Bellamy’s Mills – A Forgotten Hamlet in Kitley

Bellamy’s Mills

The Livingston Brothers were among a group of settlers brought to Kitley by Able Stevens, the pioneer Baptist missionary whose settlements led to the establishment of both Bastard and Kitley townships.

John Livingston dammed Irish Creek to provide a mill pond for his mill. The damming created a lake in the hollow, and when Chauncey Bellamy settled there nearly half a century later the pond became Bellamy Lake.

Duncan, John and William Livingston were operating a grist mill in the hollow below the outlet of Bellamy Lake in 1796.

John and Duncan Livingston built their mill astride of the creek. The water rushing through the tunnel under the mill turned the wheel to run the machinery which ground the corn and wheat of the neighbouring farmers. The mill lasted until around 1840.

Only pieces of the rock dam exist today showing where the Livingston mill once stood.

The Bellamy’s were pioneer millers and industrialists of Leeds and Grenville. Descendants of United Empire Loyalists Justus Bellamy, four brothers came to Canada in 1810. They were Samuel, Edward, Hiram and Chauncey Bellamy.

Sam Bellamy bought a 400 acre farm from Daniel Dunham at North Augusta. There he built a grist mill that operated for over 150 years until it was removed to Upper Canada Village in 1977.

Chauncey Bellamy left his brothers to start his own mill at Dickens, the hamlet on Elbe Creek known today as Glen Elbe.

In 1855 Chauncey moved his wife and family buying a large mill already in operation from the Livingston’s.

He built the first grist mill two miles west of Toledo in 1855. He settled on the shores of the lake which became to be known as Bellamy’s Lake. Bellamy farmed along the south side of the lake, and ran grist’s mills and sawmills in the district. Chauncey took as a partner A.B.Coad, of Toledo, in the operation of a cheese factory which flourished for about 85 years until loss of business forced its closure some 70 years ago.

Only rotten timbers and heaps of stone remain of the many grist and sawmills which once flourished around this community. (The Recorder and Times c1985)

Schools

Bellamy’s Mill was its own common school section, known as school section #10. The school, first built in 1836, was named S.S. #10 Mahon’s School. The first log school house burned down and was rebuilt in the 1850s across the road. The school ran successfully until the 1910s when it was periodically closed and reopened until its permanent closure in the 1940s. At the time of its closure it was converted into a private residence. Additionally at Bellamys Mill was a Roman Catholic separate school, known as R.C. #10. (Wikipedia)

Chancy Bellamy

The subject of this sketch was born at Elbe (Dickens) in 1818. He is the son of Chancy H. Bellamy, who was one of the early settlers of Yonge. In 1843, Mr. Bellamy married a daughter of James Bates, and in 1855 he purchased the property shown in illustration. Naturally of a sanguine disposition, his energy and perseverance have been the means of building up an extensive business at Kitley Mills. Mr. Bellamy is descended from United Empire Loyalist stock, his progenitors being the founders of North Augusta and among the best businessmen of the United Counties (History of Leeds and Grenville from 1749 to 1879 by Thad. W.H. Leavitt pub. 1879)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Edna’s Scrapbook”

is a paperback book written by Edna B. Chant and was published in 1998. Edna Chant was a reported with the “Athens Reporter” for 23 years and she is the author of four books.

Her book, which is made up of news clippings from various sources, from which we have taken excerpts, gives us a glimpse into life in our area for over a hundred year period ending with stories from 1975.

While her book covers many areas of Leeds and Grenville we have only focused on the area within Elizabethtown-Kitley Township.

Bellamy

Mrs. W.H. Baker drowned in Mud Creek at Bellamy April 4, 1917

On November 7, 1953 Rodney Sheffield, 18, of Bellamy was killed in a car accident at Maitland.

The home of Rene Lavoie at Bellamy was destroyed by fire on February 26, 1968.

Jo Ann Van Asseldonk, 19, was killed at Bellamy on August 20, 1973.

The Kitley Centennial Community Park at Bellamy Lake, one mile west of Toledo, was officially opened on July 15, 1967 with over 1000 persons attending the ceremonies led by township Reeve James Rae Jr., assisted by former Reeve Charles Sands who had launched the project. Speeches were given by the Hon. James Auld; John R. Matheson, MP for Leeds; Des Code, MP for Lanark; George Brown, Warden of the United Counties; a former Reeve Billy Bell and members of the Kitley Council; Rev. J.P. Ainslie gave the invocation. All kinds of sports and contests were enjoyed and 500 persons enjoyed lunch. Prizes were won by oldest couple on the grounds Mr. and Mrs. John Richards whose combined ages were 184 years; former Kitley resident travelling the farthest Herbert Bellamy, London, Ontario. The youngest child born in 1967 was Laurie Lynn Moran, born June 5, 1967