This house on Mornington was built at the height of a building boom in Stratford. People from the British Isles and norther Europe had been arriving because there were lots of jobs available due to the arrival of the Grand Trunk Railroad. Stratford became a hub for the rail lines which also led to secondary industries like furniture building. With all this activity many families had members that brought skills such as masonry and carpentry.

One such family was the Scown family. John Henry Scown was born on May 29, 1849, in Cornwall, England. His parents, William and Elizabeth brought their 12 children with them and journeyed to Stratford for work. William was a mason/plaster.

On October 23, 1865, John at 19 years old married Anna White. They lived on William Street and had 4 children: Thomas (February 22. 1866); William (May 13, 1869); Edwin (July 31, 1871) and Charles (May 16, 1872). Anna died on October 2, 1872, after suffering for two weeks with typhoid fever. She is buried in Avondale Cemetery. Charles died 8 days after his mother.

John married Mary Bell Stevens from Paris, Ontario on January 8, 1873. It was around this time that John purchased the property on Mornington Street. John likely learned his plastering skills from his father. It was common at the time for tradesmen to buy land and build on it. It took John several years to complete the job before a family could move in.

John and Mary had 6 children: Eva Jeanette (February 12, 1874); Albert John (December 12, 1876); Amy (January 14,

1878); Maitland (September 25, 1879); Mabel (December 27, 1881). Sadly, Mabel died when she was 1 year old. After Mabel, they had Emily who died within the first year. On August 26, 1885. Mary Bell passed away. They had been married 12 years and had moved to Elizabeth Street. Later that year John married Jennie McWhinnie. Sadly, it was not uncommon for women to die young and men to remarry quickly so there would be someone able to look after the children. John continued to work as a mason and by 1891, he had lost his son Albert.

In 1895, John and Jennie packed everyone up and moved to Illinois where he continued to work as a mason. John passed away on January 3, 1915, of pneumonia. He was predeceased by Jennie who past in 1912. They are both buried in Illinois.

John Scown had 10 children, 3 died very young and the rest lived in Ontario and the United States. None appear to have raised a family in the Stratford area even though 2 of his wives are buried in Avondale Cemetery.

Thomas married Harriett Rapson, and they had 3 children while living in the state of Washington. William married Lily Steinberg, and they had 11 children while living in the Toronto area. Little is known about Edwin who appears not to have married. Eva married Albert Snape, and they had 4 children while living in Illinois. Amy married Max Humann, and they had 11 children while living in Illinois. Maitland married Mamie O'Malley, and they had 4 children while living in Wyoming.