Spelling variants: Rollings, Rollins, Rollin, and Rollms

Walter M. Rollings (1853-1926) was Little Bay’s driver and tireman. He was an Englishman, a Methodist, and the child of Henry Rollingsway and Sarah Hodder. Walter Rollings could read and write having had 8 years of schooling in England. As an adult he showed a continued passion for books and literacy.

Walter and Amelia Rollings had married before crossing the pond and they brought with them two small children. One a girl named Nellie and the other, I suspect, was a boy with the first initial of D. Another girl named Winnifred would be born in Little Bay in the summer of 1891.

I place the arrival of the Rollings family in Little Bay in the later half of 1882. Walter is absent from the voter’s list in ’82 making his first appearance in my records in February ’83. However, they must have crossed before ice blocked steamship service for the winter season. Hence my placement in later ’82. I have found no record of the family in Newfoundland before their appearance in Little Bay. Walter was 29 years old.

Walter Rollings’ job titles in town are interesting and required a little digging to flush out. I found that a tireman was responsible for the iron plates which covered wagon wheels making use of a tire-iron for the task. Driver refers to a type of coachman, likely of a fancy horse-drawn carriage for cab service. His arrival corresponds with the British takeover of the mining company so my guess is he followed his countrymen to the town to provide these services which would prominently favour the upper class. I think it’s possible that he worked for the Hansom cab company or something similar as such companies were expanding across both America and the British colonies at the time.

Oddly, Walter played on the unmarried men’s team at Little Bay’s first Cricket match in the summer of 1883. This was more than likely followed by some celebratory drinking. Cricket was associated with drinking in town and I know Walter was a social drinker during his first years in Little Bay. At this time the town’s Temperance Movement was on the rise. He was publicly noted as having been a regular of the McLean sheeban house in New Years of 1887 and he was called to testify against that infamous couple after the town’s police made their big bust on that bootlegging pair. This is the last time Walter is found recorded drinking, however. He seems to make some life changes thereafter. He becomes involved with the Notre Dame Masonic Lodge in the summer of 1888 climbing their ranks from secretary to senior warden during his stay. He was a founding member of Little Bay’s Billiards and Reading Room Club which formed in 1889. As I’ve noted elsewhere Cricket and the Reading Room were held in contrast in the town during a little cultural war the town had over alcohol. His public shift from cricket to reading is thereby suggestive of a change of stance on drink.

Walter Rollings first love appears to be music. He was an avid performer. My very first record of him puts him on stage at Little Bay’s Public Hall. He performed “That Accounts for the Milk in the Coconut” which derives from an expression meaning a thorough explanation. So if you asked someone to explain something and they did a good job you’d say “well that accounts for the milk in the coconut” in response. He sang for the opening of Little Bay’s Reading Room in April 1889 and he sang “The Last Watch” at a Public Hall concert there in May of 1891. The whole family appears musical. Amelia Rollings performed a duet with Mrs. Tilley on the stage in 1892.

The Rollings family left Little Bay in 1893. They took the SS Tiber from Cow’s Bay to Halifax. I imagine they brought a few books along! Walter Rollings and his family settled in the United States in New Jersey where Walter took up work as an insurance agent. Walter Rollings is found living at Beyonne, Hudson, NJ until at least 1915. He died of pneumonia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1926 and can be found buried there. He left his family his love of song though as his daughter Winnifred listed on the 1910 census as a music teacher.

