ɹˈaʊlstoʊn wʌzɐ nˈeɪɾɪv ʌv bˈɔstən, mˌæsɐtʃˈuːsɪts, bˌʌt hæd mˈuːvd tə fˈeɪətvˌɪl, nˈɔːɹθ kˌæɹəlˈaɪnə, baɪ ðə lˈeɪt wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd sˈɛvənhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi z, wˌɛɹ hiː pˈʌblɪʃt ɐn ʌnsəksˈɛsfəl nˈuːzpeɪpɚ.
Roulstone was a native of Boston, Massachusetts, but had moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina, by the late-1780s, where he published an unsuccessful newspaper.