The extent people went to, to ensure a namesake...

I came across the Slater family and Francis James Slater, whose son Francis Daniel Philip Slater married a Tobin descendant.  However Francis Jnr was not the first Francis Jnr - apparently people weren't necessarily superstitious if a namesake child died - they'd just go ahead and name the next child that name, and the next one, and....

Francis James Slater appears to have arrived in New Zealand on the ship Zealandia in 1858 with his family.  Francis was only a year old at the time.  Travelling with him was his family - all from Leicester and listed as:

Daniel Slater, Carpenter, aged 32 (1826 - 1894)
Susannah Slater, Millwright, aged 32 (1826)
Joseph Daniel Slater aged 7 (1851 - 1925)
Eva Slater aged 5 (1853)
Mary Susannah Slater aged 3 (1855 - 1937) married Charles Henry Winny (1852 - 1924) in 1881
Francis Slater aged 1 1/4 (1857)

The family arrived in the port of Canterbury on 21 September 1858

Francis James Slater married Margaret Calder (born 1861) in 1878.  They had the following children:

1. Francis Daniel Slater (1884 - 1884) died aged just 11 weeks

2. Norah Slater (23 October 1885 - 1973)

3. Hilda Slater (1888 - 1895) died aged just six years

4. Francis Roy Slater (1890 - 1890) died aged just one month

Margaret died aged 30 in 1891 and so Francis, left at that point with two young daughters, married reasonably quickly - to Deliah Flaherty in 1893.   They seem to have lived in Otago.  They had the following children including a third, and finally a stronger, namesake for Francis Slater:

5. Francis Daniel Philip Slater (1896 - 1962) married Catherine Emma Tobin (1903 - 1948) in 1925 - served in WWI

6. Annie Madeline Slater (1897) married William John Barry in 1920

7. Reginald Derbyshire Slater (25 June 1899 - 1980)

8. Stanley George Slater (17 January 1901 - 1992) married Sarah Ann Elizabeth Bacon (29 December 1898 - 1981) in 1920

9. Mary Susannah Slater (1902)

10. Winifred Dehlia Slater (28 April 1904 - 1990) married Thomas McDowell in 1927

11. Morgan Pierpoint Slater (1909 - 1962)

Incidentally, Francis Snr's brother Joseph Daniel Slater married Amelia Manning (1853 - 1939) in 1875 and had the following children:

1. Elsie Derbyshire Slater (1881 - 1952) married Douglas George Jackson (1877 - 1946) in 1903.  They had a son Alexander Douglas Jackson (18 April 1904 - 1982)

2. Christopher Stanley Slater (1890 - 1964).  Information I've received from a relative of Stanley, suggests that he was in fact adopted.  When I look back at his birth registration, it's clear that this is probably exactly right, as his birth in 1890 wasn't registered until 1926 (later registrations are often indicative of adoption).  Stanley married Ellen "Nellie" Adamson (1890 - 1965) in 1913.  Stanley's birth parents were apparently James Frederick Curtis and Ellen Alice Neale. 



**Thanks to Elwyn Goldbury for updated information.