Closing notes: Winnifred’s birth information is in both Newfoundland records and the New Jersey census. Both put her birth in Newfoundland. The year for the family leaving Newfoundland and arriving in the states is shared in both Newfoundland and New Jersey records. This strongly indicates that the Walter Rollings in Little Bay is the same man found in New Jersey later. However, there are some pieces that don’t quite fit such as his wife’s name being both Amelia and Annie. Walter’s birth date ranges across the mid 1850s in the various records and the voter’s list moves it all the way to 1859. His playing with the unmarried men in that cricket match is also super odd. Approached individually they can be explained. Annie is sometimes called Anna A. so her name may be Anna Amelia. Walter’s birth years are close together with the exception of the voter’s list and when a month is given it’s always November. And he could have filled in the cricket game as that is far from an official record. However, taken together they could make a case against them being the same man. Adding a further wrinkle to this is a MyHeritage page claiming that Walter married Amelia in Little Bay in 1890. No source is offered for this claim. The same page puts Walter’s birth in Little Bay in 1865. That’s 13 years before the town was created. Finally, I’ll add that there were connections between Little Bay and Beyonne that could explain the move. The men who worked Little Bay’s smelters under Mr. Melephant had been sent from Beyonne. Walter could have had friends there. Overall, I think there’s more evidence to claim both Walters are the same man but there is certainly room to take a different position. It’s always wise to do your own research! If you find I’ve got something wrong let me know and if you’ve got sources or pictures pass them along. Please and thank you!

Thanks for reading!

Sources:

• The image used comes from Wikipedia
• 1853, Nov 4th – Walter Rollings born in England to Henry Rollingsway and Sarah Hodder (Pen death cert)
• 1876 – Marriage of Walter Rollings to Anna in England (1910 New Jersey census)
• 1880, May – Birth of Nellie Rollings to Walter and Annie in England (1915 NJ census)
• 1882 – Absent from Little Bay voter’s list
• 1883, Feb – W. Rollings performed “that accounts for the milk in the coconut” at the Public Hall (Twillingate Sun)
• 1883, Aug – Walter Rollings played cricket as a benedict (TS)
• 1887, Jan 26th – Constable Meaney issued a subpoena to Water Rolling (Wells) 
• 1887, April – Walter Rolling is summoned as a witness to the McLean bust. He was a regular to their sheeban house. He is listed as a driver and tireman (TS)
• 1888, June – Walter Rollings is the secretary for the Notre Dame Masonic Lodge (ET/TS)
• 1888, Sept – Walter Rollings is the secretary for the Notre Dame Masonic Lodge (TS)
• 1888, Oct – Walter Rollings donated to 1888 forest fire relief (Daily Colonist)
• 1889 – Walter Rollings is living at Little Bay. Age 30 (Voter’s List)
• 1889, April – Walter Rollings performed a song at the opening of Little Bay’s Billiards and Reading Room Club (TS)
• 1889, Sept – W. Rollins senior warden for the Notre Dame Masonic Lodge (TS)
• 1890, Jan – Walter Rollings signed a letter to the departing Mr. Burgess as part of Little Bay’s Billiards and Reading Room Club (Evening Telegram)
• 1890, Sept – W. Rollings junior warden for the Notre Dame Masonic Lodge (TS)
• 1891, May – Mr. Rollings performed the song “The Last Watch” at a concert in the Public Hall (TS)
• 1891, July 31st – Birth of Winnifred Rollings to Walter and Amelia (Civ births)
• 1891, Aug – Bro. D. Rollings did a reading of “Stick a pin in d’ere” as part of the Notre Dame Masonic Lodge (TS)
• 1891, Dec – Mrs. Rollins and Mrs. Tilley performed a duet of “List! to the covent bels” and W. M. Rollings “acquitted himself in a most masterful way” at a Masonic event (TS, 1892, Jan)
• 1893, Jan – Walter Rollings along with his wife and three children left for Halifax on the Tiber via Cow Bay (ET)
• 1893 – Walter Rollins and family immigrate to the United States (1900 NJ census)
• 1900 – Walter, Annie A., Winnifred, and Nellie Rollins found living in Hudson, New Jersey. He had eight years of school and could read and write. Walter working in insurance (Census)
• 1910 – Walter, Anna, Winnifred, and Nellie Neale living in Hudson, New Jersey. Walter worked as an insurance agent and Winnifred as a music teacher (Census)
• 1915 – Walter (manager), Anna A., Winnifred, and Nellie Neale living in Hudson, New Jersey (Census)
• 1916, Aug 4th – Walter Rollings petition for citizenship (Naturalization records)
• 1926, Nov 27th – Walter Rollings died of bronchopneumonia in Pennsylvania. His occupation listed as accountant (Death cert)