Sanborn Jr., F.A.S.G. :
"Ships and Seafarer's of Atlantic Canada" (St John's, NF: Maritime History Archive and the Maritime Studies Research Unit, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1998. One compact disk, $49.95 [Canadian funds]; Canadian residents please add 15% HST for a total of $57.44. Shipping and handling additional.). Order from The Secretary, Maritime History Archive, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, NF CANADA A1C5S7. "
George Sanborn's review notes that "... producers modestly sub-title this disk, 'Data on the vessels, captains and crews of Atlantic Canada, 1787-1936 - an Interactive CD.' " . He goes on to quote statistics for the numbers of records and information by type. He also uses such adjectives as "amazing", "staggering" and "voluminous" as well as phrases like "exceptionally well-done resource", "hard-to-find and seldom-used records" and "helpful CD".
This review prompted me to order the CD as a demonstration with lookups at the October 1999 "Boston States Migration and Genealogy Fair". Despite the glowing terms and statistics in the review, this CD is much more. It is a world-wide genealogy and migration resource!
While this article is fairly long, it is still the tip of the iceberg. The Memorial University link for the Atlantic Canada Shipping Project (source of the databases compiled in this CD) describes the amount of shipping industry analysis from this project as "six volumes of proceedings and numerous research papers" and "A final monograph ... "at
http://www.mun.ca/mha/acsp.html . Volumes could also be written about the CD from a genealogy standpoint.As it turned out at the Boston States Fair, we were overly ambitious about exactly how much we could cover and orchestrate for a one-day program covering several centuries of migration topics in the 13 states and provinces of the "Boston States" region for our 150 attendees. Lookups on this CD involve several searches and time-consuming cross-references. It also takes a while to get familiar with the actual contents, scope and usage.
It is, however, well-worth the investment in time and money. Not sure you have a mariner in the Atlantic Provinces to be concerned about? Most of the CD data concerns individuals from other parts of the world - not just the Atlantic Provinces or Canada. Many mariners had multiple occupations - including simply signing on as a hand on a vessel to get someplace else!
George Sanborn's review did note some usage limitations for cross-referencing information from the various databases on the CD. It is a long, tedious process to exhaust all possible lookup angles. However, after many hours of exploring the information on the CD, I now see that the sheer magnitude of the data and cross-reference possibilities would have been a daunting application development task. It is just as fascinating as tedious. Direct cross-references in the databases are possible from several different angles. Vessel registration numbers, master mariner certificates of competency and voyage numbers are linked to crew lists, managing owners, owners and ports visited via the CD database software. These more obvious relationships are dwarfed by the clues and implications of business transactions, location and time proximity, as well as the sheer magnitude of birthplace, age, occupation and residence data.
Manual lookups and assessments to advise any particular researcher about the CD data for their interests is a also daunting task. There are, however, thousands of researchers who have no idea that this CD contains information of interest and value to them.
In recent months, I have fulfilled dozens of lookup requests and have dozens still waiting. In most cases, it takes 2-4 hours to sort through the databases to produce just a thumbnail sketch of what is likely to be of interest based on the contents of the specific lookup request. It is rare that I do not find anything related to the request. In most cases, I recommend that the requestor buy the CD to get the full benefit of all the data and clues available. With lots of genealogy resources on everyone's wish list, it is a great help to have a good idea of what resources will be the best investment.
Even conflicting data, such as multiple spellings, birthplaces, residences and certificates of competency, as well as missing data provides invaluable clues. It is possible to follow threads of information for locations, voyages and ship owners that have some association with a researcher's area of interest. There are patterns that suggest where to look for other resources, even if the specific information sought is not available on the CD.
In the course of doing so many requests and following so many threads in a maze of mariner business relationships, as well as missing or conflicting data, I noticed many patterns. Some were a complete surprise. Other patterns are reflections of the types of issues found in many genealogy resources. It then seemed that making the information on these larger patterns available could reach a greater number of people and help them decide whether it was a worthwhile investment for their research.
A few weeks ago, I began working with John Mitchell, an expert in database analysis and usage issues. We did some analysis to test my anecdotal observations against actual statistics to provide a better picture of the value of the Ships and Seafarer's CD.
Some of these statistics and observations are listed below.
This CD is a world-wide migration resource.
There is a great misunderstanding about the coverage of this CD. Many people are under the impression that it is limited to Newfoundland or Atlantic Province mariners simply because of the brief description in the CD title. In fact, the Atlantic Province ports were a critical hub in the world trade patterns for the 1787-1936 time period covered by the CD.
The Atlantic Province ports crewmember database lists 67 different countries or geographic regions of birth for the mariners on these voyages. The number of regions or countries mentioned in all databases on the CD is about twice that number.
Location, Location, Location ...
There are a total of approximately 1.7 million locations specified for crew and master birthplaces; master, owner and managing owner residences; where ships were built, previously registered or subsequently sold; and voyage ports of call. The following per country breakdown shows how many records contain information for that country or regional designation. There are some obvious ambiguities or errors in the country field categorization, as well as differences in what was specified in the original records as opposed to current country borders, but they occur in the smaller statistics:
|
Country/Region |
Count of records referencing these geographic areas |
|
Africa |
3492 |
|
Argentina |
5972 |
|
Asia |
11 |
|
Atlantic Ocean |
1888 |
|
Australia |
7855 |
|
Austro-Hungary |
1664 |
|
BAHIA DE PE |
35 |
|
Baker Island |
3 |
|
Baltic States |
363 |
|
Belgium |
28688 |
|
Bermuda |
2552 |
|
Black Sea |
64 |
|
Bolivia |
10 |
|
Brazil |
8453 |
|
British Guiana |
926 |
|
British Guyanna |
23 |
|
British Honduras |
173 |
|
Bulgaria |
50 |
|
Burma |
1185 |
|
Canada |
266217 |
|
Caribbean Sea |
82 |
|
Central America |
4 |
|
Ceylon (Sri Lanka) |
767 |
|
Chile |
4813 |
|
China |
