Shone Family History
The Shone story commences with William Shone who married Mary Grindley on 10th December 1752, at Whitchurch, Salop, England. They had three children Thomas Shone born 7th January 1760 at Whitchurch, Ann Shone who was Baptised 30th December 1756 and William Shone who was baptised 13 March 1757.
Their son, Thomas Shone who was baptised on 7th January, 1760 married in 1784, Hannah Massey.
They had 5 children. William, Thomas, Hannah, Elizabeth and Robert.
William was baptised on 26th July 1785 at Stanton-upon-Hine Heath. He was a labourer and was transported to Tasmania aboard the Woodford in 1826. William was tried at the Chester Session of Pleas on 3rd April 182, for stealing a cow, and received a life sentence.
He had formerly been pardoned after serving four years and five months of a fourteen year sentence for horse stealing. William was 5ft 10 inches in height, had dark brown hair, hazel eyes and was 40 years of age, and was by trade a farmer’s labourer, butcher and shepherd. He had a wife and child at his native place Stanton, Cheshire. William arrived in Hobart Town by the ship Woodford in 1826.
In October 1827 Thomas Shone applied to have his brother assigned to him. This was not allowed because two of Thomas’s assigned men had just been sentenced to the chain gang for harbouring a runaway convict (CSO 1/208/4935).
In May 1828, H.R. Oaks of ‘Rodlands’ wrote to W.H. Hamilton, Police Magistrate at New Norfolk recommending that William be made a Special Constable. Lieutenant-Governor Arthur objected saying”…that I find the convict he recommends is a “second transport” and ought to have been sent to Macquarie Harbour on his arrival and I am at a loss to know how he escaped a fate which he so justly merited. But at all events, had his character been unobjectionable, the measure is deemed unadvisable by the Police of appointing any “Special Constables”
William’s subsequent career was not good and on 1st June 1837, he was again sentenced to transportation for life, this time for cattle stealing. At that time he was holding a Ticket of Leave and leasing a farm at Back River, New Norfolk, from his brother Thomas.
Upon his conviction the Crown took possession of his effects, but Thomas claimed that William’s farm had in fact been largely stocked by him and that at the time of the trial he was owed £95. The matter was eventually referred to the Attorney-General who stated that Thomas had no title to the property. (CSO/5/59/1343).
Thomas was born 12th April 1799 at Stanton-upon-Hine Heath and married Susannah Westlake. He was transported to NSW in 1812 on the ‘Guilford’ and then to Tasmania.
Hannah Shone was baptised on 22nd August 1791 at Stanton-upon-Hine Heath, and she died 23rd May 1793 at Stanton-upon-Hine Heath. She is buried in the Church of England Church and her headstone is still visible. (see previous page)
Elizabeth Shone was baptised on 11th September 1794 at Stanton-upon-Hine, Heath, Shropshire
Robert Shone was baptised 13 August 1797, Stanton-upon-Hine Heath, Shropshire, England.
Robert married Sarah Cliff (baptised 19th September 1798 Whitchurch, Shropshire, England, opn 24th July 1823 at Whitchurch, Shropshire, England. Sarah died around 1827, probably in childbirth.
They had two children, Thomas Shone born 1824 and John Shone born 1827
Robert Shone was a ploughman and a butcher by trade in the village of Tilstock, near Whitchurch, in the county of Shropshire, England. On 19th March 1830, Robert was convicted of cattle stealing, (at the Salop assizes in Shrewsbury) and was sentenced to be transported for life to Van Diemen’s Land. He was duly sent on board the ship “Clyde’ which sailed from Portsmouth on the 20th August 1830. 110 days later the ship was at anchor in Hobart Town. On the 14th January 1831 Robert died in the Colonial Hospital in Hobart.
Sarah Cliff came from a family that had lived in Whitchurch area for many generations. Her parents were Thomas Cliff and Martha Dickens, who were married on 31st October 1775.
