Royal Navy Research Archive Forums

Surface Vessels => Pre 1919 Vessels => Topic started by: Goodger1979 on 23 March 2021 04:35:53 pm

Title: Hms Alexander 1794
Post by: Goodger1979 on 23 March 2021 04:35:53 pm
Hi

I believe an ancestor of mine may well have been on the Alexander when it was captured in 1794. All I know is that he got a woman pregnant in Spitalfields, London in early 1794. By December that year he had joined what I think was the Alexander and that the mother of his child had heard his ship had been engaged and lost alot of men.

I suspect I'm not going to get far with finding his identity but is there a way to get the crew lists and find out when/where they joined? From this I could narrow down the search.

Thanks
Title: Re: Hms Alexander 1794
Post by: PhiloNauticus on 24 March 2021 08:45:05 am


You will need to see the Ships Muster and Ships Pay Books for the period.   They are in The National Archives at Kew (unfortunately closed at the moment for Covid).

 https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4375562

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4375563

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4124647


Both of these very long and weighty documents list all the members of the crew, with joining and leaving dates .... and over the periods covered there will be 100s I suspect....

Title: Re: Hms Alexander 1794
Post by: Goodger1979 on 24 March 2021 03:46:07 pm
Thanks alot, I was having trouble finding the correct pages on the national archives!

I'm going to stay optimistic that they'll be just one man in my time frame who lived in Spitalfields!