John BeaverVeteran

A dynasty of Westminster stone carvers began with John about 1830 and ended with his grandson, also named John. In between were two carvers named Andrew J. and Andrew, Jr. Joseph L. Mathias bought the very successful Beaver family business in 1906 following the death of the second John (1850-1906). John, the dynasty’s founder, served during the War of 1812 and fought at the Battle of North Point during the British attack on Baltimore. In later years, he “delighted to gather around him the friends of his youth and recount the scenes of the war in which he served.” Before he had that leisure time, he pursued a career in stonecutting from his shop near the Reisterstown-Westminster Turnpike, slightly east of Westminster. He turned out tombstones ranging in price from $7 to $29 and likely cut window and

doorsills as well. Few early carvers left their names or initials on the stones they produced,

but John’s name appears at the base of at least one headstone erected here.

John’s only son, Andrew J., was running the family business by 1858 when he moved it

into Westminster several doors west of Odd Fellows Hall on East Main Street. By the

1870s, Andrew’s sons, John and Andrew Jr., were following in the trade. It was said

young John showed great promise as a carver. Although he produced some statuary,

he apparently did not make a lot of it.

The large headstone for Anna Maria Beaver (1834-1837), daughter of John and Mary,

standing beside John’s rather conventional marker, was undoubtedly made by her

father. Many of the Beaver stones in this area were moved from their original location

in the Beaver/Lockard Family Cemetery east of Westminster behind the Maryland

State Police Barracks. That cemetery still exists although it is poorly maintained. John

Sr., the dynasty founder, created a headstone for his uncle, Martin Beaver, who died in

1832. The gravestone with its patriotic motif remains in the Beaver/Lockard Family

Cemetery.