I'm trying to fill in some blanks on my gg-grandfather and admit that I know very little about seaman's records. His unusual name (Cunningham Sheppard) helps to locate some records but they are meaningless without some knowledge! In the 1841 census, Cunningham was an 8-year-old child living with his mother and step-father in Edinburgh and in the 1860 census, he turns up living in a seaman's boarding house in NYC. Checking the Merchant's Seamans index (BT114), I found 2 separate references/ticket numbers: 470178 and 547208 (the 1st listing under what appears to say "See 521" written in the column where the name would normally be written). Naturally, I used the FindMyPast website for additional information. BT113/236 (assuming 236 is the image number): Ticket 470178 was issued in January, 1850, to 17-year-old Cunningham at Shields. (No information is written in the columns showing any voyages) BT113/256: Ticket 571760 was issued in February, 1851, in Glasgow--this is NOT a ticket shown in the BT114 index and I didn't get a "hit" on the 547208 ticket. This ticket 571760 has a notation in the 1851/out column that appears to say "A" (apprentice?), 764447, and 13.2. Not a lot of information---BUT FindMyPast also showed another "hit". BT116/81 is also for Cunningham Sheppard but no ticket number. The "age" column shows age 22 and under that, age 23 with "Cynthia" written beside it and again at the bottom of the column. The "voyages" columns are very difficult to read. 1854/out appears to say "S 16.3", "Caloreteal Stockton". The 1855/out column appears to say "L 7.5", "Aliguis Lpool". The 1856/Home column appears to say "AB 5-4", "Alelguis Ldon", "Ban Adelaide", "10.9.55". I'm hoping somebody can help me decipher some of this! I'm managed to disprove the family "rumor" that he was a stow-away running away from home because he didn't like his step-mother (his mother was living!) but there's another family "rumor" that he was 1st Mate on the ship that laid the first trans-Atlantic cable. "Rumors" are nice---but I just want to know how this young man wound up in a seaman's boarding house in NYC in 1860! (Then, I can work on why he would move his family to Tennessee in 1870 so I'd know how I wound up here!) Thanks in advance for any help/advice because this is all worthless paper until I have some understanding of it! Sandy Ellis