About the earliest documentary this writer has chanced upon was found in the Legislative Library, in Fredericton, N.B. wherein records of applications for governmental permits to cut logs (apparently on Crown lands) in this general area were made and honoured in 1818. I might insert at this point-- that Crown permits were essential in this period in the lumbering of pine from either governmental or even privately owned lots; and fees were exacted for same, from prospective applicants. I could cite one instance; Henry WHITTIER (quite likely the one for whom Whittier Ridge was named) "applied to cut" 500 tons of timber on the east side of the Digdeguash River beginning three-quarters of a mile up the river and three miles back. The rollingdam is about two miles above the "bridge". This description, though a bit unclear at first reading would seem to place the lumbering site on the Richard McFARLANE block; or the S. G. Bryant lot above it and the "bridge" mentioned herein would be probably be the one where the old Fredericton-St. Andrews road crossed the river and climbed eastward over the Whittier Ridge.
However, although locations are quite general and points of identification are hardly more that guess-work, yet such papers reveal some facts as to time, place, activity, and people of these early days. (Whether this particular application was honoured or not is not indicated). However, another applicant was James CONNICK, who, on May 2nd, 1818, obtained "a permit to cut 300 logs on the west side of the Digdeguash River above and below the ( rolling) dam covered about a mile in length. The Dam is about five miles from "Jones' Brook ". ( I might add that both James CONNICK and Malcolm McFARLANE had lumbered the Jones' Brook area the year before, in 1817) and James BROWN, original owner of Block No. 2 on the west side of the River and south of the McFARLANES lands also lumbered in 1818 what later may have become his own block. The above information is drawn from the Department of Municipal Affairs County Records, General Inventory Archives Library, U. N. B., Fredericton.
But some 7 or 8 years earlier ( in 1810), Daniel HILL, Henry WHITTIER, Rueben WHITTIER, David LAITON, Jediah GULL, and Edward BLACK asked for land for settlement on the Digdeguash River-- and from all indications at least the first four named above obtained lands on Whittier Ridge and later settled thereon-- which must have been around 1816 or 1818. Another indication of settlements in this general area can be seen in a list of workmen on the Old Fredericton Road as follows; Henry and Rueben WHITTIER, William BUDD, Paul McDANIEL, Caleb BARTLETT, Leonard BARTLETT, Samuel WYMAN, Samuel CONNICK, Thomas CONNICK, Daniel HILL, E. BLACK and many other original settlers, all of whom worked on this old road,-- and most likely on these sections within Charlotte County nearest to their own localities.
(From "Account of Payments by Christopher HATCH and John CAMPBELL for labor performed on the Great Road of Communication from St. Andrews to Fredericton during the years; 1817, 1818, 1819".) I cite the above merely to show extent and variety of activities in this area of Charlotte County in general and in the Rollingdam section in particular in the second decade of the 19th.century. In fact-- this Old Road was indeed a major influence in the development of Rollingdam-- as also other communities along its meandering route.
In 1817, Jeremiah SPRAGUE, Malcolm McFARLANE, David McFARLANE, William McKAY, John H. ARMSTRONG, Wm. CHALMERS, Lachlan CAMERON, Duncan CAMERON, Duncan CARMICHAEL, Robert JOHNSTON, and Wm. CAMERON, all sons of Loyalists from the U.S., all asked for lands on the Digdeguash River containing 2,800 acres. Also, Walter McFARLANE (native of Scotland who came to America in 1778, serving in H.M. 74th Regiment), along with John McFARLANE, asked for land on this river containing 400 acres. (Lachlan and John CAMERON'S father)