Place by the Elms
An Internet Site For
Olmste(a)d Family History and Genealogy
by Walt Steesy of behalf of the
Olmste(a)d Family Association
Since the early 1970s I have used Olmste(a)d as a method of including everyone by either form of the family surname. Individuals will be recorded with their name as they used it the best we can determine.
This “Table of Contents” currently includes some of my notes on what I plan to include; links to pages currently available are in blue type
Style note: I use (*) or to indicate the 1912 Olmsted Genealogy
as a reference or source
About our website “Place by the Elms”
Genealogy
Olmste(a)ds in England
History of Name
The Olmste(a)d Crest
The Family in England
Historical (1912* pp. viii-xviii)
Olmste(a)ds in Essex
The passengers on the Lyon, 1632
Olmstead Hall Today
Aerial photo showing farm and modern barns, etc.
Pictures of house, moat, gardens, etc.
The Kiddy Family (1916-present)
Olmstead Hall Guest Book (1932-1982) and Guest Book (1982-Present)
Visiting Olmstead Hall
Published Genealogies
There have been a number of genealogies published about the Olmste(a)d family. The earliest was Elijah Thomas’ 1869 “Abridged Genealogy of the Olmstead family in New England”
In 1912 the Genealogy of the Olmsted Family in America was published by The Olmsted Family, Inc., followed by four supplements.
The Olmsted Family History and Genealogy compiled by Roger Orley Olmsted was published in 2015. The work has extensive documentation on the Olmste(a)ds in England and includes the first three generations of the Essex lines of James and Richard following their 1632 arrival in New England.
Other privately published Olmste(a)d genealogies since 1950 include works by Leola (Olmstead) Marshall, Ruth (Olmsted) Daniels, Eugene Eiklor, Viettia Newcomb, and Ronald Olmstead are covered in more detail on another page.
It is no longer feasible to publish a new family history that would include all Olmste(a)ds and descendants. The reasons behind the decision and other options to making the information available.
“On Doing Genealogy” is a series of articles that relates interesting stories while searching for ancestral connections.
Online Genealogy
WikiTree
Starting in 2012, genealogical information on many family members has been posed on WikiTree, a single, world-wide tree where each individual has their own profile page with basic data and a biography with source information and sometimes images of documents or photos are added. Membership is FREE. As of March 2024 there are over 11,000 Olmstead, 5700 Olmsted, and 187 Omstead profiles with those family names at birth in addition of thousands of other direct descendant and collateral relations on the site. Living persons are privatized according to the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and are only available upon request of the specific profile manager. Currently there are over 60 Olmste(a)d descendants who manage profiles of family members on WikiTree.
Family Search
This free site is sponsored by the LDS (Mormon) Church and has the largest, world-wide collection of indexed documents available to the public.
Subscription based sources
Ancestry, My Heritage, Geni, Find My Past, and others offer a variety of documents and the ability to create your own family tree.
Genetic Genealogy
Genetic genealogy is a relatively new field which enables researchers to establish family lines and connect with other “cousins” who share a common ancestor. This page discusses the three major types of DNA testing and the primary companies that serve genealogists.
In addition to confirming an ancestral connection, DNA provides another avenue to contact other cousin (who have also done a DNA test) that you may not have known about. Those that wish to share information with other cousins and have given us permission to publish their contact information are listed on our tested page that is under development.
The Olmste(a)d Y-DNA Project potentially enables an individual of unknown Olmste(a)d direct male ancestry to align with known primary Olmste(a)d ancestral lines.
Ancestral Lines
Immigrant Olmste(a)ds [notes: basic outline, no documentation; maybe first 2-3 generations shown online; include a little history
James Olmsted of Hartford, Connecticut
Richard Olmstead of Norwalk & Ridgefield, Connecticut
Jabez Olmsted of Ware, Massachusetts
Stephen of Pennsylvania
Other Olmste(a)ds
Disconnected Olmste(a)ds — while I have over 900 “root” Olmste(a)d families, list here will only be those that are born outside of North America. Primarily, these are from Scandinavia and their surnames were Anglicized or miss-recorded as Olmste(a)d in census and other records.
Olmste(a)ds by Another Name — individuals with first or middle names of Olmste(a)d
Variants of name (Al…, Ho…, Um…, etc.)
Known groups/links, i.e., Umstead
Computerization and research by computer
Walt Steesy’s master file: contents; what will be shared.
World Family Tree — explain, discuss problems, lack of documentation [put WikiTree here]
Bulletin boards, forums, etc. — GenForum.genealogy.com/olmstead
Other sites
GenWeb — message board and Olmstead-List
Ancestry, RootsWeb, GenCircles, Genealogy.com, Family Search (LDS), WikiTree, Tribal Pages and other free or subscription services
Cindy’s list, etc.
Queries — Do you have a “brick wall”? Here is a chance to post your #1 Olmste(a)d problem or help others solve their Olmste(a)d dead end .
Family Groups and Reunions
Olmsted Family, Inc. (1911-195x)
History, reunions, etc
Known Members — name and residence
Records to NEHGS
Downfall — my research
Olmste(a)d Family Association (OFA) (1972-present)
Statement of Purpose
Past Reunions — a short summary of each: where, chair, activities, attendance
Current officers and Executive Board
Members – 1972-2012
Reunions: National, regional, and local family reunions
Various Newsletters have been issued in the past fifty years. It is our plan to provide as many as possible on this site either her or by external links when they are available elsewhere. Included will be:
Olmste(a)d Genealogy Recorded (1975-1982) and Olmste(a)d News (2018-current) by Walt Steesy. An annual letter sent by email to all known Olmste(a)ds for which email address have been identified.