1244 |
|
China Sea |
27 |
|
Columbia |
158 |
|
Costa Rica |
153 |
|
Cyprus |
28 |
|
Denmark |
5777 |
|
DIGBY CO.NS |
46 |
|
Dutch Guiana |
37 |
|
EAST COAST |
16 |
|
Ecuador |
125 |
|
EGYPT |
1 |
|
El Salvador |
14 |
|
ENGLAND |
139 |
|
Europe |
310 |
|
Falkland Islands |
167 |
|
Fiji |
2 |
|
Finland |
6684 |
|
Foreign (Unknown) |
1324 |
|
France |
30848 |
|
French Guiana |
6 |
|
Germany |
29462 |
|
Gibraltar |
1443 |
|
Great Britain |
508811 |
|
Greece |
1942 |
|
Guam |
3 |
|
Guatemala |
20 |
|
Honduras |
30 |
|
Hong Kong |
1215 |
|
Iceland |
36 |
|
India |
9092 |
|
Indian Ocean |
180 |
|
Indonesia & Malaya |
1743 |
|
Ireland |
56028 |
|
ISLE OF WIGHT |
7 |
|
Israel |
37 |
|
Italy |
7648 |
|
JAMAICA |
30 |
|
Japan |
1081 |
|
JAVA |
245 |
|
Java Sea |
6 |
|
Kenya |
9 |
|
Korea |
7 |
|
Lebanon |
102 |
|
Liberia |
81 |
|
LOUIS HEAD |
1 |
|
LOUIS HEAD NS |
10 |
|
LOUISIANA |
29 |
|
Madagascar |
18 |
|
Malden Island |
3 |
|
Malta |
1628 |
|
MARTINIQUE |
33 |
|
Mediterranean Sea |
183 |
|
Mexico |
543 |
|
Middle East |
651 |
|
Monaco |
11 |
|
Mozambique |
128 |
|
N'CARAGU |
12 |
|
Netherlands |
17430 |
|
New Caledonia |
2 |
|
New Hebrides |
1 |
|
New Zealand |
1324 |
|
NICARA |
10 |
|
Nicaragua |
31 |
|
North America |
856 |
|
Norway |
13795 |
|
PACIFIC |
1 |
|
Pacific Ocean |
90 |
|
Panama |
571 |
|
Peru |
3835 |
|
Philippines |
1451 |
|
Poland |
2214 |
|
Portugal |
3706 |
|
PUERTO RICO |
1 |
|
QUEBEC |
34 |
|
Rumania |
899 |
|
Russia |
5914 |
|
Samoa |
4 |
|
Seychelles |
16 |
|
South Africa |
3310 |
|
South America |
155 |
|
Spain |
8835 |
|
SUMATRA |
11 |
|
Sweden |
17410 |
|
Switzerland |
168 |
|
Syria |
6 |
|
Tahiti |
34 |
|
Tasman Sea |
6 |
|
Thailand |
40 |
|
Turkey |
1364 |
|
Uruguay |
3075 |
|
USA |
156111 |
|
Venezuela |
56 |
|
Vietnam |
89 |
|
WALES |
18 |
|
West Indies |
12754 |
|
White Sea |
35 |
|
Yugoslavia |
659 |
The top 100 unique locations mentioned across the entire CD in location groups (with totals of over 5000 unique location entries) are as follows. You will note that some towns/ports are coded with country names and that there are other record or transcription irregularities, but this top 100, is very telling:
|
Town/Port |
Country/Area |
Region |
County |
Record Count |
|||
|
LIVERPOOL |
Great Britain |
England |
152003 |
||||
|
LONDON |
Great Britain |
England |
70365 |
||||
|
NEW YORK CITY |
USA |
New York |
65149 |
||||
|
GLASGOW |
Great Britain |
Scotland & islands |
38654 |
||||
|
SAINT JOHN |
Canada |
New Brunswick |
St. John Co |
38423 |
|||
|
CARDIFF |
Great Britain |
Wales |
28152 |
||||
|
ANTWERP |
Belgium |
27367 |
|||||
|
YARMOUTH |
Canada |
Nova Scotia |
Yarmouth Co |
24788 |
|||
|
PHILADELPHIA |
USA |
Pennsylvania |
21185 |
||||
|
HALIFAX |
Canada |
Nova Scotia |
Halifax Co |
20709 |
|||
|
SWEDEN |
Sweden |
13571 |
|||||
|
DUBLIN |
Ireland |
12965 |
|||||
|
HAVRE |
France |
12498 |
|||||
|
NORWAY |
Norway |
12248 |
|||||
|
ST JOHNS NFLD |
Canada |
Newfoundland |
11903 |
||||
|
SOUTH SHIELDS |
Great Britain |
England |
10912 |
||||
|
BOSTON |
USA |
Massachusetts |
10731 |
||||
|
HULL |
Great Britain |
England |
10719 |
||||
|
BALTIMORE |
USA |
Maryland |
10562 |
||||
|
HAMBURG |
Germany |
10296 |
|||||
|
BELFAST |
Ireland |
10222 |
|||||
|
BRISTOL |
Great Britain |
England |
10029 |
||||
|
NORTH SHIELDS |
Great Britain |
England |
9827 |
||||
|
GERMANY |
Germany |
9577 |
|||||
|
ROTTERDAM |
Netherlands |
9401 |
|||||
|
SAINT JOHN |
Canada |
New Brunswick |
John Co |
9168 |
|||
|
NEWPORT |
Great Britain |
England |
8925 |
||||
|
SUNDERLAND |
Great Britain |
England |
8666 |
||||
|
GREENOCK |
Great Britain |
Scotland & islands |
7846 |
||||
|
QUEBEC CITY |
Canada |
Quebec |
7729 |
||||
|
NEW ORLEANS |
USA |
Louisiana |
7552 |
||||
|
ENGLAND |
Great Britain |
England |
7086 |
||||
|
PENARTH |
Great Britain |
Wales |
6288 |
||||
|
BARRY WALES |
Great Britain |
Wales |
6255 |
||||
|
BREMERHAVEN |
Germany |
6149 |
|||||
|
WINDSOR |
Canada |
Nova Scotia |
Hant's Co |
6023 |
|||
|
FINLAND |
Finland |
5912 |
|||||
|
NEWCASTLE |
Great Britain |
England |
5636 |
||||
|
RIO DE JANIERO |
Brazil |
5534 |
|||||
|
CORK |
Ireland |
5088 |
|||||
|
WEST HARTLEPOOL |
Great Britain |
England |
5084 |
||||
|
DUNKIRK |
France |
5062 |
|||||
|
SWANSEA |
Great Britain |
Wales |
4500 |
||||
|
UNITED STATES |
USA |
US coast |
Hawaii |
4467 |
|||
|
MONTREAL |
Canada |
Quebec |
4462 |
||||
|
LEITH |
Great Britain |
Scotland & islands |
4386 |
||||
|
BUENOS AIRES |
Argentina |
4235 |
|||||
|
MIDDLESBROUGH |
Great Britain |
England |
4230 |
||||
|
AMSTERDAM |
Netherlands |
4205 |
|||||
|
PICTOU |
Canada |
Nova Scotia |
Pictou Co |
4164 |
|||
|
CALCUTTA |
India |
4036 |
|||||
|
DUNDEE |
Great Britain |
Scotland & islands |
3852 |
||||
|
PLYMOUTH |
Great Britain |
England |
3726 |
||||
|
DENMARK |
Denmark |
3659 |
|||||
|
IRELAND |
Ireland |
3602 |
|||||
|
SAVANNAH |
USA |
Georgia |
3550 |
||||
|
SAN FRANCISCO |
USA |
California |
3538 |
||||
|
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND |
Canada |
Prince Edward Island |
3475 |
||||
|
CHARLOTTETOWN PEI |
Canada |
Prince Edward Island |
Queens Co |
3437 |
|||
|
SCOTLAND |
Great Britain |
Scotland & islands |
3354 |
||||
|
BARRINGTON |
Canada |
Nova Scotia |
Shelburne Co |
3249 |
|||
|
CALLAO |
Peru |
3204 |
|||||
|
SYDNEY |
Canada |
Nova Scotia |
Cape Breton Co |
3198 |
|||
|
SHETLANDS |
Great Britain |
Scotland & islands |
3176 |
||||
|
ABERDEEN |
Great Britain |
Scotland & islands |
3117 |
||||
|
LONDONDERRY |
Ireland |
3051 |
|||||
|
QUEENSTOWN |
Ireland |
3036 |
|||||
|
MONTEVIDEO |
Uruguay |
3023 |
|||||
|
BORDEAUX |
France |
2991 |
|||||
|
WATERFORD |
Ireland |
2958 |
|||||
|
BOMBAY |
India |
2928 |
|||||
|
FRANCE |
France |
2822 |
|||||
|
GLOUCESTER |
Great Britain |
England |
2811 |
||||
|
CHARLESTON |
USA |
South Carolina |
2672 |
||||
|
BLYTHE |
Great Britain |
England |
2611 |
||||
|
MELBOURNE |
Australia |
2588 |
|||||
|
ARDROSSAN |
Great Britain |
Scotland & islands |
2585 |
||||
|
PENSACOLA |
USA |
Florida |
2523 |
||||
|
FLEETWOOD |
Great Britain |
England |
2356 |
||||
|
MANCHESTER |
Great Britain |
England |
2344 |
||||
|
CORNWALLIS |
Canada |
Nova Scotia |
Annapolis Co |
2307 |
|||
|
NORFOLK |
USA |
Virginia |
2266 |
||||
|
HANTSPORT |
Canada |
Nova Scotia |
Hant's Co |
2161 |
|||
|
NOVA SCOTIA |
Canada |
Nova Scotia |
2144 |
||||
|
LIMERICK |
Ireland |
2138 |
|||||
|
SOUTHAMPTON |
Great Britain |
England |
2121 |
||||
|
BARROW |
Great Britain |
England |
2047 |
||||
|
NEWFOUNDLAND |
Canada |
Newfoundland |
2023 |
||||
|
NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA |
Australia |
1990 |
|||||
|
SHELBURNE |
Canada |
Nova Scotia |
Shelburne Co |
1970 |
|||
|
DIGBY |
Canada |
Nova Scotia |
Digby Co |
1923 |
|||
|
MAITLAND |
Canada |
Nova Scotia |
Hant's Co |
1922 |
|||
|
PARRSBOROUGH |
Canada |
Nova Scotia |
Cumberland Co |
1912 |
|||
|
HOLLAND |
Netherlands |
1865 |
|||||
|
CAPETOWN |
South Africa |
1860 |
|||||
|
FALMOUTH |
Great Britain |
England |
1833 |
||||
|
MIRAMICHI |
Canada |
New Brunswick |
Northumberland Co |
1813 |
|||
|
NEWPORT |
Canada |
Nova Scotia |
Hant's Co |
1790 |
|||
|
MOBILE |
USA |
Alabama |
1769 |
||||
|
PORTLAND |
USA |
Maine |
1756 |
||||
World-wide Birthplace Resource
Master mariner and crewmember birthplace locations have similar issues with the coding or transcription of the location field detail.
