Ward, Edmund. 1841. An Account of the River St. John, with Its Tributary Rivers, 2nd Ed. Sentinal Office, Fredericton. 96 p. Digitized 17 Nov 2005.

Link to pdf of scan of entire book. 3.1 MB download. Google Books. Original from Harvard University.

Excerpt from p. 4,5, 46, which discusses Harvey Settlement.

“Leaving the Hanwell, the road passes through much good farming land with several patches of swamp and barrens, and some ranges of “stony ground”” until it comes near the Etina Lake, where Chassey, an active Canadian and several other settlers, have for a number of years been located. Here the soil is good and productive, and the same good land, broken in some places as above, continues on each side of the line to the Harvey settlement. This a settlement composed entirely of English and Scottish emigrants, Borderers, who having been unfortunate in their bargain with the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia Land Company, were under the particular patronage of the government settled there by way of experiment. Thy suffered severe hardships and privations for a time, both sexes carrying heavy loads on their backs a great distance through the wilderness; but have now comfortable dwellings, and clearings in the woods, have raised fine crops these two last years, and the neatly thatched “stacks of corn” that abound in the settlement, remind one of the old country. They and the Hanwell Irishmen are first-rate road makers. Beyond this settlement there is a beautiful district of excellent land, all owned an held in a wilderness state by the proprietors, until the expenditure of the public money on the road, and the labours of the poor emigrants shall quadruple its value; when passing near the Oromocto Lake, we come to the spot where Mr. Ensor, and eccentric English gentleman, some years since made a clearing and built a house, which have since been abandoned.” Further discussion on p. 92 also describes conditions in Harvey Settlement: “Passing through this settlement [Harvey] in a hurried manner, I had but little time for observation. I saw sufficient however to satisfy me, of the very great improvements that its inhabitants have effect within a short time. There are extensive clearing’ and everywhere the indications of comfort and contentment. This settlement was commenced in 1837, the individuals composing it receiving advances from government, which they have nearly repaid by labour upon the main road to St. Andrews. And as a proof of what may be effected by industry and attention, besides labouring on the road, these people succeeded in raising during the last year on twenty-seven allotments, from 184 acres which were under crop 13 tons of hay, 2037 bushels of oats, 192 bushels of wheat, 436 bushels of barley and other grain, 6781 bushels potatoes, 813 bushels turnips, and twenty bushels of other roots. They have also at present fifteen cows, seven horses, four oxen, seven sheep and nineteen swine; and there are besides three hundred and twenty-seven acres chopped, which will be in crop next year; exclusive of what I saw that have been chopped during the present winter.