The following announcement was written by findmypast.co.uk:
You can now search 359,000 records of Merchant Navy Seamen for the period 1835-1857 on findmypast.co.uk
We have made these 19th century Merchant Navy records available online for the first time, working in association with The National Archives.
From 1835, the central government started to monitor a potential reserve of sailors for the Royal Navy, which resulted in the creation of thousands of records that identify individual seamen.
The information the records hold about your ancestors can vary, but they usually include name, age, place of birth, physical description, ship names and dates of voyages.
This release follows the 20th century Merchant Navy Seamen records, published on findmypast.co.uk in September 2011. This means you can now search two centuries of records for your Merchant Navy Seamen ancestors, making it possible for you to trace their service over time.
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