A National Archives (DC) staff member asked that this be posted on the APG list. I thought I'd forward it on locally in case any of you have Trafalgar ancestors. It was specifically stated that any questions should be directed to John Gower as the National Archives is not involved. Pamela > --------------- > Dear Sir or Madam, > > I am the Assistant Naval Attache at the British Embassy in Washington DC. > This year (Oct 21st) marks the 200th anniversary of Admiral Lord Nelson's > famous vistory at the Battle of Trafalgar. This much is well known! What is > less well known, however, is that at least 20 members of the crew of his > flagship, HMS VICTORY, were at that time Americans, or born in America. > > With the assistance of the National Archives I am trying to locate any living > descendants of those who fought with NELSON with a view to some sort of > commemorative event, possibly in Washington DC, in the fall. Unfortunately, > none of the records in the UK at the Naval Historical Branch records what > happened to the individuals listed as being from America after the battle, so > with the exception of Midshipman Richard Bulkeley (after whom a USN ship was > named in WW1, and whose descendants knew about him, including the Medal of > Honor winner, VAdm John D Bulkeley, USN 1911-1966). > > THe National Archives gave me your email addresses. Is there anything we can > do to "cast the net" to find the descendants? I am loath to pass out the > names at the first instance, to reduce the spurious returns, but I wondered if > a call as to whether anyone knew that their ancestors had served in the battle > might work. We could then check in more detail later against the names I > hold. Failing that, we could release the names, accepting that we may be > deluged with "wannabees". > > What is your advice. I am a complete genealogical "virgin", so be gentle! > > Yours aye, > > John Gower > J H J GOWER OBE > Captain Royal Navy > Assistant Naval Attache > British Embassy > Washington DC > (202) 588-6804 ------ End of Forwarded Message ==== APG Mailing List ==== The Association of Professional Genealogists http://www.apgen.org/publications/apg-l/index.html