# My Lost Uncle



## Erimus (Feb 20, 2012)

For some time have been working on family ancestry via the various free and commercial sites, It was known that my late Father had a brother who died in the 20's.....nobody knew his name or what he did until yesterday I discovered that there was not one brother,but two....a fact not known to remaining family!

The one I am interested in was born in 1902 and was a Merchant Seaman from 1918-19 to 1921 and died in 1923. I know nothing apart from place, and possibly date, of birth and year of death....

I have no further input to give and Find My Past & Ancestry UK have given me what little I know.....any suggestions please??

geoff

p.s. There is an Identity Certificate Number which I assume is a National Certificate rather than a MN do***ent, there is a series number too.

pps. Now understand that the above are relevant to National Archives,at Kew, which is either inconvenient or expensive,or both..anyone any other routes to follow??

gf


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## Roger Griffiths (Feb 10, 2006)

Hello,
The ID certificate number is of little consequence. Without boring you with the detail, these were introduced by the government of the day in responce to a perceived threat by Irish nationalists. 
Apart from searching Crew Agreements which can prove costly, there is no simple way to research individual seamen from this era. Most of the available records are on FMP or Ancestry. Could you give us a name?

regards
Roger


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## Erimus (Feb 20, 2012)

His name was John George Fletcher and that much came from FMP...but talking to someone today he suggested it wasn't worth looking further, which as he has been gone since 1923 and didn't have any family himself,may be the correct ending.....

....after all until yesterday we didn't even know who he was.

cheers

geoff


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## WillyJamesMc (Feb 21, 2013)

If he was born in Middlesbrough, this could be your man. He is not recorded in the Deaths at Sea Register, suggesting he died ashore, so a death certificate could be traced.


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## Erimus (Feb 20, 2012)

Spot on............even looks like me when I was 14!......this is the first time anyone in our family has seen this missing Uncle, certainly my late Dad and his siblings never had a picture. I believe that he got pneumonia whilst at sea and died about 2 years later....and literally that is all we knew or believed.

I'll get myself down to the Archives in Middlesbrough after my holidays and see if I can find out more on him and a younger brother that died at the time my Dad was born.....

Again my grateful thanks for this picture...it even had his date of birth which we didn't know...

cheers

geoff


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## Sister Eleff (Nov 28, 2006)

What an amazing site this is and the members on it. Well done WillyJamesMc. Good luck with your further enquiries on this Erimus.


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## WillyJamesMc (Feb 21, 2013)

Bit more information for you. The number 8492 is the Official No. for the ship City of Montdidier and shows he joined this ship on the 16/11/1920.

A copy of her 1920 Crew Agreements are held in Canada and should detail his home address at the time and the previous ship he served on. Link to records below.

http://www.mun.ca/mha/holdings/viewcombinedcrews.php?Official_No=84892

Attached is a photo of the SS City of Montdidier under one of her previous names SS Folda.


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## JohnD610 (Jul 24, 2011)

WillyJamesMc I would sail with you anytime and anywhere in a storm!


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## Erimus (Feb 20, 2012)

JohnD610 said:


> WillyJamesMc I would sail with you anytime and anywhere in a storm!



My sentiments exactly!...thanks again.

geoff

p.s. This site tells me it doesn't hold any records for 8492......am I doing something wrong??


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## WillyJamesMc (Feb 21, 2013)

Geoff,

Go back to the link I posted, then scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Ordering Crew Agreements. You cannot view the records online, you need to order them using her Official No. and the year you require.


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## Erimus (Feb 20, 2012)

WillyJamesMc said:


> Geoff,
> 
> Go back to the link I posted, then scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Ordering Crew Agreements. You cannot view the records online, you need to order them using her Official No. and the year you require.


Ah...thanks, me being thick again!

geoff


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## NY1917 (Jan 5, 2015)

I just did a quick search on Ancestry for the USA to see if I could find him on a crew list coming in to a port or anything. I searched on John Fletcher born 1902 with a leeway of 2 years in either direction. I didn't find him on crew list - this does not mean he was never here, just that I did not find him on a crew list.

Have you checked local newspapers online?


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## NY1917 (Jan 5, 2015)

It just occurred to me, looking at your original post again, that my grandfather was at sea starting about that time, and there is paperwork in Australia for him - his ship docked in Sydney during the First World War and he had to apply for some sort of alien paperwork. 

I don't suppose he'd have had to do that, coming from Britain, but I'm not sure if they were registering everyone who wasn't Australian or not. Also, no guarantee he was ever there. Just something to think about...


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## Erimus (Feb 20, 2012)

I think that it is much earlier than that Theresa.

geoff


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