John & Mary Slatter's story

1861 UK Census for 55 Leman St. in Whitechapel, London

The life of hubby's great-granddad, John Slatter (1838-1901), spanned two continents. He was born in Oxfordshire, England; lived in London for years; and somehow got to Cleveland, Ohio by 1889, where he was a wallpaper cleaner and hanger.

He had two wives, and three of his six children (John, Henry, and Albert) grew up to become celebrated military bandmasters in Canada. One of his grandchildren (Edgar J. Wood) was also musical, apparently inspired or encouraged by Mary Shehen (or Shehan) Slatter, John Slatter's first wife. (See below for links to my posts about Mary Shehan.)

Where/when did Mary, John's first wife, die? How did he meet his second wife (Louisa A.M.), whose maiden name is still a mystery? And what happened to his first-born son Thomas John Slatter? Thomas isn't (apparently) alive when his youngest sister Mary dies in 1925 (at least, he's not mentioned among her siblings in her obit).

Children of John Slatter and Mary Shehen Slatter:
Thomas John Slatter, Albert William Slatter, John Daniel Slatter, Henry Arthur Slatter, Adelaide Mary Ann Slatter, Mary Slatter

Here are my posts about John Slatter and his children, 2008-2013:

• Seeking Slatter descendants (summary of John Slatter's progeny)
• Who was Louisa A.M. Slatter? (what I know about her occupation, obit, burial)
• Captain John Slatter, bandmaster (of the 48th Highlanders Regiment in Toronto)
• The musical Slatter brothers (a bit about the bandmaster careers of John Slatter's 3 musical sons)
• John Slatter died in Cleveland (in 1901, info about his obit and cemetery)
• Capt. Jack Slatter's obit (informally Capt. Jack instead of Capt. John, he was quite a famous bandmaster, as obit explains)
• Capt. Jack Slatter at Camp Borden in Canada (photo and info about his military uniform, identified by one of my fabulous readers)
• Remembrance Day: Capt. Jack Slatter (summary of his military career)
• Mary Slatter marries James Edgar Wood (John Slatter's youngest daughter marries in Toledo, Ohio in 1898) AND their marriage cert from 21 September 1898.
• John Slatter's father, was a cook at Christ Church College, Oxfordshire (according to research by Slatter genealogist in UK). And in case you want more confusion, John's father was also named John Slatter. So there.
• John Slatter's Cleveland work (Cleveland city directory shows him as paperhanger/cleaner) 
• John Slatter's Cleveland cemetery card (before I knew exactly where he was buried)
• John Slatter and Mary Shehen's marriage cert (married in Whitechapel in 1859, son Thomas John was born in 1860). John Slatter's father John, also a cook, was listed as deceased when they married on Dec. 18, 1859.
• Capt. Jack Slatter and the 48th Highlanders of Toronto (book found through WorldCat)

Posts about Mary Shehan Slatter and family, 2008-2012:

• Mary's parents, John and Mary Shehan, were born in Ireland around 1801. By 1841, they were living in Marylebone, London.
• Mary Shehan (the younger) married John Slatter in Whitechapel in 1859. At this time, Mary's father was working as a bricklayer, according to the marriage record.

Mary Shehan's mother and father were living in Marylebone in 1851, according to the UK census. Her dad, John, was a laborer and her mother Mary was a laundress. Also in the household: Thomas, age 17, Michael, age 11, and niece Bridget Waddinger, b. in Ireland (age 6).

By 1861, John and Mary were still in the same place (20 Gray's Buildings) and only their son Michael, age 21, was living with them. In the 1871 census, John and Mary were still in Gray's Buildings in Marylebone, he a laborer and she in laundry. What became of John and Mary Shehan?

I joined the British Isles Genealogy group on Facebook not long ago, and posted a request for advice about tracing the Shehans back to their Irish roots. Members suggested I contact St. James's Roman Catholic Church because it's located very close to where the Shehans lived in London. Unfortunately, the church secretary replied that they have no record of the Shehans--but she recommended that I contact Our Lady of the Rosary Church, not far from them. I wrote in late July, 2013, and hope to hear soon.