Hello David and Carolyn, That one looks distinctly probable David. In our off-list correspondence, I think Carolyn and I have established that J. Hill was in fact John Bravender Hill, Certificate # 12500, issued 1860. Now can we tie him to this particular REGINA, because if so, Carolyn is in luck. Maritime History Archive at Memorial University in Newfoundland holds several crew lists for ON 2656 including 1870 and 1871 the years in which she interested. Crew List Index Search Results Search results for Crew Lists in the Maritime History Archive Types of Agreements and Accounts page provides an explanation for the codes referring to the crew agreements held at the Maritime History Archive. | Official_No: | | 2656 | | 1863: | | U2 | | 1864: | | U2 | | 1866: | | U2 | | 1867: | | Q2 | | 1868: | | Q1 | | 1869: | | Q2 | | 1870: | | Q1 | | 1871: | | Q1 | Carolyn, here is the explanation of Crew List Type Q1: | Q1 Q2 | Official Log Present No Official Log Present | | Title: Agreement for Home Trade Ship. Description: Agreement between a ship's master and crew for a period of six months. Lineage: Agreement B and List D were amalgamated into Engagement 6 in 1874. | Have you ever seen a crew list Caroline? They are very large documents, usually requiring four overlapping scans to produce readable images. (Sometimes it takes six or eight depending on how many "consular remarks" are written on the back of it, but given that it is a "Home Trade" vessel, consular remarks are unlikely.) You'll also get peripheral information such as his wages and his daily food ration and a notation whether your man deserted, was discharged, or "remains with the ship". Now, they are not cheap. But if you have multiple mariners in your background, I consider it worthwhile to have at least one sample of a crew agreement. It "might" be (I cannot say for certain) that when you write MHA to ask for a quote that you can specify that you want the 1871 agreement *only* if Anthony Cometti is listed aboard. That *should* establish whether he was just ashore on leave visiting his family on census night or whether he did in fact desert or was discharged. Regards,Adi   From: David Asprey via <mariners@rootsweb.com> To: mariners@rootsweb.com; carogene@gmail.com Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2015 6:29 AM Subject: Re: [MAR] UK Merchant Navy Apprentice Indentures at Ancestry Looked in vain for a REGINA registered at Hartlepool, but note that the reference is "at" rather than "of" Hartlepool.  This one looks the most likely, but does not appear in Lloyd's Register: Brig REGINA -  205 tons - Official Number 2656, registered at London Built 1845 at Prince Edward Island, Canada In 1870 listed in Mercantile Navy List as owned by William E Fielding, Davis's Wharf, Tooley Street, Southwark. (that is not necessarily inconsistent with being owned by "J Hills", as vessels typically had more than one holder of shares of 64ths, and MNL only shows one - usually the appointed manager and not always the largest shareholder) This REGINA looks like a collier as William Fielding was a coal merchant operating from Davis's Wharf see http://tinyurl.com/pgxt96k By 1875 MNL owned by Richard McSheen, Great Grimsby and registered there (and by then only 185 tons) Ipswich Journal, Tuesday 20 Oct 1875: Lowestoft Shipping Intelligence: Between six and seven o'clock on Saturday evening, during a strong wind, the brig Regina, Young, master, of Grimsby, got on shore been Pakefield and Kessingland. The crew were rescued by the Kessiingland coastguard with the rocket apparatus and brought to the Sailors Home, Lowestoft.  The vessel will become a total wreck.  She was from Boulogne for Hull, ballast. best wishes DAvid

Wow! its all coming together rather nicely, with huge thanks to the expertise of Adi and David. I will certainly contact Newfoundland and see what they can provide and the costs involved, no I have not yet seen a crew list, as I still can’t locate one for my other seaman. Newfoundland did not have anything when I enquired. Please, if anyone finds that there is further information to be accessed via the Indenture records, could they let me know. At the moment it looks as if Anthony COMETTI completed his four years in 1874, as no further comments are entered in the Indenture index at Ancestry. Thanks again to all who have helped with information and expertise. Best wishes Carolyn