We learned about John Lincoln Shackford from his descendants in England who believe that John's father was most likely a US mariner from the United States. Since we "met" these folks from England, we've been collaborating in a hunt for John Lincoln's father but unfortunately have not yet found any solid information but knew that he was a ship steward for much of his career.
We don't have a birth date or birth location for John but based on the 1911 Census of England and Wales which lists him as age 40, we assume he was born about 1871. This birth date matches many but not all the sources we've found.
A record from the Vessel Gaul shows that "I Shackford" who we believe was the same John L Shackford, age 24, listed as born born in W Indies, was a 3rd Class sailing on Dec 27, 1895 to March 23, 1896. We believe this record refers to John Lincoln Shackford.
We find John again in 1898 aboard the Ship Oruba which sailed from London to Sydnes arriving in New South Wales on Oct 14, 1898. He is listed as J Shackford, age 24, a crew member working as a Gen Servant, listed as from the British nation working for R E Lynn.
In 1902 we find John working aboard the Ship Ortona of Liverpool sailing from London to Sydney arriving in New South Wales on March 15, 1902. He is the General Servant for Mr Foster and the record lists his nation as Hants. Later that year we find him aboard the Ship Ormuz of Glascow, age 32 working for Dr E Fieldeck. That record states he was born in Heuts.
In the second quarter of 1905 John married Margaret Eliza H Boyes in South Stoneham, Hampshire, England. We have no source with an exact date but have recorded June 19, 1905, a date which we believe was provided by family members. John, age 40 is listed with his wife Margaret, age 38 in the 1911 census. His occupation is listed as a ship's steward. The record states that they had two children, one living and one deceased. Elsie Shackford, age 5 is included in the census.
On October 1, 1917 we find a George Shackford, age 47, listed as a steward aboard the Vessel Adriatic arriving at New York from Liverpool. Multiple documents show that John Shackford, a steward who lived at 23 Sir George's Road in Southampton died aboard the Adriatic on Oct 23, 1917 from a fractured skull. Family members state that the ship was in the harbor at the time of his death and also mention that he worked aboard the Oceanic and the Olympic. They also state that his marriage certificate said that his father was also a John Shackford who was a master mariner.
JOHN SHACKFORD'S WHO WERE MASTER MARINERS AND IN THE AGE RANGE THAT COULD BE JOHN LINCOLN SHACKFORD'S FATHER
Capt John William Shackford (1839-1905) - We have shared a photograph of Capt Shackford and have written extensively about him in previous blogs so will address where some of the specifics of the locations of Capt John William around the time that John Lincoln Shackford was born,: In July 1870, Captain Shackford was the captain of the Steamer Pioneer as it was traveling between Havana and New York and in September 8, 1870 he was it's captain as it traveled from Bristol and New York. In January 1872 he was the second officer of the Oceanic during a rescue of the crew of the Mountain Eagle. This places him in both the West Indies and England around the time of John Lincoln Shackford's birth. John died in 1905 leaving his assets to his siblings.
Captain John L Shackford (1819-1871) - John L Shackford the son of John Shackford and Elizabeth Batson was born in Eastport, Maine, and married Elizabeth S Clark at the age of 19. At the age of 28 he was the master of the Brig Carryl which sailed to Havana, New York, St Marks, St Domingo, Philadelphia, and many more cities. In the 1850 census he is listed in Eastport living with his parents John and Elizabeth. He is age of 31, has the occupation of shipmaster and is listed with his wife, his son Joshua, and his daughters Abby and Esther. The census was taken in September of that year so the family may not have known that Abby had died in Havana in August of that year. In 1860 we find him living with his wife's parents, his wife, his daughters Esther and Jenny (also known as Regina). He registered for the draft in 1863 and was living in Brooklyn in 1864 at Hamilton and Fulton avenue. His wife filed for divorce around Feb 1871. Her statement represents that she was married to John L Shackford in Eastport and has two living children, Joshua C and Regina T Shackford. She stated that she was always a true and faithful wife but that her husband John L Shackford had deserted her about 1868 and according to letters sent to others had married a woman in St Thomas and had a daughter. Her divorce was granted and she was given about $2,000 of real estate that had belonged to John L Shackford in Eastport. Elizabeth's divorce was granted in October 1871 and John died of debility in St Thomas on Dec 20, 1871. His estate was administrated by his brother Benjamin B Shackford. We have not yet found records of Capt John L Shackford's second wife or children born in St Thomas. If he was the father of John Lincoln Shackford, he would have been around age 50-52 when John was born.
