Ship/Boat Registration in the early 1800s....Please Help

[tat2guy]

Ship/Boat Registration in the early 1800's....Please Help

Im trying to find some info on a few Keel Boats, was there a registry for them They would travel from Washington D C through Harpers Ferry WV then end up in New Orleans. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks Tat

 

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[Mackaydon]

You may wish to disclose the names or owners of the boats; maybe someone can then assist you with the info you seek.
Don.....

 

[Southern_Digger]

I do not know when the government first began the registration of riverboats, keelboats, barges, ect.. However, I know where you can get that information. Once you gather that data and find that further research is useful; then you can track that information back to the National Archives and perhaps, the Library of Congress. Sounds like time consuming work, but not so reasoning that many indexes are available that can direct you to the source. As for the source, it may exist on a roll of NARS microfilm which can be purchased for $50 or less. Better yet, presuming you live in Va., it is not that far for you to drive to College Park, Md. and spend a few days reading those films and ordering microcopies. Start with the following research source: CIS MICROFICHE SERIES. These are available and most larger city libraries. This series contains the complete history of the US which passed through government legislation. Hence they include all Senate Docs.; House of Rep Docs.; Congressional Records and on and on including Navigational Waterway Designations; River and canal locks; Lighhouses and on and on. If the government passed legislation to license and tax such craft as you mentioned, it will be in this vast resource and it will provide what dept. of Govt., oversaw the task. If it is in there, take notes on the Govt. Dept. and contact Natl Archives, give them the Govt dept. legislation you are seeking and they can narrow the source, whether it be an original logbook or copies from such now on microfilm. Of course, much research can be done at NARS online. It wasn't always that way. I self-funded three research trips from So. Fla. to Washington DC.. To afford this, I left my family at the wife's parents house in Ohio. I'd drive across thru Penn, W Va., Md., and into Va. where I rented a campsite at Manassas campground. I camped in a 6' sq. tent for a week and to keep expense down, I'd eat one meal a day. That was back when NARS was only in DC. I'd go into D.C from Manassas each day and park at the airport (my biggest expense was parking). I'd research in the archives from about 9am until 10:30pm non-stop; drive the 50 miles back to the campground; change out of my casuals to camp clothes, sleep about 5 hrs; eat at 5 or 6am-get cleaned up and back into my casuals and head into DC. I did it two years in a row, a week for each research trip. For the third year I brought the entire family. However, this time I stayed in my popup at Quantico for a three day research trip. After three years, I finally got to tour DC with the family. Much data I gathered then can now be accessed online. However, I did get to look at original records such as US Navy and Revenue Marine logbooks, which provided additional research on nineteenth century Florida as well as references to 19th century shipwrecks along the Florida Coast. At Library of Congress, I was able to hold (gloved) original diaries and --even funeral service circulars and funeral ribbons belonging to famous army officers who first served in Florida, and later in CW for Union and the Confederacy. Let me warn you, this research can be addictive. Additional reseach at the archives or larger Universities include Army and Navy Chronicles (army & navy newspaper dating back too 1830's); and Niles National Register ( a collection of early American newspapers such as Charleston, ect.). Definitely, check the CIS Series and I think you will be surprised. Ask a librarian for help. Thankfully the CIS has a good index system. Also, I have seen hardbound indexes at the Ft. Lauderdale Library here in Fla. for Senate Docs; Congressional Records, ect. and it ties back to the same microfiche index system. In the index for CIS look for keywords such as canalboat licensing; inland waterway shipping; ect. Also, Riverboat and Barge references. Look up the name of the waterway source and it may include legislation funding dredging to improve inland water transportation, thus giving you dates when such water sources was opened. Sometimes, as in south Florida between 1900 and 1920; boats were not licensed, yet each had to pay a fee to pass thru each lock. Neither were fishing boats licensed, however, the boat owner had to purchase state-issued basket licenses, whereas the state received a tax for fish hauled in the basket to the market for a one-year period. This info was overseen at the State level--not by the US Govt. It may be another avenue to follow--Va. State Records regarding the same subject. City sources may be available too if waterway passed through it. Cities were equally tax hungry. For example, during the 1920's the City of Miami Fla. collected taxes for garbage pickup by issuing a round alum. disk stamped with city name; garbage license and a number. This disk had to be afixed to each trash can or else, trash would not be collected. Good researching and Good Luck.

 

[wreckwriter]

I could probably help with steamships from that era but probably not barges. Post up or PM the vessel name and I'll check my source.