Am I related to FLO
One of the most often questions that I receive is how an Olmste(a)d descendant may be related to FLO, our most famous Olmsted.
Frederick Law Olmsted is a descendant of James Olmsted who arrived in 1632 from Essex, England on the Lyon at Boston. James was one of the senior members of the congregation of Rev. Thomas Hooker, the group which left Boston in 1635 and settled on the Connecticut River and founded the village which became the City of Hartford.
- James Olmsted (c.1580-?) & Joyce Cornish (c.1585-1621)
- Nicholas Olmsted (1612-1684) & Sarah Loomis
- Joseph Olmsted (1654-1726) & Elizabeth Butler (1643-1729)
- Joseph Olmsted (1674/74-1762) & Hannah Marsh (c.1681-1760)
- Jonathan Olmsted (1706-1770) & Hannah Meakins (1717-1806)
- Benjamin Olmsted (1751-1832) & Content Pitkin (1752-1839)
- John Olmsted (1791-1873) & Charlotte Law Hull (1800-1826)
- Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903)
Thus, if your ancestral line goes back one of the above named individuals, you are a cousin of FLO.
To determine your degree of relationship, find the common ancestor and then count the number of generations to FLO and subtract two; this number is the “cousin” number. Then count the number of generations between you and the common ancestor and subtract two and then subtract the cousin number and this becomes the “removed” number. For example, if Joseph (b. 1674) (generation 4) is your common ancestor, then the cousin number would be 2 (8-4-1=3); then if you are a 11th generation descendant of James, your removed number would be (11-8=3) which is then makes you a third cousin, three times removed.
If your are a descendant of the 1632 Immigrant Richard Olmstead who left Hartford and went on to found Norwalk, Connecticuit, then your degree of relationship to FLO is much more distant as Richard is a nephew of James and your common ancestor is James’s father (and Richard’s grandfather) James Olmsted (b. c. 1550) and his wife Jane Bristow. The method of determining your relationship is the same. The cousin number is 7 as FLO is a 9th generation descendant of that James. Your removed number would be your generation number minus 7. Thus if you are a 12th generation descendant of Richard of Norwalk, you would be a 7th cousin 5 times removed.
If you are a descendant of any other Olmste(a)d line, either known not to be connected to either of the 1632 immigrants or not yet conected, you cannot claim relationship to FLO other than that of having the same surname lineage.
Note: names and dates for English and American ancestors were found in the 1912 Genealogy of the Olmsted Family. Proof on the early generations is not readily available.
Place by the Elms © Walt Steesy, 2007
Last Updated 4 November 2009