Old Stone Mill NHS - The Delta Mill Society

History

Owners and Millers
research by Wade Ranford, listing compiled by Ken Watson


Owner              Miller*         Dates           Notes
William Jones
1808-1811
-- -- Jones purchases land from Abel Stevens, construction of mill started in 1810, completed by March 1812
William Jones
1812-1831
Ira Schofield 1812 Jones got married that year
-- Jones & Schofield 1813-1815 Mill operated under the partnership of Jones & Schofield (details and exact timelines unclear)
-- William Jones 1816
-- Jones & Schofield 1817
-- James Schofield Jr. 1818-1819 In 1818, Ira Schofield leaves the Delta area. In 1819 Jones mortaged the mill for £1,358 to his brothers Charles and Jonas Jones
-- William Jones 1820-1825
-- none 1826 Mill idle that year
-- J.K. Hartwell & James L. Schofield 1827-28 Leased to J.K. Hartwell & James L. Schofield
-- none 1829-31 mill appears to have been idle. Jones dies in 1831
Charles Jones
Amelia Jones
Henry Jones

1831
-- -- Mill goes to William's brother Charles. He sells it for a nominal sum to William's widow, Amelia. She sells it to Henry Jones (Willam's cousin) for £500
Henry Jones
1831-1835
Edward Matson 1832-1834 Mill leased to Edward Matson
-- none 1835 mill dormant - put up for sale
James & Amelia Macdonell
1836-1847
James Macdonell 1837-1847 Macdonells purchase mill for £500. They immediately mortage it for that amount to Alexander Grant. Amelia was William Jones widow. They add a 3 runs of stones for two years
Amelia Macdonell
1848-1849
Amelia Macdonell 1848-1849 Mill goes to James & Amelia's son Alexander, executor of the estate, who makes Amelia the owner of record. They continues to run the mill after the death of James. Uncertain what help she had in operating the mill.
Walter H. Denaut
1850-1889
Walter Bush (1850-1867)

Charlie VanLuven (~1867 - after 1881)
? Denaut discharged three existing mortages on the mill and in 1851, invests £ 2,600 (~$400,000 2022$)in repairs.
It's unclear if Bush was the miller for the entire time of Denaut's ownership
In 1861 Denaut invests $20,000 (~$700,000 2022$) builds the turbine shed and installs 2 turbines. Denaut generally had 3 to 4 employees in the mill. Bush appears to be his first miller, with Charlie VanLuven replacing him after Bush left Delta in 1867
Caroline Denaut
1889-1893
James L.S. Denaut 1889-1893 James was the son of Walter & Caroline
George Haskin
1894-1912
? Purchases the mill for $6,000 on October 5, 1893. Haskin had a steam engine installed in 1899. It was removed in about 1904.
Hastings Steele
1913-1962
? Original purchase for $8,000 on March 14, 1913 done in partnership with James Huffman. In 1914, Steele took full control and entered into a new partnership with Omer P. Arnold which lasted until 1921. In the 1920s & 30s, Steele was assisted by his son W.R. Steele. Flour milling ceases c.1942. Feed milling and sawmilling continue to 1949. Mill just used as a feed and electrical equipment store after that.
The Delta Mill Society
1963 to present
-- -- In 2010, the Delta Mill Society restored a pair of working millstones to the mill and grinds wheat on a demonstration basis.


* Only in a few instances is a specific miller known (i.e. William Bush), in other instances it is simply inferred since owners (except for Walter Denaut) were mostly hands-on operators. References to specific employees are rare.

BACK TO THE HISTORY PAGE




The Delta Mill Society   The Delta Mill Society
Box 172, Delta, Ontario K0E 1G0
Tel: 613-928-2584 (office)
Email: info@deltamill.org
The Delta Mill Society

Home | Mill Society | Events | Donate | The Mill | Restoration | Flour | Photos | Newsletter | Tours | Links

© The Delta Mill Society

Website design & maintenance donated by: Ken Watson

Graphics design by Dan Moran and Ken Watson