sylvia thomas wrote: > I have just received a Crew List for what I hope is my Gt. > Grandfather. > This tells me that William Holness was discharged from The Dolphin > and signed on to the Taunton Packet and was discharged in Dec. of > 1851. So this is definitely the William Holness, 1851 census born > age 27 born Canterbury, an A/B sailor. Did the 1851 census give him on board ship or was he on leave? > This still does not tell me that this is my William Henry Holness > who married at Whitstable Parish Church 12th June 1882. Neither > does it tell me that the family at Wickhambroaux 1851 is his. There > are no intervening census for him. > But what it does have is his signature on this document. William > signed his marriage certificate and also my grandfather’s birth > certificate when he registered his birth at Canterbury 1882. Can > anyone tell me where would the original Registers be held, as the > only thing I have come up with so far is to compare the signatures? > Are the marriage indexes held at the church, in which case I will > write to the Vicar and ask if he can please compare the two. No, they won't be at the church or shouldn't be. The marriage registers should be in the record office. You could mail them with a copy of the document you hold and ask them to compare the signatures. > A long shot but with fingers crossed. That leaves the birth > Registers. Does anyone know where these are kept. At the GRO and the local register office. The GRO holds a transcript of a transcript so no original signatures. You may be luckier with the register office, but I've only had a copy with no original signature. You could try asking for a copy of the birth certificate with the original signature. > Also, does anyone know how an Able Bodied sailor became one. Did > they have to work for a number of years, to become one, or serve as > an apprentice? This is new ground for me. They would have worked their way up. Promotion would come with experience and competence. -- Charani (UK) OPC for Walton, Greinton and Clutton, SOM Asst OPC for Ashcott and Shapwick, SOM http://wsom-opc.org.uk