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Archive service: State Archives in Antwerp-Beveren
Archive block: Schepenbeheer Antwerpen, inventory number 1756 (511 - 734) (finding aid number: K001)
Type of document: Alphabetical indices for the registers of seamen on Belgian ships
Geographical description: World
Period: circa 1845 - circa 1886

Explanation: The State Archives in Antwerp-Beveren conserves the registers of seaman on Belgian merchant ships. Keeping these registers was the duty of the water bailiff of Antwerp. The first series of registers date back to the period ranging from circa 1845 to circa 1930. For this period, some 165,000 seamen are listed in 45 colossal registers. There are three indices for this series of registers containing for each seaman: (first) name, place of birth and registration number. The indices are thus the finding aid for the registers that contain more detailed information about the seamen, their travels and the ships on which they have sailed. The registers can be accessed in the reading room of the State Archives in Antwerp-Beveren.  

The registers of seamen are a unique and key source for both genealogical and historical research. In October 2015, the State Archives in Antwerp-Beveren started the project IMMIBEL under the supervision of Dr Bart Willems. The acronym IMMIBEL stands for “immigration to Belgium”. The project is funded by the Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO) within the framework of the BRAIN-be research programme. The project aims among other things to digitally process the indices to the registers in order to make them easier to search and access. For this purpose, some 33,000 names from the period 1845-1886 were fed to a database by volunteer worker Patrick Cleiren, students Martha Van den Bergh and Fiep Willems, and archive collaborator Marleen Noppe.

Entry by: Patrick Cleiren, Martha Van den Bergh, Fiep Willems and Marleen Noppe
Status: Finished