But less than 3 % of the master mariner and crewmember birthplace records are completely blank! Most have some location information.
The top 10 birthplace locations (out of a total of 1755 unique locations and 304,687 master mariner and crewmember records) info are as follows:
|
Town (sic) |
Country |
Region |
County |
Record Count |
|
|
LIVERPOOL |
Great Britain |
England |
* |
20385 |
|
|
SWEDEN |
Sweden |
* |
* |
13533 |
|
|
NORWAY |
Norway |
* |
* |
12035 |
|
|
LONDON |
Great Britain |
England |
* |
10371 |
|
|
GERMANY |
Germany |
* |
* |
9568 |
|
|
YARMOUTH |
Canada |
Nova Scotia |
Yarmouth Co |
8945 |
|
|
(none listed) |
* |
* |
* |
8440 |
|
|
GLASGOW |
Great Britain |
Scotland & islands |
* |
7450 |
|
|
ENGLAND |
Great Britain |
England |
* |
6880 |
|
|
FINLAND |
Finland |
* |
* |
5906 |
|
|
SAINT JOHN |
Canada |
New Brunswick |
St. John Co |
5853 |
|
The country breakdown gives a little better picture of the breadth of this data. Approximately 40% were born in Great Britain. Approximately 20% were born in Scandinavia or Europe. More than 10 % were born in Canada. Approximately 9% were born in Ireland, 7% in the US and with the rest of the birthplaces distributed throughout the world.
The birthplace breakdown by country/geographic area across the 304,687 master mariner and crewmember records is as follows:
|
Country/Area |
Record Count |
|
Africa |
477 |
|
Argentina |
74 |
|
Asia |
11 |
|
Atlantic Ocean |
1 |
|
Australia |
731 |
|
Austro-Hungary |
1661 |
|
Baltic States |
7 |
|
Belgium |
2129 |
|
Bermuda |
334 |
|
Bolivia |
3 |
|
Brazil |
139 |
|
British Guiana |
234 |
|
British Honduras |
7 |
|
Bulgaria |
6 |
|
Burma |
22 |
|
Canada |
42225 |
|
Central America |
3 |
|
Ceylon (Sri Lanka) |
40 |
|
Chile |
516 |
|
CHINA |
173 |
|
Columbia |
22 |
|
Costa Rica |
6 |
|
Cyprus |
7 |
|
Denmark |
4703 |
|
DIGBY CO.NS |
0 |
|
Dutch Guiana |
21 |
|
Ecuador |
9 |
|
El Salvador |
2 |
|
ENGLAND |
81 |
|
Europe |
163 |
|
Falkland Islands |
6 |
|
Finland |
6295 |
|
Foreign (Unknown) |
7 |
|
FRANCE |
4378 |
|
Germany |
13831 |
|
Gibraltar |
156 |
|
Great Britain |
121186 |
|
Greece |
1458 |
|
Guam |
1 |
|
Guatemala |
1 |
|
Honduras |
8 |
|
Hong Kong |
65 |
|
Iceland |
28 |
|
India |
1010 |
|
Indonesia & Malaya |
113 |
|
INLET |
2 |
|
IRELAND |
27092 |
|
ISLE OF WIGHT |
6 |
|
Israel |
5 |
|
Italy |
2942 |
|
JAPAN |
365 |
|
JAVA |
10 |
|
Lebanon |
3 |
|
Liberia |
3 |
|
Madagascar |
3 |
|
Malta |
611 |
|
MARTINIQUE |
1 |
|
Mexico |
119 |
|
Middle East |
73 |
|
Monaco |
1 |
|
Mozambique |
2 |
|
Netherlands |
3658 |
|
NEW ZEALAND |
237 |
|
Nicaragua |
4 |
|
North America |
693 |
|
Norway |
12820 |
|
Panama |
32 |
|
Peru |
101 |
|
Philippines |
684 |
|
Poland |
1180 |
|
Portugal |
1169 |
|
QUEBEC |
0 |
|
Rumania |
25 |
|
RUSSIA |
1680 |
|
Samoa |
1 |
|
Seychelles |
10 |
|
South Africa |
146 |
|
South America |
32 |
|
Spain |
1088 |
|
SWEDEN |
15773 |
|
Switzerland |
168 |
|
Tahiti |
4 |
|
Thailand |
3 |
|
Turkey |
193 |
|
Uruguay |
33 |
|
USA |
19284 |
|
Venezuela |
12 |
|
Vietnam |
1 |
|
WALES |
0 |
|
West Indies |
3873 |
|
White Sea |
11 |
|
Yugoslavia |
64 |
|
Grand Total |
304687 |
World-wide Route and Port Resource
The top ten ports mentioned for voyages on this CD (out of a total of 2086 unique port designations) are as follows:
|
Port |
Country |
Region |
County |
Count |
|
LIVERPOOL |
Great Britain |
England |
* |
16172 |
|
NEW YORK CITY |
USA |
New York |
* |
10872 |
|
DUNDALK |
Ireland |
* |
* |
10615 |
|
CARDIFF |
Great Britain |
Wales |
* |
5615 |
|
SHINIA WEST AFRICA |
Africa |
* |
* |
5252 |
|
SAINT JOHN |
Canada |
New Brunswick |
St. John Co |
4334 |
|
DEMERARA |
British Guiana |
* |
* |
3788 |
|
SAN JUAN DEL NORTE |
NICARA |
Nicaragua |
* |
3401 |
|
PHILADELPHIA |
USA |
Pennsylvania |
* |
3276 |
|
SWANSEA |
Great Britain |
Wales |
* |
2726 |
The ports by country with more than 1000 records in the voyage databases shows the relative geographic area of most of the voyages.