Olmsted Family Journal and Olmste(a)d Family Newsletter (1993-1999) by Roger Orley Olmsted (1928-2015). Has well researched and written articles. Not currently available.
Jabez of Ware Newsletter (1997-2013) was co-published by Carl Hommel in the USA and Joe Barber in Canada.
Tree Leaves and OFA news (1984-2012) by various members of the Olmste(a)d Family Association.
Heritage Societies and genealogical research organizations
DAR, Colonial Dames, Sons of Union Veterans, etc.
Some states have Pioneer Family organizations or recognition.
NEHGS, NYG&B, NGS, FGS, etc.
Local, regional, and state genealogical & historical societies; don’t list but give ideas of how to find
Libraries — Nat’l Archives, DAR, LDS + major city/state collections (Hartford, NYC, Albany, Fort Wayne, Detroit, etc.)
Patriots and Military Veterans
Patriots — Military and others in service of our country. Includes those not included on these sub-pages: [This list has been expanded and this section will be rewritten. For the moment go to the Patriots page for a full listing of the sub-pages.]
Revolutionary War (1775-1784)
War of 1812 (1812-1815)
War between the States (US Civil War) (1861-1865)
Spanish-American (1898-1902)
World War I (1917-1918)
World War II (1941-1945)
World War II with family names other than Olmstead, Olmsted, or Omstead (1941-1945)
Korea (1951-1953)
Korea with family name other than Olmstead, Olmsted, or Omstead
Vietnam (1964-1975)
Military Burials in National and State Cemeteries
We appreciate notification of patriots that missing from the above pages. We realize that we do not have them all, particularly for those in World War II and more recent conflicts.
Notable Olmste(a)ds
Frederick Law Olmsted is widely known and we will only provide a brief explanation of his Olmsted ancestry. The National Geographic magazine May 2003 article about FLO and his contributions to American society is still relevant today. His portrait by John Singer Sergent is prominentely displayed at Biltmore; his work there is second only to New York City’s Central Park. His home and office in Brookline, Massachusetts is now a National Historic Site.
FLO is often referred to as “America’s Park Planner as he and his firm were involved in the development of city parks from Boston to Seattle. Today the National Association for Olmsted Parks (NAOP) continues his legacy with regional groups in Buffalo, Louisville, Boston, New York, Atlanta, Seattle, others.
FLO and his firm was hired by many prominent Americans to landscape their palatial homes. George Vanderbilt hired Olmsted to develop the grounds at his summer home Biltmore near Asheville, NC. Olmsted convinced Vanderbilt, to establish a managed forest on the thousands of acres he owned; today the Cradle of Forestry and North Carolina Arboretum are a legacy to FLO. There is a dramatic statue of Olmsted at the Arboretum.
FLO was more than a landscape architect. His life and work is documented in a project of the Library of Congress in 14 volumes of published papers.
An often asked question by Olmste(a)ds today is “how do I relate to FLO”? You may find the answer by charting your ancestry and comparing it to FLO’s ancestry.
Gideon Olmsted was a sea captain and The Journal of Gideon Olmsted provides a short review of the six-month sea voyage which led to a US Supreme precedent setting case of Federal over State’s rights.
General George Olmsted
1928 Supreme court case and Tommy Olmstead of Georgia
Other Notable family members, past & present, include: military; educators; civic leaders; public officials; business leaders; sports; and arts & entertainment including music, theater, film, radio and TV. It would be impossible to list them all.
Special family members — centenarians (aged 100 or more), silver anniversary couples, triplets, quints.
Named Olmste(a)d
When you drive down the highway, do you wonder why places or objects are named as they are. You notice the name on a building that is person and not the name of a company and wonder who they are and what they did to receive the honor of having something named for them. The name Olmste(a)d has been applied in many different ways. This is an attempt to categorize some of them. (Only the pages created thus far have links)
Olmste(a)d Homesteads — Homes that have been lived in for more than 100 years by one lineal (direct line descendants) Olmste(a)d family
Places: cities or communities (Olmsted Co., MN; Kentucky, Alabama, …)
Streets, Avenues & Roads
State, regional, city, village parks
Places, not in one of the previous lists, such as Olmsted Point in Yosemite, etc. This might also included bridges and similar structures named for fallen military, first responders, or government officials.
Cemeteries — that have Olmstead or Olmsted in their name.
Organizations that are not commercial businesses
Things, etc. — A collection of miscellaneous things named for an Olmste(a)d that could not be categorized elsewhere.
There are many businesses that include the family name, usually based on the owner’s name. That list could be very long considering how many doctors, lawyers, or Indian chiefs that might be.
We are attempting to list other websites that include either Olmsted or Olmsted in their URL. Included will be business, family, and personal sites. It is hard to keep such lists current as they come and go.
Email Webmaster. We welcome your corrections, ideas, submissions, and general comments
and © Olmste(a)d Family Association, 2017-2024
This Page Updated August 18, 2022
