"Daniel Morgan" <daniel.f.morgan@gmail.com> wrote in message news:1127420240.911151.288520@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com... > Dennis Ahern wrote: >> Has anyone paid to view an actual record? I would assume there is some >> heading that indicates content of the field. Or is it a case of where >> the >> date of birth field is blank, the index substitues the years of service? > > I have bought one where the date in the index was a specific date. On > the actual record, the index date was handwritten in the space next to > the printed words "Date of birth". > > I've never bought one of the ones where the index gives a range of > years. > > For my one-name study, I recognize a lot of the names just from the > index. So far, whenever a specific date is given, it seems to match the > date of birth, allowing some leeway [sic] for the usual misrememberings > and misrepresentations. But when a range is given, the name seems to > match someone born before the beginning of the period, but of a > plausible age to join the navy during the period. I can't identify > everyone yet, but in all the cases where I can, this pattern holds. > > Also, in the cases I've seen, the date ranges always exactly match a > range that the website gives as the covering dates of a particular > class of records. > > By the way, these records are actually quite interesting. The one I got > had a full physical description and a detailed account of which ships > he served in, his repeated transfers from one to the next, and a string > of occasions when he spent in the cells or in gaol in various ports. It > culminated with him spending 40 days in Bodmin gaol and thereafter > being discharged from the navy as undesirable. > I paid for the download of one of my wife's great-grandfather's RN record. The birthdate there versus the one the family had was 2 weeks different. My/our question relates to trying to interpret the entries under "Ships' Books" both "List" and "No." as well as the entries under "Rating & c." and "G.C. Badges worn". When I look at it that way the only parts I understand are "Ships Served in", "Periods of Service", and "Character". Any clues as to where the abbreviations might be explained? Charlie, camcq@shaw.ca

Charlie wrote: > My/our question relates to trying to interpret the entries under "Ships' > Books" both "List" and "No." as well as the entries under "Rating & c." and > "G.C. Badges worn". When I look at it that way the only parts I understand > are "Ships Served in", "Periods of Service", and "Character". > > Any clues as to where the abbreviations might be explained? I assume that "List" and "No." under "Ships' Books" are some sort of reference to where the man appears in the books kept by individual ships. In "Rating &c.", "&c." is another way of writing "etc." and in the one I've seen the column says whether the man was an ordinary seaman (Ord) or an able seaman (AB) and the date when he was promoted from one to the other. But there are probably lots of other categories, especially later on as tasks became more specialized. I don't know "G.C. Badges". My man didn't have any, so maybe it means "good conduct", since he didn't seem to have any of that either. :-)