Boatnerd Discussion Forum

[i][quote]My question is how can one access the ship's manifest to search for the names of people who did not survive? I am searching for people with the surname of Hingston! About 30 days after the sinking of the Griffith, several people named Hingston were buried the same day in Canada. [/quote][/i]

Historical records, achieved newspapers, local libraries requests (book loans from others).

Here's a suggestion, that may require some research, is to contact local cemeteries concerning burial records with names and dates and include the event. Some cemeteries have online records while others formal requests are required. Most cemeteries boards and churches have very detailed records, others you need to visit them personally.

When researching both our family tree's occasionally when traveling, have visited cemeteries (being respectable) to obtain public info displayed on the headstones, when records were not available. This has helped especially when you discovered beforehand that they possibly have lived in that area at one time, as families back then were so much larger. Then later on the computer compile the families and relationships, to connect the dots.

During the night of 17 JUN 1850 after departing from Buffalo, New York, the SS Griffith caught fire and sank in about 7 1/2 feet of water about 40 rods from shore. Of the reported 356 souls on board, only about 30 to 40 survived. According to information most likely obtained from your web site, names of about 12 are known. Not listed was a 17 year old Irish Immigrant, Samuel Cooper, who was a strong swimmer. According to family stories, Sam saved many lives by swimming with people on his back or under one arm, taking them to shore and then swimming out for another load.
My question is how can one access the ship's manifest to search for the names of people who did not survive? I am searching for people with the surname of Hingston! About 30 days after the sinking of the Griffith, several people named Hingston were buried the same day in Canada. Could these Hingstons have been on board the Griffith? The Cooper and Hingston families were related and both lived in Canada. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.