Boatnerd Discussion Forum

sgrima, I checked the bgsu database. Unfortunately I came up empty. Chances are he was an OS and not rated.

Wait for Russ he has the answer to your question.

The best place to start would be http://ul.bgsu.edu/cgi-bin/mpi_pub.cgi it is a database of marine personal maintained by BGSU.

The Boatnerd Links page has a section of genealogical databases that could also help your search. There is also a list of museum & historical societies and also vessel databases that may be able to assist you in your quest.

Just a thought, give the Great Lakes Maritime Lore Museum a try. They maintain pretty good records about sailors on the great lakes and have a decent collection of books and other documents for research (at least they did last time I was there in 2010).

Also www.usmm.org has a good selection of research material for that era. They also have a "sailor search" function and a way to request mariner documents from the 40's and 50's.

Finally, you could check out www.ancestry.com they have a large database of documents and information. There you can also post for people that are looking for family history. It is a good place to start.

Hope this helps
Steve

I am requesting this info for a friend of mine. He is looking to find out more about his father, who supposedly sailed on the Lakes - most likely in the 40s or 50s. Any information that anyone has about about Alfred Schlachter Jr. will be greatly appreciated. Thanks