The first settlers in McNamee included John Wilson (b. Scotland, date unknown) who applied for a grant of land on the Southwest Branch of the Miramichi River on February 19, 1803, and settled on Lot #69 in 1804.
He located his homestead on the interval (island) in the river but relocated to higher ground the following year (1805) near the current Priceville footbridge after the spring freshet surrounded the home with water and ice.
In addition to farming, lumbering and fishing were the primary pursuits in the area and the Wilson family in particular played a central role in the region since it was first settled.
The wealth and stature of the family grew especially from the 1920s through the 1940s under the leadership of Willard Wilson who became the de facto mayor by way of developing the Wilson Homestead into the local lumber mill, post office, grocery store, cattle and dairy farm, and fly fishing lodge.
Upon Willard's death in 1949 his son Murray focused the family business in particular on developing the homestead into a fly fishing lodge in response to the growing interest in Atlantic salmon from anglers based in particular in the northeast United States.
His date of arrival in Canada is unknown but was likely through the port of St. John and he settled temporarily in Maugerville, New Brunswick where his first son, James, was born in 1802.
John applied for a grant of land on the Southwest Branch of the Miramichi River on February 19, 1803, in the area now known as McNamee and gained title in Grant #487 dated June 20, 1809, to "Ephraim Betts, Esq., and sixty others... 14,640 acres on the Southwest Branch of the[1] Miramichi River in the County of Northumberland.
Lydia was born April 18, 1849, and died October 3, 1931, and she and John are buried in the United Church Cemetery in Boisetown.
Laurence and Esma moved from McNamee to Fredericton where he taught at the Devon Normal School.
They lived briefly at Sunset Point on Lake Nipissing before moving to 643 Champlain Street in Thibeault Terrace where in his spare time Laurence wrote his Master's Thesis and became a Master Gardener and president of the North Bay Horticultural Society.