|
Voyage records by Country of Port |
Count |
|
Great Britain Total |
68470 |
|
USA Total |
27983 |
|
Canada Total |
13082 |
|
France Total |
6927 |
|
Spain Total |
6657 |
|
Ireland Total |
6610 |
|
West Indies Total |
5436 |
|
Italy Total |
4144 |
|
Belgium Total |
3893 |
|
Brazil Total |
3855 |
|
Russia Total |
3535 |
|
India Total |
3504 |
|
Africa Total |
3189 |
|
Germany Total |
2800 |
|
Netherlands Total |
2708 |
|
Chile Total |
2548 |
|
Argentina Total |
2323 |
|
Portugal Total |
2146 |
|
Australia Total |
2073 |
|
South Africa Total |
1578 |
|
Uruguay Total |
1503 |
|
Peru Total |
1201 |
|
Gibraltar Total |
1095 |
The top ports masters and crewmembers joined (out of 930 unique ports) and were discharged from (out of a total of 1278 unique ports) a voyage in the crew lists on the CD are as follows:
|
Port |
Country |
Region |
County |
Joined Count |
Discharged Count |
|
LIVERPOOL |
Great Britain |
England |
* |
53080 |
52201 |
|
NEW YORK CITY |
USA |
New York |
* |
26116 |
22519 |
|
LONDON |
Great Britain |
England |
* |
20694 |
23764 |
|
GLASGOW |
Great Britain |
Scotland & islands |
* |
13103 |
13319 |
|
CARDIFF |
Great Britain |
Wales |
* |
12407 |
8777 |
|
ANTWERP |
Belgium |
* |
* |
11312 |
11114 |
|
SAINT JOHN |
Canada |
New Brunswick |
St. John Co |
9416 |
5027 |
|
PHILADELPHIA |
USA |
Pennsylvania |
* |
8689 |
7278 |
|
HAVRE |
France |
* |
* |
4722 |
5263 |
|
BALTIMORE |
USA |
Maryland |
* |
3987 |
3511 |
|
BRISTOL |
Great Britain |
England |
* |
2398 |
3590 |
|
DUBLIN |
Ireland |
* |
* |
3105 |
3543 |
|
Boston |
USA |
Massachusetts |
* |
2899 |
3206 |
The top 10 residence locations (out of 2070 unique residence locations on the CD) for vessel owners, managing owners and master mariners illustrates that the vessel registries and voyages revolve around businessmen in the Atlantic Province and Great Britain:
|
YARMOUTH/Canada/Nova Scotia/Yarmouth Co |
12815 |
|
SAINT JOHN/Canada/New Brunswick/John Co |
9168 |
|
SAINT JOHN/Canada/New Brunswick/St. John Co |
8526 |
|
LIVERPOOL/Great Britain/England/* |
7853 |
|
HALIFAX/Canada/Nova Scotia/Halifax Co |
6158 |
|
ST JOHNS NFLD/Canada/Newfoundland/* |
5690 |
|
LONDON/Great Britain/England/* |
4181 |
|
CHARLOTTETOWN PEI/Canada/Prince Edward Island/Queens Co |
3172 |
|
WINDSOR/Canada/Nova Scotia/Hant's Co |
2604 |
|
BARRINGTON/Canada/Nova Scotia/Shelburne Co |
2202 |
|
GLASGOW/Great Britain/Scotland & islands/* |
1706 |
|
SUNDERLAND/Great Britain/England/* |
1540 |
|
WEST HARTLEPOOL/Great Britain/England/* |
1366 |
|
CORNWALLIS/Canada/Nova Scotia/Annapolis Co |
1356 |
|
NEWCASTLE/Great Britain/England/* |
1320 |
|
HULL/Great Britain/England/* |
1242 |
|
PICTOU/Canada/Nova Scotia/Pictou Co |
1201 |
|
NEWPORT/Canada/Nova Scotia/Hant's Co |
1158 |
|
ARGYLE/Canada/Nova Scotia/Yarmouth Co |
1092 |
|
DORCHESTER/Canada/New Brunswick/Westmoreland Co |
1061 |
The top ten vessel registration locations (out of 221 unique locations described) show Atlantic Province registry concentrations:
|
Top Ten Registration location |
Count |
|
|
HALIFAX/Canada/Nova Scotia/Halifax Co |
4721 |
|
|
ST JOHNS NFLD/Canada/Newfoundland/* |
2769 |
|
|
SAINT JOHN/Canada/New Brunswick/St. John Co |
2157 |
|
|
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND/Canada/Prince Edward Island/* |
1495 |
|
|
YARMOUTH/Canada/Nova Scotia/Yarmouth Co |
749 |
|
|
LUNENBURG/Canada/Nova Scotia/Lunenburg Co |
684 |
|
|
SYDNEY/Canada/Nova Scotia/Cape Breton Co |
654 |
|
|
PICTOU/Canada/Nova Scotia/Pictou Co |
393 |
|
|
SHELBURNE/Canada/Nova Scotia/Shelburne Co |
375 |
|
|
BERMUDA/Bermuda/*/* |
292 |
|
The top ten vessel closure locations (out of 2105 unique designations) include a large number of transfers to Great Britain from Canada and two categories (Atlantic Ocean North and Newfoundland coast) that also indicate where the vessel was lost rather than sold:
|
Town |
Country |
Region |
County |
Count |
|
|
HALIFAX |
Canada |
Nova Scotia |
Halifax Co |
4036 |
|
|
ST JOHNS NFLD |
Canada |
Newfoundland |
* |
2551 |
|
|
SAINT JOHN |
Canada |
New Brunswick |
St. John Co |
2251 |
|
|
LIVERPOOL |
Great Britain |
England |
* |
2174 |
|
|
NEWFOUNDLAND |
Canada |
Newfoundland |
* |
1380 |
|
|
LONDON |
Great Britain |
England |
* |
645 |
|
|
ATLANTIC OCEAN NORTH |
Atlantic Ocean |
* |
* |
482 |
|
|
BELFAST |
Ireland |
* |
* |
386 |
|
|
NEWFOUNDLAND COAST |
Canada |
Newfoundland |
* |
330 |
|
|
YARMOUTH |
Canada |
Nova Scotia |
Yarmouth Co |
290 |
|
The top ten locations for where a vessel was built (out of 2030 unique locations - 1470 locations appear in 10 or less records indicating how many places were involved in shipbuilding) are largely from the Atlantic Provinces :
|
Top Ten Shipbuilding locations |
Count |
|
YARMOUTH/Canada/Nova Scotia/Yarmouth Co |
963 |
|
SAINT JOHN/Canada/New Brunswick/St. John Co |
859 |
|
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND/Canada/Prince Edward Island/* |
818 |
|
SHELBURNE/Canada/Nova Scotia/Shelburne Co |
782 |
|
LUNENBURG/Canada/Nova Scotia/Lunenburg Co |
629 |
|
SAINT MARTINS/Canada/New Brunswick/St. John Co |
608 |
|
LA HAVE/Canada/Nova Scotia/Lunenburg Co |
588 |
|
BARRINGTON/Canada/Nova Scotia/Shelburne Co |
567 |
|
BERMUDA/Bermuda/*/* |
520 |
|
GRANVILLE/Canada/Nova Scotia/Annapolis Co |
519 |
|
CORNWALLIS/Canada/Nova Scotia/Annapolis Co |
501 |
Ships that were sold to foreigner in designated ports as opposed to other Atlantic Province or Great Britain shipowners show the following top ten locations of foreigner ship sales (out of 62 unique locations and 13 country/regional areas) :
|
Sold into Foreign Location |
Count |
|
NORWAY/Norway/*/* |
161 |
|
FOREIGN (UNKNOWN)/Foreign (Unknown)/*/* |
143 |
|
FRANCE/France/*/* |
104 |
|
ITALY/Italy/*/* |
25 |
|
SWEDEN/Sweden/*/* |
17 |
|
RUSSIA/Russia/*/* |
17 |
|
SPAIN/Spain/*/* |
13 |
|
HOLLAND/Netherlands/*/* |
11 |
|
ST PIERRE & MIQUELON/France/St. Pierre & Miquelon/* |
10 |
|
*/Canada/Nova Scotia/Halifax Co |
9 |
|
LIVERPOOL/Great Britain/England/* |
8 |
Layovers in ports along the voyage route sometimes lasted months or longer than the actual sea time of the voyage.
Crewmember discharge information includes when and where they joined and left ships and whether they jumped ship, were prematurely discharged or were ill or died en-route.
While mariner occupations tended to run in families (it is possible to trace migration paths of several generations in a family), some mariners joined a voyage crew apparently to satisfy a short-term employment need or to get to a new home.
This CD unearths mariner-related occupations, business associations and interim employment you hadn't thought about.
Mariners, shipbuilders, shipowners and voyage managing owners are listed in various records with multiple occupations and residences. Crewmembers often had occupations that were not exclusive to mariners. There is also an indication of change in capacity or rank during the voyage for the crewmember database. The actual occupation given in the original records has been coded into broader categories by the transcribers, but the information is specific enough to suggest other research possibilities.
