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Some of it is extrapolation, since I'm having a frustrating time with this one. The first hard-core info I have is the marriage certificate for John Morris and Mary Catherine Booker (my great-great-grandparents) in Liverpool in 1881. He gives his age as 41 and is widowed. He gives his job as "mariner."  His father is named William and his job is pilot.

I have checked the Liverpool pilots records and neither shows up.

The next thing I have is my grandmother's birth certificate in December 1885. She was born in Notting Hill, London. John Morris gives his profession as "ship's engineer."  I also have her baptismal certificate from two weeks later in which he gives his profession as "ship's carpenter."

My mother was told he died by falling down an open hatch into a hold on board ship. His widow shows up in the 1891 census remarried and with a one-year-old. So I'm assuming John Morris died between 1886 and 1889. After exhaustively going through records on CLIP and the national archives, the only John Morris I could find who seemed to fit the bill was born in Wales in 1840 and disappears from the records in 1887 after serving for a few years on the Lodestar. I was trying to find his death records to see if he died by accident to see if he was the one I'm looking for. I cannot find this Morris family in censuses nor in the usual BMD records. If this Lodestar John Morris is not the right one, I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps they were Irish and that's why I can't find them. If you have any suggestions, I'd be thrilled!
Thanks so much.
Angela

Hi:
I have an ancestor who was a sailor in the merchant marines and died in an accident on the ship at sea. He has a common name - John Morris - and there are several by that name who died in 1887. I can't figure out which one is him because I don't know what location of death they use in these cases. Would appreciate it if anyone can enlighten me. Also, I believe I have the name of the ship - Lodestar - and wondered if there was any resource for finding the ships records?
Thanks
Angela

Oh, wow, yes that's them. They did marry in Salford in 1874! How would I find those trees?
Thanks so much.

Thanks, ShaunJ. The one in Essex might be worth my persuing because John ended up down South and I haven't been able to figure out why. The William Morris you found could possibly have been his grandfather. If he was born in 1790, John's father William could have been born 1820ish and John in 1840. However, I've learned that extrapolating is not a good idea (!) but I will check this out.

What a great resource!

I am looking for information on William Morris. I have scant information.

On his son John's marriage cert issued in 1881 at St. Nicholas church in Liverpool, he is listed as a pilot. John was 41 at the time, so using that as a base, I'm guessing William would have been born no later than 1820.

On his marriage cert, John was a mariner, but showed up in London in 1895 as a ship's egineer so obviously he never became a pilot.

I live in Mexico so a trip to the museum is not on the cards. So I be deeply appreciative of any help.
Thanks
Angela