The Officers Licenses microfilms have been funded by the generosity of the Herman T. and Phenie R. Pott Foundation and the J. Mack Gamble Fund of the Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen.
On August 30, 1852, licenses were required of pilots and engineers, and the 1871 Act added masters, chief mates, engineers and pilots of all steam vessels. The April 17, 1874 Act required licenses of alien engineers and pilots who declared their intention of becoming citizens. In the May 28, 1896 Act steam vessel officer's licenses were issued for five years, and renewal at any time before expiration. The March 23, 1898 Act, extended licensing of steam vessel chief mates to include ocean or coastwise steam vessels' chief mates, and second or third mates in charge of a watch, and mates of river steamers. The 1871 Act was amended by the December 21, 1898 Act to include licensing of masters and chief mates of sail vessels over 700 tons, and all other vessels or barges of over 100 tons carrying passengers.
The Steamboat Inspection Service of the Commerce Department administered the acts by creating districts where the licenses were obtained. First Supervising District - Local port: St. Michael, AK Second Supervising District - Local port: Albany, NY Fourth Supervising District - Local ports: St. Louis, MO; Dubuque, IA Sixth Supervising District - Local ports: Louisville, KY; Evansville, IN; Nashville, TN; Memphis, TN Seventh Supervising District - Local ports: Pittsburgh, PA; Cincinnati, OH; Point Pleasant, WVA Eighth Supervising District - Local port: Chicago, IL Tenth Supervising District - Local ports: New Orleans, LA; Mobile, AL. Licenses and records can also be found in State Historical Societies, State Archives, or other collections.
The SuDoc (government document) call number is T 38.10 for the publications that list Licensed Officers. If not cataloged in the Library of Congress system, this call number will be used by individual libraries, libraries that have Federal Depository Library Collections, and the CIS microfilm copies. Different government departments were in charge of licensing, and the publication titles reflect this. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA ) have organized these publications into the following one record group:
Records of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation (Record Group 41) 1774-1973
41.2 Headquarters Records of the Steamboat Inspection Service 1812-1944.
41.2.3 Records of the Board of Supervising Inspectors. Textual Records include Journals and Proceedings, 1852-1942. A full description of the Textual Records can be found on the NARA website.
41.2.4 Records Relating to Vessel Personnel. These records include the unpublished 1916 � 1922 Licensed Officers lists. A full description of the Textual Records can be found on the NARA website.
Microfilm of Licensed Officers (1894-1922) is available at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and through interlibrary loan.
Copies of these licenses were not kept by the government, but the names were listed by supervising districts in the following four titles:
1. Steamboat-Inspection Service. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Board of Supervising Inspectors of Steam Vessels . Washington: G.P.O. 1853 - 1893, annual or biennial
Reports include information on conditions, steamboats inspected, and officers licensed in the supervising districts, and rules and regulations. From 1869 to 1894, reports also include list of inspectors, and detailed tables.
From 1853 to 1894, reports are issued annually; beginning in 1895, reports are issued biennially. Reports for 1882 and 1885-1893 are issued in 2 parts: Part 2 contains the detailed tables.
The Board of Supervising Inspectors was appointed under an Act of Congress of August 30, 1852. 1st annual meeting held at Cincinnati, Ohio, and 3 preceding meetings held at Washington, DC, New York City, and Pittsburgh, PA.
Publication dates cover the previous year, example, 1894 is for people "licensed during the year ended December 31, 1893".
The citations below are specific to volumes that have lists of licensed officers and institutions that hold these are included:
1853 - CIS-T3810.1, T38.10:853, p. 1-76, Cincinnati, OH, 1st; Mariners Museum
1854 - CIS-T3810.2, T38.10:854, p. 17-128, April 4,1854, Washington, DC, 2nd
1855 - CIS-T3810.3, T38.10:855, p. 56, Oct. 10, 1855, St. Louis, MO, 4th
1856 - CIS-T3810.4, T38.10:856, p. 38, Oct. 9,
1856, Boston, MA, 5th 1857 - CIS-T3810.5, T38.10:857, p. 168, Oct. 15, 1857, Louisville, KY, 6th; Cincinnati (inc.)
1858 - Cincinnati (inc.)
1859 - Cincinnati (inc.)
1860 - Cincinnati (inc.)
1861 - Cincinnati (inc.)
1862 - Cincinnati (inc.)
1863 - Cincinnati; Library of Congress
1864 - CIS-T3810.12, T38.10:864, p. 212, Oct. 21, 1863, Boston, MA, 12th; Cincinnati
1865 - Merchant Marine Academy 1867 - Cincinnati; Merchant Marine Academy; NARA
1869 - CIS-T3810.17, T38.10:869, p. 326, June 1869, Washington, DC, 17th; Mariners Museum; Library of Congress; Merchant Marine Academy; NARA
1870 - CIS-T3810.18, T38.10:870, p. 288, Jan.