Occupations categories include -
Merchant, Trader/Dealer, Fisherman, Mariner, Shipowner, Shipbuilder, Shipping Company/Agent, Tradesman-Marine, Tradesman-Non-marine, Farmer/Planter, Professional, Government Official, Other, Master, 1st Mate, 2 nd Mate, 3 rd Mate, Bosun, Engineer, Carpenter, Sailmaker, Cook, Steward, Cook/Steward, Able-bodied Seaman, Ordinary Seaman, Boy, A.B. & Sailmaker, Bosun/Mate, Stewardess, Assistant Steward, Cook & Seaman, Stowaway, Carpenter/Bosun, Carpenter/A.B., Distressed Br. Seaman, Carpenter's Mate, A.B. & Bosun, Acting Master, A.B. Steward, 2nd Mate/Carpenter, Supercargo, Landsman, Trimmer, Painter/Seaman, Assistant Cook, Surgeon, Mate/Pilot, Leading Fireman, Fireman, 2 nd Engineer, 3rd Engineer, Bosun & Sailmaker, Bosun & Lamp Trimmer, Fireman & Trimmer, Donkey Man, 4th Engineer, Apprentice, Deck Hand, Mess Room Steward, Storekeeper, Trimmer (Steamer), Blacksmith, Wages Reduced, Incompetent, Relieved of Duties, Illness, A.B. & Lamp Trimmer, A.B. & Trimmer, Oiler & Greaser, Labourer, A.B. & Donkey Man, Quartermaster, 4th Mate, Lamp Trimmer, Apprentice (Topaz), Purser, Serang, Tindal, Seacunny, Kussab, Lascar, Butler (Lascar), Bhanday, Clerk, Unknown,
Crewmembers who had family on board were typically the cook and steward/stewardesses, frequently a husband and wife with their children, but sometimes you could find a master-mariner or other crewmember with family members on-board.
Farmers/Planters, shipbuilders, merchants, tradesmen, mariners and persons with other occupations like "professional" often devised partnerships or shifted occupations in a seasonal pattern.
Shipbuilders often ran voyages on their own vessels for a while before selling them to a merchant or other business associate.
It is possible to trace related party transactions through the ship registration official numbers and master mariner certificates of competency, even if the vessel names were recorded or transcribed differently. The ship registration numbers remained with the vessel even if it was sold or transferred to a new port. Official numbers were initiated by the Merchant Shipping Act of 1854. Some vessel registrations on the CD prior to this date were assigned official numbers based on the subsequent official number assignments by the record transcribers. The Competency number of the master mariners include designations for Imperial, Colonial and "Official Certificate".
CD Hints from Voyage Patterns May Point to Other Research Resources
Atlantic Province ports provided some of the earliest fishing, trade and migration hubs. This is explicitly reflected in the data on this CD by the ports visited on these voyages.
The geographic description of the voyages on this CD include designations for North Atlantic, West Indies, Mediterranean, South America, West Coast, South America, East Coast, North Atlantic & West Indies, Indian Ocean, Europe - British Isles, Africa - South of Sahara, North America Coastal - East, Coast, World Voyage, British Coastal, Europe/South & North , America, U.S. Gulf, Europe/South & North , America/West Indies, East Indies, North Atlantic/Baltic/West , Indies, Oceania, Baltic, North America/West Coast, Red Sea, Mediterranean & North , Atlantic, Africa & North Atlantic, Baltic & North Atlantic, Black Sea, European Coastal, Pacific Rim, Australia, Barents Sea, Africa - North of Sahara, Barents Sea & Baltic and Voyage abandoned.
Canadian ports often sent raw materials such as grain, lumber, fish, gypsum to other ports and returned with finished goods or passengers, including many of the early Irish on their return to Canada.
Some ports were not accessible for part of the year when seasonal hazards like winter freezing or hurricanes occurred. Critical trade needs took alternate routes. So did passengers.
Mariner's pay amounts, currency and whether they received a pay advance are included in the Master and crewmember databases. These items are important clues to where other records may be found for the transactions involving these payments - including the possibility that large advances indicated a "trusting" relationship and were given to the family members for their support while the mariner was away.
Master mariners and crewmember records indicate whether they came in a group from another ship or voyage. By process of deduction, you may look at the order the crewmembers signed on and determine the likely members of that "company" of associated mariners.
Master mariner and subordinate crewmember records also indicate what the registry of the last ship was for each mariner (when that information was available). This field includes last ship registry for the following categories:
first ship, same ship, Yarmouth NS, New Brunswick , Prince Edward Island , Newfoundland, Quebec, British North America, British, English, Wales, Scottish, Irish, USA, New England, Mid-Atlantic (USA), French, Belgian, Dutch, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Russian, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Foreign, other British colonial, Jersey, Icelandic, Austrian, Peruvian, Australian, New Zealand, British West Indies, Japanese, Brazil, Uruguay, Naval Ship, Polish, Argentinian, St. John NB, Halifax NS, Indian, Chinese, Mexican, African, Chile, Windsor NS
Even if the fate of a particular mariner is not explicitly included in the CD, you may find clues for additional research by date and port location. Ship registries indicate the disposition of the vessel when the registration is terminated in the following categories:
No longer Exists/No Information Available, Sold to Foreigners, Transferred to a New Port, Registered de novo, Condemned/Condemned as Unseaworthy, Condemned and Broken up, Condemned and Sold, Condemned, Repaired and Sold, Wrecked, Burnt/Destroyed by Fire/Blown-Up, Abandoned at Sea, Lost at Sea, Broken Up, Wrecked and Sold, Stranded, Dismantled and Sold as a Hulk, Collided at Sea and Sunk, No longer Exists/No Information Available, Sold to Foreigners, Transferred to a New Port, Registered de novo, Condemned/Condemned as Unseaworthy, Condemned and Broken up, Condemned and Sold, Condemned, Repaired and Sold, Wrecked, Burnt/Destroyed by Fire/Blown-Up, Abandoned at Sea, Lost at Sea, Broken Up, Wrecked and Sold, Stranded, Dismantled and Sold as a Hulk, Collided at Sea and Sunk, Blown Out to Sea/Cast Away, Foundered at Sea, Lost at Sea and Restored to Registry at a New Port, Lost at Sea and Re-Registered, Missing/Not Heard of Again/Disappeared, Wrecked and Restored to Registry, Sunk, Lost per Annual List, Omitted per Annual List, Supposed to Have Been Lost/Lost Many Years Ago, Condemned and Transferred, Seized/Captured, Worn Out, Sold to the King.,
Crewmember discharge information includes these categories:
Did Not Join, Remained, Deserted Before Sailing, Discharged Before Sailing, Discharged at End of Voyage, Discharged With Mutual, Consent, Discharged, in Jail, Discharged, Sick, Discharged, Incompetent, Deserted, Died, Fell From Loft, Fell Overboard & Drowned, Died of Disease, Transferred to Another Vessel, Unspecified Accidental Death, Discharged, Vessel Wrecked, Left Ashore, Discharged, Court Order, Joined Navy, Discharged, Promoted, , Discharged, Vessel Sold, Deserted, Vessel Had, Accident, Discharged, Demoted, Crew members Refused to, Proceed, Discharged, Voyage, Abandoned, Death From Personal Violence, Vessel Condemned, Removed by Consul, , Fell From Loft, Fell Overboard & Drowned, Died of Disease, Transferred to Another Vessel, Unspecified Accidental Death, Discharged, Vessel Wrecked, Left Ashore, Discharged, Court Order, Joined Navy, Discharged, Promoted, , Discharged, Vessel Sold, Deserted, Vessel Had, Accident, Discharged, Demoted, Crew members Refused to, Proceed, Discharged, Voyage, Abandoned, Death From Personal Violence, Vessel Condemned, Removed by Consul
Coverage of Records by Database Type
The purpose of the database creation was a study of Canadian port shipping patterns. Many types of records were combined. The databases with the "RS" suffix are samples from other British port voyages used to calculate statistical patterns. The general contents my be described as follows:
|
Database Type |
Number of Records |
Coverage Note |
|
Crews |
182,661 |
*1 |
|
CrewsRS |
85,694 |
*2 |
|
Masters |
20,690 |
*1 |
|
MasterRS |
19,392 |
*2 |
|
Voyages |
18,590 |
*1 |
|
VoyagesRS |
18,811 |
*2 |
|
Ports |
33,075 |
*1 |
|
PortsRS |
55,002 |
*2 |
|
Owner |
79,681 |
*3 |
|
VesReg |
44,685 |
*3 |
|
Total Records |
558,281 |
Coverage Notes:
*1 Atlantic Canada Crew Agreements 1863-1914 for vessels registered in Saint John, New Brunswick; Yarmouth, Windsor and Halifax, Nova Scotia:
Crew agreements of vessels registered in the ports of Saint John, New Brunswick; Yarmouth, Windsor and Halifax, Nova Scotia includes managing owners, owners, shipbuilders, merchants, investors, masters and subordinate mariners with previous and current voyage, crewmember companion info, plus birthplace and age, (and certificates of competency and residence for masters, residence and occupation info for managing owners and owners) as well as dates, vessels, and voyage port routes.
