Newlin Grist Mill, Delaware Co., PA

I have been to the Newlin Grist Mill also at our Mendenhall Family Association 2010 family reunion. Very impressive is that mill. They turned on the water for us to see it operating. So the mill itself is about all you will see of all that money. If you read Nathaniel's wife's father's will located at "Thomas Mendenhall III" born 1630 on Geni, you will see that the sisters of Mary had already married and received their dowries. So Mary being single was given her dowry in her father's will. Apparently that was fortunate for her because she received a bequest of 80 pounds in 1683. She sailed immediately then for Penn's communities in Eastern Pennsylvania. In less than 2 years she married Nathaniel Newlin and they merged what money they had. Mary was able to buy 2000 acres at least in Concord. That was more than all her brothers purchased combined there in Concord. Quickly the settlers began reselling their land for an enormous profit. So Mary could have sold a portion of her land and put it into the grist mill. There you have "all of that money", but it was really rather small still compared to today's money. Let it ride invested in some dependable investment which will grow with the rate of inflation and wait over 300 years and that money becomes more valuable still. The mill operated as a commercial business until 1941. So just think of all the money that business made over all those years.