Dear Graham Have a look at the National Archives online; Royal Navy Continuous Service Engagement Books which began in 1853 are indexed online and you can download an image. From what you say, Henry was born c1834 so to start a sea career in 1857 sounds late to me unless he was a merchant seaman first so you could try findmypast who have indexed some merchant navy seamen cards. I have found some of my family this way from the 1850s. He could have had a pension from the RN if he had served for 20 years which seems unlikely on the face of it! The GRO has an index for deaths at sea on British shipping so you could get a certificate from them which should give cause of death and exactly where. Clare Pilkington On May 28 2015, Graham Read via wrote: One of my ancestors had an odd career. Started out in the Royal Navy {Seaman 1857}; then Coastguard {1861}; Naval Pensioner ( 1871); Seaman Merchant Service {1874} and deceased by 1879. I coundn't find his death in Free BMD for 1879 {1870-1880} but The Register of Accounts of Wages and Effects of Deceased Seamen - received and disposed of gives - for 1876 - Henry Maxwell died aged 42yrs on 01-01-1876 of enteritis on board the ship TAGUS {ON 65582} 'at sea'. The report came from Southampton {So'ton}. I wonder if SKS could give a few details of from where it sailed and of the ship. Also, if he was a naval pensioner, why was he back at sea ? Some early crackdown on benefits ? or was a review of incapacity common ? BTW I have his Coastguard record which fits in nicely with the Census records: kids in the right towns at the right times. Graham ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MARINERS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

TAGUS (Off No 65582) was the third of three sisters built for the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co in 1870-1871 by John Elder, Fairfield Yard, Govan for their Southampton-West Indies service. West Idies ports woulfd have been some or all of Barbados, Grenada, Santa Cruz (Dominican Rep?), St Thomas, Nicola Mole (Haiti), Santiago de Cuba, Kingston (Jamaica). Coaling calls were also made at Corunna, Madeira and Bermuda. She seems to have had an uneventful life, continuing in this service until broken up in 1897. http://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?ref=6109 David On Thu, May 28, 2015 at 6:02 PM, clare via <mariners@rootsweb.com> wrote: > Dear Graham > > Have a look at the National Archives online; Royal Navy Continuous Service > Engagement Books which began in 1853 are indexed online and you can > download an image. From what you say, Henry was born c1834 so to start a > sea career in 1857 sounds late to me unless he was a merchant seaman first > so you could try findmypast who have indexed some merchant navy seamen > cards. I have found some of my family this way from the 1850s. > > He could have had a pension from the RN if he had served for 20 years which > seems unlikely on the face of it! The GRO has an index for deaths at sea on > British shipping so you could get a certificate from them which should give > cause of death and exactly where. > > Clare Pilkington > > On May 28 2015, Graham Read via wrote: > > One of my ancestors had an odd career. Started out in the Royal Navy > {Seaman 1857}; then Coastguard {1861}; Naval Pensioner ( 1871); Seaman > Merchant Service {1874} and deceased by 1879. > > I coundn't find his death in Free BMD for 1879 {1870-1880} but The Register > of Accounts of Wages and Effects of Deceased Seamen - received and disposed > of gives - for 1876 - Henry Maxwell died aged 42yrs on 01-01-1876 of > enteritis on board the ship TAGUS {ON 65582} 'at sea'. The report came > from Southampton {So'ton}. > > I wonder if SKS could give a few details of from where it sailed and of the > ship. > Also, if he was a naval pensioner, why was he back at sea ? Some early > crackdown on benefits ? or was a review of incapacity common ? > > BTW I have his Coastguard record which fits in nicely with the Census > records: kids in the right towns at the right times. > > Graham > > ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send > an email to MARINERS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MARINERS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >