James Crooks arrived from Kilmarnock Scotland in 1791, joining his half-brother Francis in business as Crooks and Company. They were joined by another brother William and operated the business from Fort Niagara. In 1795, they were forced to move to Niagara-on-the Lake, where they reopened business. Francis died in 1797 and the two remaining brothers renamed the business W and J Crooks. They business was so successful that soon they had a ship called Lord Nelson operating on Lake Ontario, carrying goods between the store at Niagara and Cataraqui. In 1808, James married Jane Cummings, daughter of Thomas Cummings, former Butler's Ranger and founder of Chippawa. By 1811, he had made enough money in his store to buy Lot 5 Concession 2 in West Flamborough through which flowed Spencer's Creek.

In 1812, the Lord Nelson was attacked on Lake Ontario and sunk. As this was before the war was declared, Crooks protested and demanded repayment from the American government. The family finally received compensation—123 years later.

During the War of 1812, James fought in the Battle of Queenston Heights as a captain in the 1st Lincoln Militia. But his store and home in Niagara (located in the present Chautauqua Park) were destroyed, so he turned his attention to his property in West Flamborough. In 1813 he finished construction of a gristmill incorporating a dam and a sluice on Spencer's Creek and named the mill after his hero, Lord Darnley. The ruins of the mill are located at Crooks Hollow, northwest of Dundas.

Darnley Mill ruins

He expanded his business to an astonishing size, including a distillery, linseed oil mill, cooperage, tannery, woollen mill, clothing factory, foundry, agricultural implement factory, and general store. In 1826, he was awarded 125 pounds offered by the Upper Canada government to the first person to build a fully operational paper mill. The first book printed on Canadian paper was produced in this mill in 1830.

At one time, Crooks Hollow was one of the villages in consideration to be named county town for Wentworth County but the honour went to what became Hamilton. Crooks died in 1860 aged 82 but his mills in Crooks Hollow had been sold nine years earlier. The Darnley Mill had been bought by Stutt and Sanderson and continued to operate as a paper mill until 1934. The house built by Stutt is next to the ruin of the Darnley Mill in Crooks Hollow.