Genealogy Chat

I was just looking at the site Christine suggested, & it seems that of the ships in port in Sussex, a few have the boss as HDS........& they are all from Gravesend, where my bloke comes from. SHips/boats are Vessel: "City Of London" Vessel: "Ben Lomond" Vessel: "Dreadnought" hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Thanks for your help everyone. Not knowing the history & geography of England does make this research a bit trickier for me. Would a paddlesteamer go to France? Does the river flow from Gravesend (which is where this family are originally from) to Newport? If it visited ports & peirs, was it like a tourist type ferry? Thanks Yes it does beat the labourers/farmers like most of my ancesters as well !! LOL Karen

Hi Karen, it's definitely NOT Royal Navy. On the Bob Sander ships in port 1881 there are different listings for Royal Navy ships and Other vessels. This one comes under Sussex in the part that's not Royal Navy. http://www.angelfire.*com/de/BobSanders/81Intro.html Hope that's useful Christine

Sounds like he was in the Navy and probaple a chief Petty Officer

The crew list sounds very much like a small steamer. A fleet of paddleships used to ply along the south coast from the 1850's to the 1950s, calling at places like Margate, Brighton, Bournemouth, Eastbourne etc., anywhere there was a port or a pier.

I think there have been paddle steamers going up & down the Thames from Gravesend for years, on pleasure trips. I work beside the Thames and regularly see them, even nowadays (none called the Dreadnought though). Not sure what it was doing around the coast in Newhaven at the time of the census! Newhaven is a port, it is used today for ferry crossings to Dieppe in France. By the way, is anyone willing to swap one of their interesting ancestors? I have a surplus of illiterate agricultural labourers that I can trade. Carole

Well a chief officer on a paddle steamer still sounds pretty impressive to me !! lOL I am easily pleased.

you are right Sheila! Fancy finding out about the ship on an art page!! LOL What would a paddlesteamer be doing out at sea???

Apparently 'Dreadnought' was an English Paddle Steamer according to this site www(.)fineartemporium(.)com Sheila

oh poop. I founf a sailing ship called the Dreadnought but it was decommisioned in 1827. My James was a master mariner in 1901, still not sure what marine ships are. Are they fishing boats or ferry boats??

Karen, Sorry, it isn't a battleship! It is or looks to be a small merchant vessel. Maybe a trawler? No, I think it is a cargo ship most likely. But not Royal Navy Ian

hi just checked the census & it's spelt Vessel "Dreadnought" Census Place Newhaven, Sussex, England This is the crew.........so I guess it can't be a big ship. James WALFORD Other M Male 30 Gravesend, Kent, England Chief Officer (HDS) Thomas PIKE Other M Male 30 Rothershirth, Surrey, England Engineer Alfred SEDGE Other M Male 34 Gravesend, Kent, England Fireman Henry BONNER Other M Male 40 London, Middlesex, England Fireman William TRUELOVE Other U Male 21 Greenwich, Kent, England Seaman Frank BLACK Other U Male 19 Gravesend, Kent, England Seaman Henry LEVITT Other U Male 14 Greenwich, Kent, England Boy Don't tell me it's a fishing boat with a fancy name ?!!?!?!?!?!?!?

Karen, The famous HMS Dreadnought and the class of battleships the name gave rise to were built in the early 1900's as part of the arms race against Germany. They were a 'super-size' ship for their day, and the ultimate deterent of their time. No, they were not around in 1881. The Royal Navy has a tradition of reusing names for subsequent ships, so it is possible there was another previous HMS Dreadnought around earlier. The rank Chief Officer sounds more merchant marine than Royal Navy however. Where was he in 1881? There may be a clue in the spelling of the ship's name - was it with an 'a' = Dreadnaught? There is a website - Rogues Cove - that has a sea shanty about a ship called the Dreadnaught - it is not a warship. Don't know what HDS in his title stands for though. Ian

wow.....I am excited. The Walford line is my most interesting. They seem to be milliners, dressmakers, butchers etc. Most of the blokes in England had something to do with the water because they came from Gravesend, which I now know is a port!!! I am learning lots of new things !! My Martin family were generations of Chimney sweeps, which makes Mary Poppins much more exciting for me!!! LOL

Karen If you google Newhaven, you get links to Newhaven*org and Newhaven Sussex by the Sea. Both seem to have info and pictures of the Fort and wartime info, so you might strike lucky with your Dreadnaught! Ali

That's definitely Sussex and is definitely on the coast so I think you're in the right area!

There is a pink dotted lined heading into the water so I guess that means that ships leave from there.

woohooooooo I looked up Newhaven & it's down the road from Brighton which is where your beach is isn't it??

It saya Sussex on the census. Guess that is different to Essex isn't it!?!? LOL I'm looking for a map right now, promise!!

Sussex or Essex? There's a port in Essex, I think, HARWICH???