U.S. Customs Service (Ludington, MI) records

Collection

Identifier: GLMS-0091

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

The sale of vessels recorded at the Ludington, MI office of the U.S. Customs Service for 1864-1949 are presented here. Bills of sale, conveyance records and mortgages include the names of vessels and sale participants and the terms of agreement. In these the researcher can find information on vessel histories and the economic aspects of vessel purchases. The financial and legal files included in the records partially document the regulatory duties of the U.S. Customs Service.

Dates

Creation: 1864-1949

Extent

19 Reels (19 reels of 35mm microfilm)

Creator

United States. Bureau of Customs (Organization)

Scope and Contents

his collection of nineteen microfilm reels documents the sale of vessels recorded at the Ludington, Michigan office of the US Customs Service for the years 1864-1949. Bills of sale and conveyance records are found on thirteen of the nineteen reels and mortgages are included on six reels. Vessel names, terms of agreements and names of sale participants are included. The economic aspects of vessel acquisition are clearly described in the mortgage agreements detailing the long-term aspects of boat purchases.

Information on specific vessels is readily available in the form of enrollment data filed with the bills of sale. These records become a useful supplement to the researcher concerned with vessel histories.

The certificates filed by master carpenters attesting to the accuracy of construction details provide additional material on the history of individual vessels from 1898-1939.

The financial and legal files in this collection document a portion of the regulatory work of the US Customs Service in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Document types:

Master carpenter's certificates: Contains district place, and date of issuance, name of master carpenter, place and year of build, vessel name and rig, owner, dimensions, tonnage, number of decks, number of masts, and building material.

Bills of Sale: Contains participants, amount of consideration, date, latest enrollment data, and the following vessel data: official number, rig, name, year and place of build, tonnage, dimensions, number of decks, number of masts, and type of head and stern.

Mortgages: Volumes contain name, rig, and tonnage of vessel, name of owners, place of residence, mortgage amount and conditions, relevant dates involved in completing transactions.

Agency History

The United States Customs Service, created by an act of July 31, 1789, became part of the Department of the Treasury when that Department was established in September of 1789. The service has been responsible for the enforcement of numerous laws and regulations pertaining to the import and export of merchandise, collection of tonnage taxes, control of the entrance and clearance of coastwise and fishing trades, and the protection of passengers. A Bureau of Customs was established March 3, 1927, to supervise these activities and in 1942 it assumed the responsibilities of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation relating to the registering, enrolling, licensing, and admeasurement of merchant vessels. This responsibility was assigned to the Coast Guard in 1967.

The act that established the Customs Service in 1789 also provided for the creation of collection districts in various coastal, river, Great Lakes, and inland ports. A Collector of Customs in each district was responsible for the enforcement of all rules and regulations including the protection of American seamen and passengers and the forwarding of basic data on immigration, imports, and exports. A Naval officer in each district, coordinate in rank with the Collector, was required to keep separate accounts and copies of all manifests and entries and to countersign certain of the daily record of all vessel arrivals and clearances, and was assisted by inspectors, weighers, and gaugers in the collection and payment of bounty allowances and fees and the admeasurement of foreign vessels for tonnage duties.

Conditions Governing Access

No known access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Collection is in the public domain.

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Existence and Location of Originals

The original records are now located at the Chicago branch of the National Archives and Records Service.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The original volumes from which the nineteen reels of microfilm in this collection were made were loaned to Bowling Green State University in 1981 by the US Coast Guard 9th District Commander, Rear Admiral James S. Gracey. Upon completion of the filming project, the volumes were returned to the 9th District office in Cleveland, Ohio.