Their son, Thomas was baptised on 27th June 1824 at Tilstock, Shropshire, England and he died 25th October 1890 in Nelson, New Zealand. Thomas married Sarah Ann Leech who was baptised 15th March 1829 in Manchester, she died 15th February, 1891 in Nelson, New Zealand.
Their son John was born 7th February 1827 in Tilstock, Shropshire England and he died 13th November 1897 at Bronington Flintshire Wales. He married Sarah Pover on 14th January 1858 in Bronington Flintshire, Wales. Sarah died 30th October 1879 again in Bronington, Flintshire, Wales.
John Shone remained in England and was a farmer who farmed for many years at ‘Crab Mill’ farm in Bronington, a place only a few miles from Tilstock over the border into Flintshire Wales.
He and Sarah had a son John Shone born 29th October 1858 at Tilstock, Shropshire, England, died 9th February 1937 at Denbigh, Denbighshire, Wales. He married Elizabeth Jane Large born 1857 in Broningon, Flintshire, Wales, on 20th January 1881 at Ellesmere, Shropshire, England. She died on 27th January 1936 in Bronington, Flintshire, Wales. They had no children.
John Shone senior married Sarah Woollam, born 17th December 1847 at Wuxhall, Shropshire, on 18th November 1880 in Ellesmere, Shropshire. Sarah died on 20th November 1911, at Bronington, Flintshire Wales. They had no children.
Their son Thomas eventually settled in New Zealand, and was a cabinetmaker by trade. His wife, Sarah Ann Leech, was the daughter of Jonathon and Elizabeth Leech. Jonathon Leech was a Wheelwright by trade.
Records indicate that Thomas and Sarah had two children in England. Sarah, born 19th September 1850, at Hulme, Manchester, Lancashire, and who died on 11th March 1852. Her twin John also died on 17th March 1852. Thomas Shone and his wife Sarah, left England in 1855 to settle in Melbourne, Victoria.
It was in that city that Thomas Henry and Alfred were born. On 7th September, 1861, Thomas set sail from Melbourne on the ship ‘Hydra’. The ship arrived into Port Chalmers on the 24th September. A few months later, Sarah and the two children, Thomas Henry and Alfred, also departed from Melbourne bound for Otago.. They travelled on the ship ‘Commodore Perry’ arriving at Port Chalmers on 18th January 1862. Later in 1862 the family were resident in Nelson, New Zealand, where their daughter, Eliza Emily was borne - the very first New Zealand born Shone!
Thomas, meanwhile had set up in business as a cabinetmaker by late 1862. As was often the case in those times, this line of work encompassed Undertaking as well. The funeral side of his business was to predominate in later years, especially once the business had been handed on to his sons - Alfred in particular.
a.Their children Thomas Henry Shone was born 2nd July 1857 in Melbourne, and he died 6th August 1923 in Richmond, New Zealand. Thomas married Elizabeth Stanton who was born 26th December 1856 in Motueka, New Zealand, on 12th October 1879 in Nelson New Zealand. Elizabeth died 13th October 1910 in Nelson NZ
They had seven children.
Maud Shone who was born 14th June 1880 in Nelson, and who died 31st May 1941 in Auckland. She married Henry Joseph Murphy who was born 1884 in Napier, on 16th April 1909. Henry died 16th May 1936 at Gisborne. They had two children Nina and Pax.
Alfred Edward Shone was born 12th July 1881 in Nelson and died 7th July 1956 in Nelson. He married Bridget Mary Hannagan who was born 25th October 1884 in Waitara, Taranaki, on 27th September 1905. Bridget died 12 March 1981 in Nelson. They had 10 children: (Thomas) Cliff, Kathleen, Nora, (Edward) Brian, (Eva) Elizabeth, unnamed infant boy who died, Patrick, (Alfred) Phillip, James, Peter.
