Merchant Marine officers had to be licensed so there might still be records. I would recommend starting by writing to the National Archives and Records Administration to see what records they have: inquire@nara.gov NARA might also have some records on the Joseph Conrad although I doubt that they would list cabin boys. I don't know whether there are any Merchant Marine records comparable to the military service records. He likely belonged to a union for at least part of his career. He may have gotten a pension. I live in TX but don't know much about the local records because none of my ancestors lived here. One reference gives this address for birth and death records: Bureau of Vital Statistics Texas Department of Health 1100 West 49th Street Austin TX 78756 (512) 458-7380 -----Original Message----- From: CChappell@aol.com [mailto:CChappell@aol.com] Sent: Wednesday, October 20, 1999 11:39 PM To: NY-Military-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Merchant Marine Question Hi List, Can anyone tell me how to get information on someone who was in the Merchant Marine. My grandfather, Charles Magnum BOONE supposedly started his naval career as a cabin boy on the Joseph Conrad when he was 12 or 13 years old. My mother maintained that he lied about his age and signed on. I recall pictures of him as a kid, standing in front of the ship with a goat dressed in a sailor suit. He was then in the Spanish-American war, WWI and WWII. By the mid 1950's he had retired as captain of his own vessel. It is a rather flowery story. How do I corroborate any of this stuff that I recall my mother telling me. I know he died in the City of Galveston, Texas but am unable to unearth any "on line" records of his death. He is also not listed in the SSDI either. My uncle, now deceased, went to Texas to do all the funeral stuff and any information he would have had is lost. Too bad I wasn't interested in this stuff 35 years age. Thanks in advance for the help. Regards, Claudia A. Chappell