*2 Random Sample of non-Canadian Vessel Registries and Voyages
A one per cent sample of crew agreements from non-Canadian (British) vessels with the same type of information as in note *1.
*3 Atlantic Canada Vessel Registry Coverage spanning 1787 to 1936
Atlantic Canada ports vessel registries include vessel names and dimensions; who, when and where built the vessel; owners' occupations, partners and residences; as well as prior and subsequent owner clues for vessel registries in
Miramichi 1828-1914, Richibucto 1880-1914 and Saint John 1820-1914 in New Brunswick;
Halifax 1812-1889, Sydney 1820-1914, Pictou 1840-1914, Windsor 1849-1914 and Yarmouth 1840-1914 in Nova Scotia;
Charlottetown 1787-1914, Prince Edward Island;
and St. John's 1820-1936, Newfoundland,
as well as shipping registers for the port of Bermuda.
CD Location Field Groups by Database and Record Type
The location fields are organized into 4 fields for town, county, region and country designations. Record Group categories indicate an event that occurred at that location. Information for all 4 fields was not always available in the original records. There are some indications that towns like Liverpool, England and Liverpool, Nova Scotia have been erroneously entered in the original records or misinterpreted and transcribed erroneously on the CD. In some cases, the country or region or county is repeated in the town field, but most records contain some information in one or more of the location groups.
|
Record Group |
Number of Records |
Database containing the Record Group |
|
|
BirthPlace |
308,437 |
Crews & RS, Masters & RS |
|
|
Last Discharge Place |
268,355 |
Crews & RS |
|
|
Place Joined |
268,355 |
Crews & RS |
|
|
Discharge Place |
308,437 |
Crews & RS, Masters & RS |
|
|
Residence |
119,763 |
Masters & RS, Owners |
|
|
Last Ship Discharge |
40,082 |
Masters & RS |
|
|
Master Joined |
40,082 |
Masters & RS |
|
|
Vessel Registered |
44,685 |
VesReg |
|
|
Constructed |
44,685 |
VesReg |
|
|
Sold Place |
44,685 |
VesReg |
|
|
Vessel Closure |
44,685 |
VesReg |
|
|
Ports |
88,077 |
Ports & RS |
|
|
Managing Owner Residence |
37,401 |
Voyages & RS |
|
|
Destination Intended |
37,401 |
Voyages & RS |
|
|
Port Commenced |
37,401 |
Voyages & RS |
|
|
Port Terminated |
37,401 |
Voyages & RS |
|
|
Total |
1,769,932 |
A tally of unique locations was done where all 4 fields (town, county, region and country) are compared exactly as transcribed in the database. There are a large number of repeated locations in all the record groups. Roughly one third of all location record groups are completely blank, but these blanks are primarily in the Random Sample from British ports databases and the ports Joined and Discharged location groups. In all cases, there are a large number of location concentrations.
|
Record Group |
No of Records |
Unique Locations |
% of total records |
|
BirthPlace |
308437 |
1755 |
00.6% |
|
Built |
44685 |
2030 |
04.5% |
|
Closure |
44685 |
2105 |
04.7% |
|
Discharged |
616874 |
1275 |
00.2% |
|
Joined |
308437 |
930 |
00.3% |
|
Ports |
200280 |
2086 |
01.0% |
|
Registered |
44685 |
221 |
00.5% |
|
Residence |
157164 |
2070 |
01.3% |
|
Sold |
44685 |
62 |
00.1% |
|
Totals |
1769932 |
12534 |
00.7% |
However, when unique location designations are compared across all location field groups and databases, there are a total of 5,249 unique locations. So what kind of locations are these and which ones are most frequently mentioned across the entire contents of the CD?
There are more than 4,400 unique locations that are mentioned in less than 100 records each, but 3,000 of those unique locations are mentioned in 10 or less records, 1010 of those unique locations are mentioned in ONLY one record.
The small number of unique vessel registration and sold locations is due to the small number of ports used for vessel registry records.
The residence group (for master mariners, managing owners and owners) and the vessel built and closure groups are concentrated in Atlantic Province and Great Britain towns, but has a high concentration of town name location detail, as opposed to just the country or region.
Most voyage records have at least the vessel name, owners managing owners and master mariners.
Many voyage records did not have crewmember detail. Crewmember info for the ports where they were Discharged or Joined has a large number of blanks indicating missing data in the records, so there are significantly less ports detailed in these categories than all the ports covered by the voyage records.
However, birthplace locations have a relatively small number of complete blanks in all 4 location fields of the record group. The country or region designation is the most frequent category.
Sample of Atlantic Canada Vessel Crewmembers Unique Birthplace and Surname Distributions
Master mariners and crewmembers make up approximately two-thirds of the total CD records. A blind categorization by exact matches in the surname and birthplace location groups produces the following statistics:
|
Database |
Crews |
CrewsRS |
|||
|
Total Records |
182,661 |
85,694 |
|||
|
Unique Surnames The Crew database has a high count of records for the surnames Smith (3,105) and Brown (2,354) |
48,473 |
26.5% |
18,270 |
21.3% |
|
|
Unique BirthPlace Town |
1,310 |
0.7% |
1,000 |
1.2% |
|
|
Null Names |
6 |
0.0% |
1 |
0.0% |
|
|
Null BirthPlace |
5,080 |
2.8% |
2,811 |
3.3% |
|
|
Unique Name+BP |
95,708 |
52.4% |
37,449 |
43.7% |
|
|
Masters |
MasterRS |
||||
|
Total Records |
20,690 |
19,392 |
|||
|
Unique Surnames |
1,572 |
7.6% |
2,188 |
11.3% |
|
|
Unique BirthPlace Towns |
416 |
2.0% |
442 |
2.3% |
|
|
Null Names |
2 |
0.0% |
3 |
0.0% |
|
|
Null BirthPlace |
762 |
3.7% |
453 |
2.3% |
|
|
Unique Name+BP |
2,734 |
13.2% |
3,544 |
18.3% |
Sample of Birthplace Statistics by Country, Region, County and Town
Not all ports of registry and voyages for the Atlantic Provinces are covered, and yet the Atlantic Province crew list database specifies birthplaces for mariners from 67 countries.
The following statistics are a sample of less than half the records on the CD. From 182,661 records of the Atlantic Canada crew record database, there are crewmembers who reported their birthplace country as follows:
|
Country of birth Crewmember records for that country |
Country of birth |
Crewmember records for that country |
|
|
Africa |
339 |
Japan |
370 |
|
Argentina |
50 |
Liberia |
1 |
|
Asia |
11 |
Madagascar |
3 |
|
Australia |
407 |
Malta |
314 |
|
Austro-Hungary |
1275 |
Mexico |
106 |
|
Baltic States |
4 |
Middle East |
19 |
|
Belgium |
1528 |
Mozambique |
2 |
|
Bermuda |
272 |
Netherlands |
3109 |
|
Bolivia |
3 |
New Zealand |
129 |
|
Brazil |
119 |
Nicaragua |
4 |
|
British Guiana |
177 |
North America |
440 |
|
British Honduras |
7 |
Norway |
10786 |
|
Burma |
12 |
Panama |
28 |
|
Canada |
24732 |
Peru |
80 |
|
Central America |
3 |
Philippines |
600 |
|
Ceylon (Sri Lanka) |
13 |
Poland |
822 |
|
Chile |
440 |
Portugal |
992 |
|
China |
118 |
Rumania |
6 |
|
Columbia |
21 |
Russia |
1335 |
|
Costa Rica |
5 |
Samoa |
1 |
|
Cyprus |
3 |
Seychelles |
10 |
|
Denmark |
3587 |
South Africa |
94 |
|
Dutch Guiana |
21 |
South America |
21 |
|
Ecuador |
6 |
Spain |
853 |
|
El Salvador |
2 |
Sweden |
12833 |
|
Europe |
147 |
Switzerland |
110 |
|
Falkland Islands |
5 |
Tahiti |
2 |
|
Finland |
5558 |
Thailand |
3 |
|
Foreign (Unknown) |
6 |
Turkey |
94 |
|
France |
3808 |
Uruguay |
32 |
|
Germany |
11439 |
USA |
19295 |
|
Gibraltar |
116 |
Venezuela |
12 |
|
Great Britain |
46776 |
Vietnam |
1 |
|
Greece |
740 |
West Indies |
3206 |
|
Guam |
1 |
White Sea |
1 |
|
Guatemala |
1 |
Yugoslavia |
41 |
|
Honduras |
8 |
|
|
|
Hong Kong |
57 |
|
|
|
Iceland |
26 |
|
|
|
India |
159 |
|
|
|
Indonesia & Malaya |
97 |
|
|
|
Ireland |
17580 |
|
|
|
Italy |
2399 |
|
|
Approximately 5,000 the Atlantic Province crewlist records are missing birthplace information, but the majority of records contain at least the country of origin.
