Seaman/Master Mariner search

[jennifer 150]

|help|My 2x Gt Grandfather William Nelson Shilstone b Oct 1811 Baptised 1814 in St James Bristol. Died Bengal India 1860.
Variants of name Shilstone Shelstone Shelton.
Would like to find out about his early seafaring years. Think he was a sailor from an early age around 1820 and most likley from the Bristol area. It would be good to know how he worked his way up the ladder.
I have no idea when he left England or when he arrived in India. The only knowledge i have of him is from fibis and the east india register and it shows he married there in 1843. It shows on his childrens records that he was a Master Mariner. Also from the Bombay calendar it says he was captain of the Eliza Penelope in 1847.
Anyone please help me on how to find out his details.
jenny

[Peter Goodey]

There's a bit of reading matter here...

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=257

[A.FOREMAN]

Thought this might help someone. I have been looking for a merchant seaman who died abroad, for years, as I had no idea which ship he was on. But last week I found him!! National Archives at Kew have ledgers of all seamen who died abroad. This gives name of ship, where it was built -when it sailed - rank of seaman - date of death & cause of death. You need to know the year otherwise it's a long trawl through the books. Find ref. on Nat Archives web site. - Deaths at sea. (BT156/7)