The Mill, McKelvey, Douglas, Craig, Barnett, Donnelly

This mill had many owners. It was a corn mill and then a flax mill.

Then by the start of the 1900`s

The Corn Mill.

This old corn mill was started up in the mid 1800`s by a man called Alexander Patterson to serve the local farms. It then came into the ownership of the McKelvey family. It is not clear what connection these two families had to each other. In 1856 Mary Anne McKelvey is named as the leasor. There is a little confusion here because there is listed Alexander Patterson as the owner of the mill which is run by Mary Anne’

McKelvey`s name is still above the door. In 1832 there is a record of a Niall McKelvey living here. He must have had a family because in 1856 the place belongs to a Mary Anne McKelvey and she also owns another farm nearby.  By 1885 it had passed to David Ross Moore and afterwards back to William McKelvey. Later it passed to Thomas Graham. Then, in 1901 the mill was being run by widow Mattie Douglas 60  and her son, Hugh 20.  Mattie then brought her grandson, John Craig at 10 years of age to live at the mill house. They are all still there in 1911, although Mattie is then, 87 years old. Hugh and John worked in the mill until John left to join the army during World War 1. John Craig ran the mill for a few years but gave it up.  Then, at some stage, in the 1920s, the Jamie George Barnetts from Moneyconey took over the mill for a while. Some time later Dan Donnelly from Straw bought the place and ran a scutch  mill there. His family still live in the old mill house. (Below)