Topic starter
29/03/2010 12:05 am
Hello, I'm new to this site. I'm trying to find info on a GGG grandfather who, as family history goes, was a steamboat captain and died in 1832 somewhere on the lower Mississippi River from cholera. I'm thinking it was probably close to New Orleans but don't know this as fact. Can anyone point me in a direction to find out if he was indeed a captain on a steamship and I would love to find out the name of the boat and any info pertaining to his job. I believe he may have traveled down the Ohio River to connect with the Mississippi but I'm not positive. I think he was born about 1790 and lived in both Kentucky and Indiana.
Thanks so much for any info you can give me.
Chris
30/03/2010 5:11 am
Chris
I had a look in all of my standard works for that time period no luck with your Hiram Bratton. The only place I know to check is the News papers Like New Orleans or Memphis or The Captain and Clark are generally listed in the ads for boats. A few that I am quit sure he was not on the Missouri in that time frame, or He was not on the the upper Mississippi, He does not appear in Lloyds's Steamboat Directory and Disasters on the Western Waters. I tried Sandy's index to Gould's 50 years on the Mississippi he references a few early sources no luck.
Utah River Rat.
Topic starter
30/03/2010 3:17 pm
Carl- thanks so much for you help.
I definitely will dig deeper...maybe a trip to New Orleans would help to dig in their archives. This continues to be a mystery about his Hiram's life. But the journey to find out about him has been fulfilling and exasperating at the same time.
Again, I truly appreciate you doing the legwork and helping me by giving good ideas on where to look.
Happy trails.
Chris
03/04/2010 5:47 am
more on Hiram
hi
I was on Google and did a search for Hiram Bratton died 1832. this took me to a RootsWeb site Pyle-L posted in 2000 by Don Pyle He would be 73 years old now. He shows a Wilson R. Barton born 8 May 1830 in Mason Co , Ky. son of Hiram Bratton a native Kentuckian and a riverboat Captain who died of Cholera on the lower Mississippi in 1832. Wilson had a sister Emily who appears in a biographical sketch in an 1866 "History of Texas" Hiram married Edith Moore {a good river name} after his death in 1832 she married Peter Smith , a Texas Rancher, who died in 1862.
Wilson died 27 Sept 1905. He married first Frances C. Pyle, relative of Ernne Pyle, she died 3 Dec 1896 and Wilson marred his house keeper Laura A. Poituvent. There is an old 2000 email address for Don in the Post. and he was responding to someone so there maybe others to contact.
I played around with the free marriages in Kentucky and Indiana but didn't come up with anything. There were some hits on the pay sites, free if you post a credit card number and then cancel before the free period ends.
Utah river rat
Topic starter
03/04/2010 2:52 pm
Thanks for the feedback Carl.
Yes, I did see that thread from Ron Pyle...I tried to send a message about a year ago and didn't hear back from him. I may have to try and locate him in California (I believe that's where he's from). Hiram's son, Wilson R. Bratton is my GG grandfather and I've got info on him.
One of these days I'll find some good info about Hiram. I'm starting to think he originally came from Virginia....maybe is listed with a different first name??? Another mystery plus I think Bratton can be spelled many different ways. He's listed as "Iram Bratten" in the 1820 census in Caldwell, Kentucky.
Appreciate your help.
Chris