Genealogy: Beyond the BMD: Marine

Showing posts with label Marine. Show all posts

Wednesday, 13 September 2017

Canada 150 - The Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Co

During our country's 150th anniversary celebration of confederation I will write posts titled Canada 150 with a link to a publication or website I find that may help you tell the story of your Canadian ancestors.
Click on the Canada 150 label on the right or at the bottom to see all the posts.

Today I have for you...

The Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Co

"In 1857 the Royal Mail Line became the Canadian Navigation Company. This joined with others in 1875 to form the Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Company. With Sir Hugh Allan of Montreal as Chairman, the R&0 was pre-eminent along the 800-mile route from Toronto to the Saguenay. The R&0 prospered as such until 1913, when it absorbed four competitors and a number of subsidiaries to become the Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) group."

-Fundy Stamp Collectors Club

Relevant Links

From Niagara to the sea, Official Guide 1906

Report of the directors and list of shareholders of the Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Co., 1st February, 1880,83,86

Hotels & steamers of Canada : R & O Navigation Co. 1906

Niagara to the sea : Fleet steamers for tourist traffic 1913

Excursion Routes and Rates Via Grand Trunk R'y and Richelieu

Great photos at McCord Museum Collections

Sunday, 6 August 2017

Canada 150 - Railway and Marine World

Canadian Transport

The Railway and Marine World

Index at beginning of each year has names under Appointments and Biographical. There are names throughout but especially look for personals, birthday list every month's issue, and a section titled "Mainly About People".

Mainly About People – June 1913,pg 274

Relevant Links

Canadian Transportation: Canadian Railway & Marine World

More issues and HathiTrust

Monday, 15 August 2016

Maritime Pilots

A marine pilot is a mariner who is licensed and knows how to guide a ship safely through the local waters. In Canada there are inland pilots like those who work the St Lawrence River, and coastal pilots that help big ships into their berth at ocean ports. Here is a definition and history at wikipedia.

The Marine and Fisheries part of the Sessional Papers of Canada has a section titled "Pilotage Authority". For the year 1908 it is starting with Appendix 22.

There you will find pilotage rates, names of pilots licensed, pilot earnings, names of apprentices, those paid from the Decayed Pilot Fund including pensioners, widows and children (not all for all cities).

Some also report on the conduct of the pilots...

The Almanak of Montreal and Lower Canada has a list of pilots for the harbour.

Montreal Almanak or Lower Canada Register 1829

Also check the Parliamentary Papers of Great Britain.

Relevant Links

Pilotage Authority Canada 1899

Pilotage Authority Canada 1901

Pilotage Authority Canada 1905

Pilotage Authority Canada 1906

Pilotage Authority Canada 1907

Pilotage Authority Canada 1908

Pilotage Authority Canada 1909

Le pilotage du Saint-Laurent de Québec à Montréal, 1900 w/portraits

Return of receipts of pilotage and number of pilots at Belfast, Dublin, Cork and Londonderry, 1833

Parliamentary Papers of UK - Pilotage 1894

Parliamentary Papers of UK - Pilotage 1889

Info on Pilotage in the United States

South Australia - Pilotage 1883-1884

Relate Posts: Masters and Mates

Saturday, 17 October 2015

The Lighthouse Keepers

Living on the west coast and having visited the east coast we have seen many beautiful old lighthouses. One of our neighbours was once a Lighthouse Keeper, and he and his wife enjoyed the life until he retired. It took them a while to get their land legs. Imagine being paid to live by the ocean? Despite the beautiful surroundings the life of a lighthouse keeper can be a lonely and isolating one.

There are not as many manned lighthouses as there once were, with modern technology both on boats and in lighthouses. Just as one would have a GPS for road vehicles, there are marine GPS's and chart plotters that show shallow waters and trouble spots and keep ships on track and out of harms way. In theory. In a fierce storm it is a comfort to see the lighthouse beacon keeping you company and showing the way.

In 2010 the Canadian Senate Committee was looking into shutting down or automating the remaining lighthouses on both coasts. The Globe and Mail wrote an article about it with an interview with a couple of lighthouse keepers and the story of Canada's first lighthouse keeper. In 2011 the Globe and Mail wrote another article about the Committee's findings.

If you think being a lighthouse keeper is the job for you, you can find out how on John Coldwell's website Lighthouse Memories. He is also in the ongoing process of making a lighthouse keepers database.

The Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada hold names, locations and wages of lighthouse keepers under the Auditor General's reports, under the Department of Marine and Fisheries. The 1903 volume has some old photos of lighthouses.

There is an Association of Lighthouse Keepers open to everyone. You can get a Lighthouse Passport to collect stamps from lighthouses you visit.

To find names and salaries of lighthouse keepers for years other then those mentioned below, look in No.1 (Auditor General) and its Index (after Contents), sometimes No 1 is in 2-3 Volumes)

Relevant Links

Names, Stations and Salaries of Lighthouse Keepers in the Dominion - 1903

Names, Stations and Salaries of Lighthouse Keepers in the Dominion 1916

Names, Stations and Salaries of Lighthouse Keepers in the Dominion 1922

Marine Expenditures for Maintenance of Lights for 1873 (keep turning pages for location of lighthouses and other provinces)

Lighthouse Keepers of New Zealand list

Where to find Lighthouse Keeper records in New Zealand

Where to find Lighthouse Keeper records in Australia

Where to find Lighthouse Keeper records in the USA

Lighthouse Personnel in England, Wales and the Channel Islands c1790-1911

British Lighthouse Keepers Database

Lighthouse Memories

Women Lighthouse Keepers Canada

US Women Lighthouse Keepers

Related Posts: Sessional Papers

Monday, 5 October 2015

Boating Clubs

We sold our 40' sailboat this week, after many years of adventures around the coast, and thinking about boating reminded me...

My maternal grandmother Mavor had tucked among her family photos this 1904 newspaper clipping of the Grand Trunk Boating Club. I don't know if my grandfather or his brother are in this photo, or in fact members of the club.