Were there any age requirements for a young man to "run off" and become a seaman? My gg-grandfather (Cunningham Sheppard) was born in Edinburgh 14 April 1833. He appears on the 1841 census living with his mother/step-father, age "8". From that point, he "disappears" until the 1860 census where he shows up in a seaman's boarding house in NYC---occupation is shown as "seaman". (He married in NYC, 15 January 1861, moved to Tennessee in 1870.) I also suspect that his father (by the same name) also became a "seaman", at least temporarily. He appears to have been in Edinburgh in Sept 1832 when he married. Then, he "disappears"! Wife and son came to the USA in 1834 but returned to Scotland where she remarried in 1839. Marriage record says she was the relict of Cunningham Sheppard, Connecticut, USA. I have no idea of how long the woman/child were in the USA, when the husband "died", or if she was actually abandoned. Her father died before the 1839 marriage so that could have played a part in their returning to Scotland. ANY thoughts would be greatly appreciated! Sandy Ellis