Am I related to FLO
As the genealogist of the Olmste(a)d family, an often asked question is “How am I, an Olmste(a)d descendant, related to FLO,” our most famous Olmsted.
Frederick Law Olmsted is a descendant of James Olmstead who arrivedat Boston in 1632 from Essex, England on the sailing ship Lyon. 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 to 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, and counting him as #1, count the number of generations to FLO and subtract 2 to obtain the cousin number (5-2=3). To find the “removed number” subtract 8 from your generation number to give the degree of relationship. In the example, if you are a 12th generation descendant of James, your removed number would be (12-8=4) which is then makes you a third cousin, four times removed.
If your are a descendant of the 1632 Immigrant Richard Olmstead who left Hartford and went on to found Norwalk, Connecticut, 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 the Immigrant Richard of Norwalk, you would be a 7th cousin 5 times removed.
If you are a descendant of any other Olmste(a)d line, with no known connection to either of the 1632 immigrants, you cannot claim relationship to FLO other than that of having the same historical surname.
Note: names and dates for English and American ancestors of FLO are found in the Genealogy of the Olmsted Family in America (1912). Proof on the early generations is not readily available.
Place by the Elms © Walt Steesy, 2007-2010
Last Update: 22 March 2010