The large distribution North America, Great Britain, Scandinavia and European countries is not surprising, but the broad representation of worldwide countries of origin is an indication of the voyage port coverage.
Where specified, the regions listed in the Atlantic Province crewlist records have the following distribution, totaling just 63 unique states, provinces and areas within countries:
|
Birthplace Region |
Record count |
Birthplace Region |
Record count |
|
England |
31479 |
Ohio |
107 |
|
Nova Scotia |
15568 |
Sicily |
103 |
|
Scotland & islands |
11480 |
Isle of Wright |
81 |
|
New Brunswick |
6450 |
Florida |
72 |
|
New York |
5288 |
Alabama |
71 |
|
Massachusetts |
3201 |
Texas |
71 |
|
Wales |
2653 |
New Hampshire |
67 |
|
US coast, Hawaii |
2217 |
Michigan |
63 |
|
Pennsylvania |
1840 |
Vermont |
48 |
|
Maine |
1532 |
Azores |
47 |
|
Maryland |
1138 |
Madeira |
46 |
|
Newfoundland |
969 |
Wisconsin |
34 |
|
Prince Edward Island |
793 |
Kentucky |
33 |
|
Quebec |
771 |
Alaska |
30 |
|
Channel Islands |
767 |
Washington (State) |
27 |
|
Virginia |
722 |
Oregon |
27 |
|
Louisiana |
427 |
Iowa |
21 |
|
Cape Verde Islands |
380 |
Missouri |
17 |
|
California |
323 |
British Columbia |
15 |
|
South Carolina |
316 |
Mississippi |
13 |
|
Isle of Man |
316 |
New Mexico |
11 |
|
Rhode Island |
287 |
Indiana |
9 |
|
Connecticut |
238 |
Kansas |
9 |
|
Canary Islands |
225 |
Tennessee |
9 |
|
New Jersey |
214 |
South Island |
5 |
|
Delaware |
187 |
Arkansas |
5 |
|
Illinois |
170 |
St. Pierre & Miquelon |
4 |
|
Ontario |
166 |
Western Europe |
3 |
|
North Carolina |
165 |
Eastern Europe |
1 |
|
Georgia |
160 |
Chekiang |
1 |
|
Washington DC |
126 |
Sardinia |
1 |
Birthplace county information in the Atlantic Province crewlist records is often missing and there are some transcription categories for an area other than county, but the distribution for those records it does occur in totals 48 unique county/area names:
|
Birthplace county |
Record count |
Birthplace county |
Record count |
|
Yarmouth Co |
4389 |
Inverness Co |
59 |
|
St. John Co |
4286 |
York Co |
57 |
|
Hant's Co |
2646 |
Gloucester Co |
47 |
|
Halifax Co |
1781 |
Restigouche Co |
45 |
|
Pictou Co |
873 |
Guysborough Co |
42 |
|
Digby Co |
778 |
Antigonish Co |
34 |
|
Annapolis Co |
591 |
Conception Bay |
29 |
|
Cape Breton Co |
489 |
Carleton Co |
17 |
|
Cumberland Co |
465 |
Sunbury Co |
11 |
|
Westmoreland Co |
438 |
Trinity Bay |
9 |
|
Colchester Co |
425 |
Victoria Co |
7 |
|
King's Co |
352 |
West Coast |
5 |
|
Shelburne Co |
270 |
Otago Harbour |
5 |
|
Charlotte Co |
269 |
South Coast |
5 |
|
Northumberland Co |
264 |
Bonavista Bay |
1 |
|
Queen's Co |
241 |
Cagliari (port) |
1 |
|
Albert Co |
185 |
Fortune Bay |
1 |
|
Kent Co |
145 |
St. Mary's Bay |
1 |
|
Kings Co |
132 |
Placentia Bay |
1 |
|
Chicago (port) |
126 |
Labrador |
1 |
|
Madawaska Co |
91 |
Notre Dame Bay |
1 |
|
Lunenburg Co |
91 |
Great Northern Pen |
1 |
|
Richmond Co |
72 |
Ningpo (city) |
1 |
|
Queens Co |
59 |
|
|
Birthplace unique town entries total approximately 1300 unique entries in the Atlantic Province crewlist records, but a large number of records simply repeat the country name or have country, region or county information appended to the town name. So the actual number of records that contain unique town name detail is much smaller. The following table lists the 200 town entries that are listed in 50 or more records.
|
Birthplace Town |
Record count |
Birthplace Town |
Record count |
|
SWEDEN |
11548 |
GUERNSEY |
153 |
|
NORWAY |
10455 |
MEMEL RUSSIA |
152 |
|
LIVERPOOL |
10331 |
SLIGO |
151 |
|
GERMANY |
8074 |
CAERNARVON |
151 |
|
FINLAND |
5277 |
MIRAMICHI |
147 |
|
LONDON |
5162 |
AYR |
147 |
|
NEW YORK CITY |
4811 |
CHATHAM |
144 |
|
YARMOUTH |
4432 |
CHESTER |
142 |
|
SAINT JOHN |
4173 |
SOUTH SHIELDS |
142 |
|
ENGLAND |
3533 |
RICHIBUCTO |
142 |
|
DUBLIN |
3287 |
HORTON |
140 |
|
DENMARK |
2922 |
QUEBEC |
139 |
|
BELFAST |
2783 |
DUMFRIES |
137 |
|
SHETLANDS |
2463 |
PENZANCE |
137 |
|
IRELAND |
2386 |
WICKLOW |
136 |
|
BOSTON |
2373 |
BRIGHTON |
128 |
|
FRANCE |
2339 |
DELAWARE |
128 |
|
UNITED STATES |
2156 |
SHELBURNE |
128 |
|
GLASGOW |
2117 |
SHIELDS |
126 |
|
HAMBURG |
1768 |
WASHINGTON, DC |
126 |
|
SCOTLAND |
1714 |
CHICAGO |
126 |
|
HALIFAX |
1678 |
DOVER |
125 |
|
NOVA SCOTIA |
1650 |
NORTH CAROLINA |
123 |
|
PHILADELPHIA |
1637 |
NAPLES |
123 |
|
BRISTOL |
1621 |
BATH |
123 |
|
WINDSOR |
1573 |
ESSEX |
122 |
|
HOLLAND |
1557 |
CONNECTICUT |
121 |
|
CORK |
1410 |
ST ANDREWS |
121 |
|
AUSTRO-HUNGARY |
1274 |
DORCHESTER |
119 |
|
BALTIMORE |
1157 |
KINGSTON |
118 |
|
WATERFORD |
1152 |
EUROPE |
117 |
|
ANTWERP |
950 |
CALIFORNIA |
117 |
|
PLYMOUTH |
942 |
GIBRALTAR |
116 |
|
LONDONDERRY |
932 |
VALPARAISO |
116 |
|
ITALY |
902 |
PRESTON |
115 |
|
GREENOCK |
879 |
MONTROSE |
115 |
|
WEXFORD |
816 |
ANTRIM |
114 |
|
MANCHESTER |
794 |
MARYLAND |
113 |
|
PICTOU |
791 |
TRURO |
113 |
|
TRIESTE |
786 |
YORK |
111 |
|
RUSSIA |
781 |
FLEETWOOD |
110 |
|
ROTTERDAM |
754 |
CARRICK FERGUS |
110 |
|
DUNDEE |
726 |
CARDIGAN |
110 |
|
QUEENSTOWN |
725 |
SWITZERLAND |
