U.S. Customs Service (Cleveland, Ohio) records

This collection of ten microfilm rolls documents the issuance of certificates and sale of vessels recorded at the Cleveland, Ohio office of the US Customs Service for the years 1871-1939. Certificate and License documentation can be found on rolls 1 and 2. Mortgage Information, Bills of Sale, and other sales documentation can be found on rolls 2 through 10. 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.

Enrollments: Contains enrollment number, date, and district of issuance, owners, master, when and where built, most recent prior enrollment data and reason for surrender, vessel name, rig, dimensions, tonnage, number of decks, number of masts, and type of head and stern.

Certificates of Registry: Contains registry number, date, and district of issuance, owners, master, when and where vessel was built, most recent prior registry/enrollment data and reason for surrender, vessel name, rig, dimensions, tonnage, number of decks, number of masts, and type of head and stern. The document was issued to vessels engaged in foreign trade.

Licenses: Contains vessel rig, name, tonnage, license number and date of issuance, and where, when, and why surrendered.

Certificate of Record: Contains document number and issuance date, vessel builder, place and year of build, master, owner, number of decks, number of masts, type of head and stern dimensions, rig, and tonnage. Record was designed for ships built for foreign-flag interests.

Certificate of Ownership of Vessel: Contains date of document issuance, vessel rig, name, tonnage, type of documents issued and document numbers, owner, and mortgage/lien data.

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.