Elisha Beman was a businessman involved in settlement and the trade derived from that endeavour. He was also a JP

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 and held political offices.

Beman was born in New York in 1760 and arrived at York, Upper Canada

York, Upper Canada

York was the name of Old Toronto between 1793 and 1834. It was the second capital of Upper Canada.- History :The town was established in 1793 by Governor John Graves Simcoe, with a new 'Fort York' on the site of the last French 'Fort Toronto'...

 in 1795.

Beman was a signer, as a Provincial Commissioner, of the treaty that created the Lake Simcoe-Lake Huron Purchase

Lake Simcoe-Lake Huron Purchase

The Lake Simcoe-Lake Huron Purchase, registered as Crown Treaty Number Sixteen, was signed November 18, 1815 between the Ojibwa and the government of Upper Canada...

. He also was one of the original settlers and businessmen in Newmarket, Ontario

Newmarket, Ontario

Newmarket is a town in Southern Ontario located approximately 50 km north of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area and is connected to Toronto by freeway, and is served by three interchanges along Highway 404. It is also connected to Highway 400 via Highway 9...

.

He was married to Esther Sayre, widow of Christopher Robinson

Christopher Robinson (politician)

Christopher Robinson was an American-born soldier, lawyer and political figure in Upper Canada.-Early life:He was born in Virginia in 1763, the son of John Robinson, Speaker of the House of Burgesses and sometime President of the Council of Virginia, and his wife Catherine, daughter of Major...

 in 1802 and moved to Newmarket. Beman was stepfather to Sir John Robinson

Sir John Robinson, 1st Baronet, of Toronto

Sir John Beverley Robinson, 1st Baronet CB, was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada.Robinson was born in 1791 at Berthier, Lower Canada, the son of Christopher Robinson, a United Empire Loyalist of one of the First Families of Virginia, whose grandfather came there in 1641 as...

 and William Benjamin Robinson

William Benjamin Robinson

William Benjamin Robinson was a fur trader and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Kingston in 1797, the son of Christopher Robinson and Esther Sayre, and moved to York with his family in 1798. In 1802, his mother remarried after his father's death and moved to Newmarket, where he...

. He died in Newmarket in 1821.