Duncan BLUE - lost at sea

[dhalaughlin]

It's one of the last of my "holy grails". What happened to my great grand uncle Duncan BLUE of Campbeltown?

In my grandfather's memoirs he writes: "Duncan was a youthful uncle who went to sea and voyaged to Southern Seas long ago, was last heard of in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania)."

Duncan's father William's memorial in old Kilkerran cemetery also states that Duncan was "Reported lost at sea" but without mention of date or place.

We know that Duncan is the son of William BLUE and Susanna GALBRAITH and born in Campbeltown 26 August 1835. It is possible he married an Isabella SCOTT and they had a son William b. abt Sep 1866 in Campbeltown. This is conjecture based on anecdotal records. It could be a red herring. But if true then he would have perished sometime after 1865 at age 30+. Also conjecture. It's hard to know what my grandfather's definition of "youthful" was or if Duncan was ever married or ever had children.

What I am wondering is does there exist an archive of local Campbeltown newspaper reports during these times where maritime deaths and disappearances of resident families would have been reported? Or obituaries?

It is documented that Duncan "was last heard of in Van Diemen's Land". Presumably his last port of call was Hobart in Tasmania and there might exist crew and passenger lists of ships departing that sank during these times.

I do also plan to contact the Martime Museum of Tasmania http://www.maritimetas.org/web-content/research.html although it appears they do not do genealogical work.

We know that Duncan was a native Campbeltonian who did not expatriate and that at least his parents and siblings remained behind, left an inscription for him, and even wrote briefly about him. It seems that there should be a record somewhere but I am a bit stumped as of now. He's a mystery.

Any guidance, anecdotal research, drilling down, or lookups would be sincerely appreciated.

[seaweed]

Needle in a haystack.
If he did die at sea whilst on a British ship it may be recorded in
Registers of Wages and Effects of Deceased Seamen  British National archives series BT153 These records cover the years 1852 to 1881 and 1888/89.
As you do not have a DOD or the name of a ship it will be very difficult to find him. I suggest you look in the index of seamans names in BT154. The link is for the years 1864- January 1886.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATID=2353311&CATLN=6&accessmethod=5
Hit the REQUEST THIS button and use the downloadable digital image service.

Other periods from 1853 to 1889 are available in BT154.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/browser.asp?CATLN=3&CATID=1625&GPE=False&MARKER=0

[ev]

hi  

there are 2 children born to duncan blue and isabella scott on the IGI
mary blue 1862 southend argyll
william blue 1866 campbeltown argyll

both parents would seem to be alive in 1881
kirk st campbeltown argyll
duncan blue 48 b. carradale argyll
isabella blue 45 b. kirconnell
mary blue 18 b. southend argyll
william blue 14 b. campbeltown argyll
mary scott 78(mother in law) b. dumfries

ev

[dhalaughlin]

Thanks Seaweed. Great info. I will work on it. I know it will be challenging if not impossible. That's why it's a "holy grail". But believe it or not I've been successful through this site before finding a "needle in haystack" holy grail. I have faith in this community.

And some local Campbeltown anecdotes someone provides might shed some light and help thread things together.

Thanks SO much again.

[dhalaughlin]

Thanks EV. So, I think your info helps eliminate this family group from my drowned Duncan. My Duncan would have died before my grandfather was born in 1869.

I will study your info however and see if there are any links to my Campbeltown Blues.

THANK YOU!

[Piglet01]

No further forward

Downloaded entries for the only 2 Duncan Blues who died in Scotland born 5 years either side of 1835.  There were only 2.

The Duncan Blue marrying Isabella Scott died on 28 June 1892.  Parents Duncan Blue and Isabella McKinlay.  Reported by son William.

Good luck with your search.  Regards,   Steve  :O)

[dhalaughlin]

Thanks Pigle01.

Sometimes moving the boulders is getting forward. That further substantiates that this Duncan nuclear family is not the one we are looking for and now I can remove them from my tree for now(including the question mark).

I do see my Duncan living with his parents (5 yrs old) in 1841. His father William dies in 1847 and in 1851 he is not living with his mother. Susan is a widow working as a charwoman and has only her 2 youngest sons with her. Duncan's 18 yr old brother William (my g grandfather) is living separately at "Back Street" as a servant training as a journeyman baker. He later becomes master baker and owns his own bakery on the Longrow.

In 1851 there is a 14 year old Duncan living in Killean/Kichenzie but there is no detail as the file image must be ordered and is not downloadable. I'm guessing this could be our Duncan living with relatives on a farm. His mother had her hands full in Campbeltown and a 14 year old would be quite useful on the farm.

Still trying to pinpoint a window of time when our Duncan may have ventured out to sea. Then it gets easier to search maritime records for the Southern Seas.

Were there no local record reports of losses from Campbeltown? Newspapers etc?

[MonicaL]

I'm not sure why when SP show an image as not being available on the censuses (assume it is down to poor film quality?), it sometimes can show on Ancestry's transcript. Could this be the 1851 entry you refer to for a Duncan Blue?:

Mary Gallisath 74, cottar
Alexander Gallisath 45, Lobsterfisher
Flora Gallisath 34
Christy Galbreath 30
Donald Marton 28
Duncan Blue 14, grandson, Lobster Fisher b. Killiean

Address: Bulloch, Killean and Kilchenzie

He is the only possible entry showing in 1851. Not sure if the above entry is the one you are looking for. I think the surname of Gallisath is a mis-transcription of something....could it be Galbraith? Do you have the names of Susanna's parents?

Monica

[MonicaL]

Is this Susanna's entry:

SUSANNA GALBREATH  Christening: 10 AUG 1809 Killean And Kilchenzie, Argyll
Parents: DUNCAN GALBREATH and MARY KELLY

Monica