George and Emily Stone: Mornington Identities

In the last post I mentioned that two of John Davenport's daughters, Caroline and Emily married two brothers from the Stone family of Mornington, Henry and George. While Caroline and Henry ultimately moved back to Melbourne, George and Emily remained in Mornington, where they raised a huge family.

In the early 1880s, Emily Davenport found employment working as a nursemaid to the children of Rev. James Caldwell at 'Glenbank', where she caught the eye of George Stone, who worked there as a gardener. In 1883 they married and took up residence at Herbert Street, where George had purchased land the year before next to blocks purchased by the Rev. Caldwell, and built a two-roomed cottage. Herbert Street was separated from Mornington proper by Tanti Creek, so George built a bridge to make getting into town easier. Eventually the council replaced this with a new bridge, and signs today still mark it as 'Stone's Crossing'.

George Stone's house c1930 Stone's Crossing c1984

In the following 22 years, George and Emily had 13 children! John (Arthur), Emily, Florence, Edwin Ted), Alfred, Clive, Roy, Ada, Hugh, Mary (May), Leslie, Ivy and Grace. Probably even more surprising for the era, all survived into adulthood. Four of the boys would volunteer for the First World War - I will write about them soon. George established a flourishing vegetable garden and orchard, and kept cows, all of which provided extra income for the family. He had his own lawn mowing business travelling the town on his pony carrying his scythe. He was also the gardener at St Peter's Church of England, as well as a churchwarden, and at the time of his death was said to have never missed a church service in 40 years. Meanwhile, Emily won many prizes at the Mornington Horticultural Show and at the Red Hill Show.

George & Emily Stone and some of their children

George Stone died in 1938 aged 79. A stone wall was erected outside St Peter's Church to his memory as the church's gardener, while inside a plaque marks his faithful service as a warden. Ever since the First World War, Emily made posies to give to disabled soldiers upon visits to Mornington, and the number would have amounted to thousands by the time she died in 1955, aged 94 (Standard, 5/7/1945). Three of the Stone children Les, Grace and Emily continued to live in the original cottage on Herbert Street until 1976.

Note: thanks to the Mornington & District Historical Society Inc. for much of the above information and photographs (http://www.morningtoncemetery.com/Denominations/Historic-C-of-E/Stone/Stone-George.shtml)

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