Forlong householders in New Zealand

When evangelist Gordon Forlong (1819-1908) brought his family from England to New Zealand in 1876, he did not know how faithfully his descendants would go forth and multiply. A reunion in 1976 was attended by a substantial number of descendants, a reminder of how large 19th-century families could be. A fair proportion of his sons and grandsons became farmers in the southern half of the North Island and some went further afield. One grandson became a world-renowned film-maker; one great-grandson became New Zealand's first Privacy Commissioner was later knighted; and most residents of the western half of Hamilton will be aware of the Forlong name attached to a furnishing business. See Gordon Forlong (1819-1908)/descendants for many of the names.

New Zealand Post office directories were issued nearly every year from the late 19th century. They list householders, often giving occupations and exact addresses. The following table gives examples.