In some locations in some time periods, it was not unusual for couples to reuse names of deceased children. While today the practice would be frowned upon, many of my low-German ancestors had several children with the exact same name, the first ones all dying at a young age. And it wasn’t just this ethnic group that engaged in this practice.<\/p>\n
So consider that those church records indicating three children born with the same name could be correct and look for a death entry for the first ones.<\/p>\n
Don’t just assume they were different children who had the same christening name and took different names later.<\/p>\n
All of which makes the point that it is important to learn about cultural practices for your ancestor’s ethnic group.<\/p>\n