Charting Ancestral Waters: Seafaring and Mariner Ancestors (1800s)

Diane L. Richard, MEng, MBA

Many North Carolinians worked as mariners, seafarers, or related land-based businesses supporting the shipping trade in the post-colonial and early 19th-century period. Documenting these individuals can be challenging since we cannot rely on British colonial-era style records. While we can often identify shipmasters, vessel names, cargo, and key businessmen, uncovering details about crew members and a ship’s voyages is more difficult. By following the money, we can trace mariner ancestors through customs records, shipping documents, correspondence, private manuscripts, and other records. Together we will explore where to research these seemingly invisible yet essential mariners. So, “avast ye” and join us for an hour of discovery into the lives and records of North Carolina’s seafaring ancestors!