Thought I'd try here: I am researching the careers of the Franklin Expedition. I am looking for service records of the crew and muster lists for related ships. I have started with the Kew National Archives, but if this work has already been done I'd love to find it. (1/2) #19thC #NavalHistory - ThreadSky

tristanaef.bsky.social • 479 days ago

Thought I'd try here: I am researching the careers of the Franklin Expedition. I am looking for service records of the crew and muster lists for related ships. I have started with the Kew National Archives, but if this work has already been done I'd love to find it. (1/2)
#19thC #NavalHistory

Comments

thethousandthpart.com•479 days ago

Sadly no help w/ muster books as never bothered photographing them, but have Crozier's service record https://www.thethousandthpart.com/servicerecord - from multiple sources, as indicated. A word of warning re. ADM 196 docs - the downloadable version on TNA is incomplete in his case and likely many others.

tristanaef.bsky.social•478 days ago

Thank you, that’s very helpful!

That’s what I was worried about sadly - either the record itself isn’t complete, or the scans are cut off, or else haven’t been labeled correctly so they don’t show up in the search. I’m finding so many fewer records than I think I should

thethousandthpart.com•478 days ago

Very welcome - I’m not sure if it’s a result of haphazard binding, or digitising, or due to more than one archive having inherited these. I don’t know if they still let you consult the orig volumes once digitised: not the case with logbooks.

tristanaef.bsky.social•478 days ago

Ouch! Didn’t even think that might be the case. I wonder if there’s a way to request they be re-digitized if there seems to be an error

thethousandthpart.com•478 days ago

It wd help if the entire volume was there to go through (tedious as that wd be) rather than 2 plucked pages. I just hope they don’t discard the origs once they are digitised…

tristanaef.bsky.social•452 days ago

Thanks again for Crozier's service record! It was very helpful. I sent you a note through your blog checking the best way to credit you/what named you'd like to be credited under.

oligocene.bsky.social•479 days ago

https://arctonauts.com/muster-book-of-the-hms-erebus/ !!!!!

tristanaef.bsky.social•479 days ago

Thank you! I did find the muster lists for Terror and Erebus but am having a harder time finding ones for Cornwallis etc...though I see Arctonauts has a few I missed here! https://arctonauts.com/muster-books/

oligocene.bsky.social•479 days ago

I meant to link more of their muster books, but yes! Great resource. I know they've sent me parts of the ones for Cornwallis (Hoar was on it) so I can ask if they've got others digitized but they've been pretty offline this semester

tristanaef.bsky.social•479 days ago

I'd appreciate it! I also don't mind the original scan, or if they can point me in the right direction to find more muster books - part of the problem is knowing they have to be out there but not knowing where to look. (Also not having the ability to go to Kew in person haha)

oligocene.bsky.social•479 days ago

I'll shoot them an email!!!

tristanaef.bsky.social•479 days ago

Thank you!

captjamesfitzjames.bsky.social•479 days ago

Fitzjames' service record is on my site. I have photographed the Cornwallis muster (& other musters of Fitzjames' ships) but haven't gotten round to transcribing because so much to do. But for JF I know who of the FE's crew he previously served with. I can always check info for you.

tristanaef.bsky.social•479 days ago

Thank you very much! That's very helpful. I'll let you know!

captjamesfitzjames.bsky.social•479 days ago

I haven't really sorted out all of my photos yet.😅 None of the musters of Fitzjames' ships have been digitised so have to go to TNA to see them. Am going back in a week.

tristanaef.bsky.social•478 days ago

What a bummer! That’s what I was worried about, that the scans just don’t exist yet. That’s great! I hope you have a good trip and get to see them

captjamesfitzjames.bsky.social•478 days ago

Thanks, I'll be at TNA 3 whole days. Those musters are dusty & falling apart. A lot is digitised, which is amazing. But depending on your research topic sometimes most of it is not. It's of course great to go to archives & handle the material yourself if you can.

tristanaef.bsky.social•478 days ago

I wish I could! Not feasible at the moment, but fingers crossed I can make it happen next year

tristanaef.bsky.social•479 days ago

I started transcribing what's online of ADM 196 (officers), but if anyone is aware of existing transcriptions or other resources I'd be very grateful! I'd also like to contribute to a wider effort like @globalmarhist.bsky.social or @navalhistorynet.bsky.social for ~1815-45 if one exists! (2/2)

finger-post.blog•479 days ago

I have a pile of service records and muster books (images not transcriptions) but it's mostly Search era I think. But if anything in my files could be useful, you will absolutely have it.

tristanaef.bsky.social•479 days ago

That would be hugely helpful, thank you for such a generous offer! What is the best way to get in touch with you?

finger-post.blog•479 days ago

Any time! My email address can be reconstructed from the info here: https://finger-post.blog/alison-freebairn-about-me/

globalmarhist.bsky.social•479 days ago

I don't have that. But If you have the documents, I'd be happy to put together the database tables and the transcription/research interfaces for you.

finger-post.blog•479 days ago

What an incredible offer - you are a star!

globalmarhist.bsky.social•479 days ago

well, it can't necessarily happen *quickly*, but turns out the actual coding isn't really the hard work. It's also the stuff I'm pretty good at.

tristanaef.bsky.social•479 days ago

Thank you, I'd really appreciate that! I'll work on getting more transcriptions done and send them to you when I have more. It's been very piecemeal so far. What is the best way to get in touch with you?

globalmarhist.bsky.social•479 days ago

Um, email, or I use WhatsApp/telegram/signal.

How many transcriptions have you done?

globalmarhist.bsky.social•479 days ago

Email me [email protected]

tristanaef.bsky.social•479 days ago

Thank you to everyone who has replied already! I'll keep this post updated with my main sources as I collect them: https://tristanaefwrites.wordpress.com/2023/11/10/franklin-expedition-careers-project/

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