Many families had ancestors who were seafarers, either as passengers on Britain’s passenger ships or those who worked at sea in the Merchant Navy, also known as the Merchant Service in the UK. My specialist maritime genealogy services help uncover those stories.
I can help you trace:
Ancestors who travelled to or from England on passenger ships
Merchant Navy / Merchant Service (UK) ancestors
Shipwrecks, wartime losses, and maritime traditions within families
Official UK maritime documents such as muster rolls, pension records, and service cards
The historical context of life at sea, from the engine room to the captain’s bridge
The background of those who lived and worked in England’s ports during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries
Whether your ancestor kept Britain’s trade moving, took part in wartime convoys, or sailed across oceans to emigrate, I can find the records that reveal their story with my specialist maritime genealogy research services.
Family stories about Titanic links are often passed down but can be hard to prove. Some are true, some are family myths, and many are only partly accurate. My specialist Titanic research helps you confirm or rule out these stories with confidence.
I use a wide range of specialist sources, including:
Verified crew and passenger lists
Wage agreements and service records
Titanic Relief Fund records for widows and children
Newspapers, obituaries, and memorials
UK and US Enquiry reports
By combining these records with census returns, civil registration, and other genealogical sources, I can reconstruct the full story of Titanic crew and passengers – not just their role on the ship, but their wider family lives and communities.
Researching seafaring ancestors is rarely straightforward. Records are often technical, scattered across archives, or incomplete – and without specialist knowledge, it’s easy to miss crucial details.
As a qualified genealogist specialising in maritime genealogy, Merchant Navy genealogy and Titanic genealogy – and winner of the 2026 British Commission for Maritime History Prize – I offer:
Confirmation of Titanic family connections through verified crew and passenger lists
Reconstruction of the lives of Merchant Navy (UK) ancestors
Research for maritime service in the First and Second World Wars (UK)
Investigation of shipwrecks, wartime losses, and maritime family traditions
Provision of clear, fully referenced reports with historical context
My work goes beyond names and dates. I aim to bring maritime ancestors to life – showing not only where they served, but how their work at sea shaped their families and communities.
Whether your ancestors lived in an English port, sailed on a passenger ship to or from England, served in the British Merchant Service, sailed on the Titanic, or earned their living at sea, I can help you uncover their stories.
My maritime genealogy and Merchant Navy genealogy research services focus on finding the families behind the records, bringing ancestors to life with clear evidence, historical context, and professional reports you can trust.
Alongside client research, I write expert articles for leading family history magazines and give talks and webinars on Titanic and maritime history to societies and wider audiences. I am also available as a media-trained commentator for future television, radio, and online projects, bringing specialist insight into Britain’s maritime past.
Every seafaring story deserves to be discovered and remembered. Contact me today to begin your research.
“Thanks to Nicola’s Titanic expertise, I now have a deeper understanding of my family’s tragedy and the strength they showed in the years that followed.”
“With incredible maritime knowledge, Nicola found our great-grandfather’s Merchant Navy records. We learned so much we never knew!”
I use a combination of verified Titanic crew and passenger lists, official enquiries, newspaper archives, Titanic Relief Fund records, local records in Southampton, and specialist maritime genealogy sources to verify connections and reconstruct your ancestor’s story.
Depending on the time period, I can locate service records, crew agreements, medal cards, discharge books, and wartime service documentation.
Yes, I regularly work on cases involving wartime maritime service, including casualties, convoy duty, and UK-based merchant seamen in both world wars.
