Jabez Olmsted
Jabez Olmsted of Ware, Massachusetts
Jabez is the progenitor of the third largest group of Olmste(a)ds. There have been numerous attempts over the years to connect him with the Olmsteads of Essex, England without success.
Jabez first appears in the frontier community of Deerfield on the Connecticut River in 1709. He first settled in Brookfield, MA in 1712, when he married Thankful Barnes, daughter of Thomas. He removed to Ware, MA, in 1729. He played an important part in the French and Indian Wars, first in Queen Anne’s War, and culminated his military career at the capture of the French Canadian fortress of Louisburg in 1745, where he served as a Captain in the Colonial army.
As the family expands, descendants tend to move north into Vermont and neighboring New Hampshire and New York. This pattern continues as the family continues to move northwest into northern New York and adjacent Canada following the normal westward migration as the general population expands and the areas of Ontario, northern Michigan, and Wisconsin are opened for settlement. By the end of the 1800s I believe that the majority of Olmste(a)ds in those areas are of the Jabez line.
An active study group was formed by Carl Hommel, Joe Barber, and Doreen Dolleman. Carl’s Jabez of Ware Newsletter was first issued the fall of 1997 and has since appeared on a semi-annual basis; back issues can be found at www.jabezolmsted.com.
Place by the Elms © Walt Steesy, 2007
Last Updated 13 April 2008