Jacob Beam Mill Stone

Jacob Beam Mill Stone. . Jacob Beam (1728 - 1812) was a British Loyalist from Sussex County, New Jersey. During the American Revolution, he was jailed, fined and stripped of his land as punishment for assisting the British army., The Beam family, including Jacob's wife Catherine (1737 - 1820), emigrated to Upper Canada in 1788, following the end of the war. They settled in this area where Beam was granted a large portion of land in Clinton Township and Grimsby Township, partially located along the Thirty Mile Creek., In 1790 Jacob Beam built a gristmill and a sawmill in Grimsby Township. Over the years several additions were made including, an oil mill, a turning machinery shop, a tannery, a monument shop, a blacksmith shop and two hotels. These businesses greatly diversified the area and brought prosperity to the people and local economy., A settlement grew around the mills that was named Johnstown after Jacob Beam's son John. A mill was a critical part of every community and was often essential to the development of an area; settlers needed a place to have their harvested grains ground into flour. A village's mill owner was a valuable member of the community and was widely respected., In 1794 Jacob Beam petitioned for additional land and with success, the Beam family settled on newly granted land where they founded the village that carries their name-Beamsville., Jacob Beam's family operated the mills for many years after his death. When the mills eventually became decrepit, this mill stone was carefully preserved by the Holubowsky family, who lived and farmed for decades on the original Beam property along Thirty Mile Creek., The Beam family generously donated land where the Baptist Church, and the first schoolhouse in Clinton Township were built. Jacob and Catherine Beam are at rest just a short walk from this Beam family grist mill stone.