1870, 18th; Cincinnati; Mariners Museum; Columbia; State Library of Louisiana; Library of Congress; NARA; SF Maritime NHP
1871 - CIS-T3810.19, T38.10:871, p. 287, Jan. 1871, Washington, DC, 19th; Mariners Museum; Library of Congress; Merchant Marine Academy; NARA; SF Maritime NHP
1872 - CIS-T3810.20, T38.10:872, p. 417, Jan. 1872, Washington, DC, 20th; Mariners Museum; Bowling Green State; Library of Congress?; Merchant Marin Academy; NARA; SF Maritime NHP
1873 - CIS-T3810.21, T38.10:873, p. 423, Jan. 1873, Washington, DC, 21th ; Cincinnati; Mariners Museum; Bowling Green State; Library of Congress; Merchant Marine Academy
1874 - CIS-T3810.22, T38.10:874, p. 406, Jan. 1874, Washington, DC, 22nd; Cincinnati; Pott; Mariners Museum; Bowling Green State; Library of Congress; Merchant Marine Academy
1875 - CIS-T3810.23, T38.10:875, p. 414, Jan. 1875, Washington, DC, 23rd; Mariners Museum; Bowling Green State; San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park?; Library of Congress; Merchant Marine Academy; NARA
1876 - CIS-T3810.24, T38.10:876, p. 433, Jan. 1876, Washington, DC, 24th; NARA
1877 - CIS-T3810.25, T38.10:877, p. 510, Jan. 1877, Washington, DC, 25th; Cincinnati; Bowling Green State; Library of Congress; Merchant Marine Academy; NARA
1878 - CIS-T3810.26, T38.10:878, p. 466, Jan. 1878, Washington, DC, 26th; Cincinnati; Merchant Marine Academy; NARA
1879 - CIS-T3810.27, T38.10:879, p. 530, Jan. 1879, Washington, DC, 27th; Bowling Green State
1880 - CIS-T3810.28, T38.10:880, p. 602, Jan. 1880, Washington, DC, 28th; NARA
1881 - CIS-T3810.29, Treas. Dept. Doc. No. 127, T38.10:881, p. 687, Jan. 1881, Washington, DC, 29th; Pott; Merchant Marine Academy; NARA
1882 - CIS-T3810.30.2, Treas. Dept. Doc. No. 248, T38.10:882/pt. 2, p. 511, Jan. 1882, Washington, DC, 30th; Bowling Green State; Library of Congress?; Merchant Marine Academy; NARA
1883 - CIS-T3810.31, Treas. Dept. Doc. No. 412, T38.10:883, p. 754, Jan.-Feb.
1883, Washington, DC, 31th ;Cincinnati; Bowling Green State; Merchant Marine Academy; NARA
1884 - CIS-T3810.32, Treas. Dept. Doc. No. 570, T38.10:884, p. 842, Jan. 1884, Washington, DC, 32nd; Bowling Green State; University of Chicago; Library of Congress; Merchant Marine Academy; NARA
1885 - CIS-T3810.33.2, Treas. Dept. Doc. No. 671, Part 2, T38.10:885/pt. 2, p. 658, Jan. 1885, Washington, DC, 33rd; Bowling Green State; University of Chicago, v. 33, no. 2; Library of Congress; Merchant Marine Academy; NARA
1886 - CIS-T3810.34.2, Treas. Dept. Doc. No. 821, T38.10:886/pt. 2, p. 677, Jan. 1886, Washington, DC, 34th; Columbia; Bowling Green State; Library of Congress; Merchant Marine Academy; NARA
1887 - CIS-T3810.35.2, Treas. Dept. Doc. No. 968, T38.10:887/pt. 2, Jan. 1887, Washington, DC, 35th; Columbia; Bowling Green State; Library of Congress?, NARA
1888 - CIS-T3810.36.2, Treas. Dept. Doc. No. 1098, T38.10:888/pt. 2, Jan. 1888, Washington, DC, 36th; Columbia; Bowling Green State; Library of Congress; Merchant Marine Academy; NARA
1889 - CIS-T3810.37.2, Treas. Dept. Doc. No. 1211, T38.10:889/pt. 2, Jan. 1889, Washington, DC, 37th; Columbia; Bowling Green State; University of Chicago, v. 37, no. 2; Library of Congress; Merchant Marine Academy; NARA
1890 - CIS-T3810.38.2, Treas. Dept. Doc. No. 1300, T38.10.890/pt. 2, Jan. 1890, Washington, DC, 38th; Bowling Green State; Library of Congress, NARA
1891 - CIS-T3810.39.2, Treas. Dept. Doc. No. 1408, T38.10:891/pt. 2, Jan. 1891, Washington, DC, 39th; Columbia;, Bowling Green State; Library of Congress?; Merchant Marine Academy; NARA
1892 - CIS-T3810.40.2, Treas. Dept. Doc. No. 1504, T38.10:892/pt. 2, Jan. 1892, Washington, DC, 40th; Columbia; Bowling Green State; University of Chicago; Free Library, Part 1; Library of Congress?; Merchant Marine Academy; NARA
1893 - CIS-T3810.41.2, Treas. Dept. Doc. No. 1601, T38.10:393/pt. 2, Jan. 1893, Washington, DC, 41th; Columbia; University of Chicago; Library of Congress; Merchant Marine Academy; NARA
1894 - CIS-T3810.42.2, Treas. Dept. Doc. No. 1674, T38.10:894/pt. 2, Jan. 1894, Washington, DC, 42nd; Columbia; Bowling Green State; Library of Congress; Merchant Marine Academy
1853-1898 - CIS microfilm (1853-1893) is available at libraries including: University of Chicago, St. Louis University Law Library
2. Steamboat-Inspection Service. List of Masters, Mates, Pilots, and Engineers of Merchant Steam, Motor, and Sail Vessels, Licensed During the Year Ended December - for a Period of Five Years.1894 - 1905. Annual publication that has lists of licenses granted for a five-year period and status of licenses.
3. Steamboat-Inspection Service. List of Officers of Merchant Steam, Motor, and Sail Vessels, Licensed During the Year � for a Period of Five Years. 1906 - 1915. Annual publication continues Steamboat-Inspection Service. List of Masters, Mates, Pilots, and Engineers � (previous entry).
4. Department of Commerce, Steamboat Inspection Service. List of Officers of Merchant Steam, Motor, and Sail Vessels, Licensed During the Year Ended ..., for a Period of Five Years. 1916-June 30, 1922. Annual publication continues Steamboat Inspection Service. List of Officers of Merchant Steam, Motor, and Sail Vessels ... (previous entry).