Capt John Shackford (1782-1866) - Capt of Brig Boundary. Died before the birth of John Lincoln Shackford.
This research about John Lincoln Shackford and Captain has been done with collaboration of the British Shackfords who were descendants of John Lincoln Shackford. Even with our research we haven't identified John's father and unfortunately none of his children left any living descendants so a DNA samples can't easily be matched. Hopefully further research can provide help us learn more about the father of John Lincoln Shackford.
SOURCES:
1911 England Census Southhampton, Southhampton, England, , Schedule 179, John Shackford; digital images, The National Archives, Fold 3 (: accessed 26 April 2013);
1850 US Federal Census, Washington County, Maine, population schedule, Eastport, page 48? (penned), 244 (stamped), dwelling 272, family 360, John Shackford https: familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M6V8-HRV; digital images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 23 December 2013).
1860 United States Federal Census, Washington County, Maine, population schedule, Eastport, Page No 72, dwelling 430, family 535, John Clark; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 June 2014).
"Civil War Draft Registrations 1862-1865," digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed ),
"Crew List Index Project," database, Crew List Index Project (http://www.crewlist.org.uk/: accessed 11 December 2013),
"Deaths at sea, 1781-1968," Image, Findmypast (http://findmypast.com : accessed 18 September 2015), John Shackford
"England & Wales marriages 1837-2008," Images of Index, FindMyPast.com (http://findmypast.com : accessed 18 September 2015), John Lincoln Shackford m Margaret Eliza Boyes
"FOR St. MARKS & NEWPORT, DIRECT," Morning Courier and New York Enquirer (New York, New York), ; digital images, Fulton History (http://fultonhistory.com/ : accessed 9 September 2015).
"GRO MARINE DEATHS INDICES (1903 to 1965)," images and transcriptions, FindMyPast (http://findmypast.com : accessed 18 September 2015), John Shackford.
Lain J., compiler, The Brooklyn City Directory for the Year Ending May 1st, 1864 (New York: J. Lain and Company, 1864), page 417; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 September 2015
"Maine, Divorce Records, 1798-1891," database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 June 2014), Elizabeth L Shackford
Maine, Maine, State Archives Collections, 1718-1917, >Maine, Washington County>Court Records>Court of Common Pleas case files no 240-429 1871 Oct>Image 282-301, Elizabeth S Shackford vs John L Shackford 22-305, ; digital images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 11 September 2015)
"Maine, Wills and Probate Records, 1584-1999," digital images, Ancestry.com (http:/www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 September 2015), John L Shackford
"MARINE JOURNAL. Arrived," New York Tribune (New York, New York), 29 November 1847; digital images, Fulton History (http://fultonhistory.org : accessed 25 June 2014).
Mariners-L Archives Contributors, "," Mariners-L Archives Contributors, Mariners-L Archives, 5 December 2001 (: accessed 11 April 2013).
"Maritime BMD Details," database, findmypast (http://findmypast.co.uk: accessed 25 April 2013).
"MEMORANDA.," The Evening Telegraph (Philadelphia, Pennslyvania), 20 July 1870, Steamer Pioneer, Shackford, from Havana 9th inst for New York, was passed 15th, 60 miles north of Jupiter.; digital images, Library of Congress Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 4 December 2013).
"MEMORANDUM.," The Evening Telegraph (Philadelphia, Pennslyvania), 8 September 1870, Steamer Pioneer, Shackford, from New York, at Bristol, Eng., 27th ult.; digital images, Library of Congress Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 4 December 2013).
"New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1891," digital images, FamilySearch (http:/familysearch.org : accessed 13 January 2014), LIST OR MANIFEST OF ALIENS EMPLOYED ON THE VESSEL AS MEMBERS OF CREW, Vessel Adriatic arriving at New York, from the port of Liverpool
"New South Wales, Australia, Unassisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1826-1922," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 January 2015), J Shackford
"New South Wales, Australia, Unassisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1826-1922," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 January 2015), John Shackford
"A PERILOUS VOYAGE FROM LIVERPOOL," The Mercury, 13 June 1872; Trove Digitised newspapers and more (trove.nla.gov.au : accessed 21 April 2013).
"Virgin Islands US, Church Records, 1765-2010," digital image, Ancestry.com (Ancestry.co.Uk : accessed 14 September 2015), Image 112, Capt John L Shackford
Wiley Kenneth L., editor, Vital Records from the Eastport Sentinel of Eastport, Maine 1818-1900: Note: Cover and title page of my hard copy edition are misspelled as "Eastport Sentinal" (Camen, Maine: Picton, Press, 1996), page 260