110 |
|
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND |
712 |
WARRENPOINT |
110 |
|
LIMERICK |
638 |
STORNOWAY |
109 |
|
MAINE |
634 |
NORTH SHIELDS |
108 |
|
AMSTERDAM |
626 |
MARTINIQUE |
108 |
|
GREECE |
623 |
ARDROSSAN |
105 |
|
JAMAICA |
618 |
NEW ROSS |
105 |
|
JERSEY |
614 |
PASSAGE WEST |
104 |
|
COPENHAGEN |
614 |
CHINA |
103 |
|
STOCKHOLM |
583 |
KINSALE |
103 |
|
GOTHENBURG |
576 |
LEEDS |
102 |
|
WALES |
575 |
SAVANNAH |
102 |
|
NEWPORT |
553 |
EASTPORT |
100 |
|
HULL |
549 |
BARRINGTON |
99 |
|
BREMEN |
549 |
BREST |
96 |
|
BARBADOS |
530 |
FREEPORT |
95 |
|
ABERDEEN |
530 |
HOLSTEIN |
95 |
|
CARDIFF |
501 |
ARKLOW |
93 |
|
BELGIUM |
500 |
COLCHESTER |
92 |
|
SPAIN |
492 |
MEXICO |
90 |
|
HAVRE |
492 |
ARBROATH |
90 |
|
NEWFOUNDLAND |
486 |
LANCASTER |
90 |
|
SYDNEY |
482 |
NEW ZEALAND |
88 |
|
MANILA |
457 |
MILFORD |
86 |
|
BRITISH NORTH AMERICA |
428 |
NEW BEDFORD |
83 |
|
ST JOHNS NFLD |
426 |
BRAZIL |
82 |
|
MAITLAND |
425 |
OHIO STATE |
82 |
|
EDINBURGH |
421 |
KINGSTOWN |
81 |
|
SWANSEA |
415 |
DOUGLAS |
81 |
|
VIRGINIA |
411 |
ARGYLE |
81 |
|
MASSACHUSETTS |
407 |
MELBOURNE |
81 |
|
NEW ORLEANS |
401 |
HOPEWELL |
81 |
|
PORTSMOUTH |
398 |
ORKNEY ISLANDS |
79 |
|
NEW BRUNSWICK |
398 |
SIERRA LEONE |
79 |
|
STETTIN |
374 |
RHODE ISLAND |
78 |
|
DANTZIG |
358 |
WOLFVILLE |
77 |
|
JAPAN |
351 |
ST KITTS |
77 |
|
GENOA |
350 |
ROSTOCK |
77 |
|
WEST INDIES |
346 |
MARYPORT |
76 |
|
PORTLAND |
338 |
SANTA CRUZ |
76 |
|
DIGBY |
332 |
DARTMOUTH |
75 |
|
DROGHEDA |
316 |
NANTES |
74 |
|
CAPE VERDE ISLANDS |
315 |
APPLEDORE |
73 |
|
MALTA |
314 |
PUGWASH |
73 |
|
SUNDERLAND |
314 |
FLUSHING |
72 |
|
NEWRY |
314 |
ATHENS |
72 |
|
CHILE |
313 |
WILMINGTON |
71 |
|
HANTSPORT |
313 |
BRIXHAM |
71 |
|
CAPE BRETON ISLAND |
313 |
WESTPORT |
71 |
|
FALMOUTH |
311 |
BUFFALO |
70 |
|
MONTREAL |
305 |
PAISLEY |
70 |
|
SOUTHAMPTON |
305 |
CARLISLE |
69 |
|
HANOVER |
303 |
SALEM |
69 |
|
QUEBEC CITY |
298 |
ISLE OF WIGHT |
68 |
|
NEWCASTLE |
295 |
NOTTINGHAM |
68 |
|
GLOUCESTER |
294 |
SHEFFIELD |
67 |
|
RIGA |
290 |
PEMBROKE |
67 |
|
YOUGHAL |
274 |
RICHMOND VA. |
66 |
|
WEYMOUTH |
273 |
NORWICH |
65 |
|
NASSAU |
272 |
ANGLESEA |
65 |
|
GALWAY |
262 |
WHITBY |
64 |
|
CHRISTIANA |
261 |
SOUTH CAROLINA |
64 |
|
PORTUGAL |
261 |
GRANVILLE |
63 |
|
BERMUDA |
261 |
LARNE |
63 |
|
PARRSBOROUGH |
251 |
PORTAFERRY |
63 |
|
CHARLESTON |
246 |
HARTLEPOOL |
63 |
|
ISLE OF MAN |
245 |
PHILIPPINES |
63 |
|
LEITH |
243 |
POOLE |
62 |
|
BANGOR |
241 |
PERTH |
62 |
|
ANNAPOLIS |
237 |
FIFE CO. |
62 |
|
BIRMINGHAM |
235 |
ST LUCIA |
62 |
|
LISBON |
234 |
BARROW |
61 |
|
DUNGARVAN |
221 |
PORT GLASGOW |
61 |
|
CORNWALLIS |
215 |
TRINIDAD |
61 |
|
SACKVILLE |
210 |
DONEGAL |
60 |
|
AUSTRALIA |
208 |
LEGHORN |
60 |
|
BROOKLYN |
203 |
CUMBERLAND |
60 |
|
SAN FRANCISCO |
202 |
NEW HAVEN |
59 |
|
BORDEAUX |
200 |
SAINT MARTINS |
59 |
|
MAURITIUS |
197 |
HILLSBOROUGH |
59 |
|
WHITEHAVEN |
197 |
BANFF |
58 |
|
DEVON |
197 |
AFRICA |
58 |
|
INVERNESS |
196 |
BRADFORD |
57 |
|
DUNKIRK |
195 |
HONG KONG |
57 |
|
NEW JERSEY |
189 |
SHARPNESS |
56 |
|
BIRKENHEAD |
188 |
WIGTOWN |
56 |
|
LERWICK |
187 |
POLAND |
55 |
|
MARSEILLES |
185 |
OSTEND |
55 |
|
KENT |
185 |
PETERHEAD |
55 |
|
NORFOLK |
185 |
KRISTIANSAND |
55 |
|
CORNWALL |
182 |
ST STEPHEN |
55 |
|
PROVIDENCE |
182 |
SHEDIAC |
54 |
|
ST THOMAS |
181 |
ABERYSTWITH |
54 |
|
ANTIGUA |
177 |
DEVONPORT |
54 |
|
PENNSYLVANIA |
176 |
CALAIS |
53 |
|
DUNDALK |
175 |
GERMANY-NORTH |
53 |
|
BERGEN |
170 |
LYNN |
53 |
|
IPSWICH |
168 |
RICHMOND |
52 |
|
BREMERHAVEN |
166 |
TROON |
51 |
|
DEMERARA |
165 |
WICK |
51 |
|
EXETER |
163 |
DUMBARTON |
51 |
|
ST VINCENT |
163 |
MIDDLESBROUGH |
51 |
|
HELGOLAND |
161 |
NEWBURY (PORT) |
51 |
|
HOLYHEAD |
160 |
SINGAPORE |
51 |
|
BRIDGEWATER |
157 |
CORFU |
51 |
|
ST HELENA |
155 |
ECONOMY |
51 |
|
|
|
HARWICH |
50 |
|
|
|
SUFFOLK |
50 |
Canadian, Irish and Italian mariner index reports! Cross-referenced index collection for mid 19th century to early 20th century crew members on Atlantic Canada and British registry ships. Crew members and master mariners gave their age and birth locations when they signed on to these voyages that spanned the world. These index collections are reference tools for the largest database of voyage records available on CD - the "Ships & Seafarers of Atlantic Canada" produced by the Memorial University of Newfoundland. Approximately 50,000 records of the total 500,000 record collection show mariner birthplaces in Canada. There are more than 17,000 unique surname, first name and birth place combinations for mariners who said they were born in Ireland. Over 3,000 records show Italian birthplaces. Individual index reports for Canada, Ireland and Italy birthplaces are now available - showing surname, given name, calculated birth year, province/region, county, town and database record counts. Sign up for our newsletter if you would like an alert for the upcoming Scots, British, US, French and other birthplace index releases.
http://www.Genealogyfair.com/MarinerIndexes.htm
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