Patrick was born in 1915 in Nelson and he married Georgina Mary Elizabeth Brailey in 1940. Their son, John Christopher Shone has provided this valuable information.
Eva Emily Shone was born 14th January 1883, in Nelson, and she died 5th March 1936 in Auckland. She married Thomas Charles Beaumont who was born 26th May 1890 in Wellington, on 22nd June 1920 in Giosborne. Thomas died 23rd July 1974. They had three children (Winifred) Joan, David and Olive.
Olive May Shone was born 24th February 1886 in Nelson, and died on 23rd August 1950 in Wellington. She married Charles William White born 1877, on 9th March, 1905 in Nelson. Charles died 16th July 1938 in Wellington. They had three children, Alan, Kelvin, Hazel.
Thomas Leslie Shone was born 1st April 1889 in Nelson, and died 21st August 1929 in Gisborne. He married Frances Bell Poppelwell born 18th April 1890 in Napier, on 29th January 1913 at Hastings. They had 4 children, John, (Elizabeth) Marie, Margaret, (Thomas) Alan. Frances died on 14th October 1961 at Pahiatha.
Ivy Sefton Shone was born 8th July 1890 in Nelson, and died 31st May 1951 in Nelson. She married (Marmaduke) Alfred Pike born 20th June 1890 on 23rd February 1912 in Nelson. They had two children, Betty and Nancy.
Harry Ashton Shone was born 15th October 1891 in Nelson, and died 14th June 1950 in Hamilton. He married Josepha Marie (Dolly) Meekan born 8th March 1901 in Auckland, on 1st June 1920 at Otorohanga. Josepha died 29th October 1974 in Hamilton. They had 4 children, Marjorie, Leslie, Stanton, Neville.
b. Alfred Shone was born 6th June 1859 in Melbourne and died 3rd April 1949 in Nelson. He married Phoebe Parkes who was born 18th December 1857 in Wakefield on 24th May, 1883 in Nelson. Phoebe died 26th February 1937 in Nelson.
They had 4 children:
Lillian May Shone who was born 1st January 1886 at Nelson, and who died 29th August 1977 in Havelock North, NZ. She married David Henry Hooker on 6th October 1910 in Wellington.
Florence Emiy Shone was born 27th November 1888 in Nelson, and died 28th October 1956 in Christchurch. She married Robert Collingwood Cartner who was born 27th March 1885 in Durham England, on 19th January 1916 in Nelson. Robert died 27th May 1960 in Christchurch in NZ. They had two children, Murray and Shona.
John Alfred Shone was born on 29th June 1890 in Nelson, and he died 2nd December 1914 in Nelson.
Ethel Beatrice Shone was born 26th January 1893 in Nelson, and died 16th January 1977 in Nelson. She married David James Hogg on 2nd July 1919. He died 14th October 1972 in Nelson. They had one child J.S.Peter.
Alfred Shone, who was a cabinetmaker by trade, later was to concentrate the business that his father, Thomas had established into the wellknown Undertaking firm A.Shone & Co. During his long lifetime, Alfred was involved in the Foresters Lodge, lawn bowls, and as a young man in his late teens and early twenties, was a member of the local Naval Brigade. It was as a member of this brigade, that he took part in the rescue of passengers from the wreck of the ship ‘Queen Bee’ off French Pass, north of Nelson, in 1877. For this action, he and his naval companions were awarded gallantry service medals and given a heros welcome on return to Port Nelson.
It was due to the fact that Alfred’s only son, John, who died young, meant no heir to leave his business to, together with advanced age, that the business was sold out of the Shone family around 1927. At one time Alfred did have one of his nephews in the business, Alfred Edward, but the nephew later moved into another line of work altogether.
c. Eliza Emily Shone was born 25th November 1862 in Nelson, and she died 16th November 1930 in Wellington. She married John Richard Jones who was born around 1845 in Aberystwyth, Wales on 29th April 1885 in Nelson. John died 19th August 1919 in Wellington.
