James Olmstead, I

Contributions are welcome, but contributions with documented sources are respected.

Olmsted Family Genealogy. THE RESULT OF THE SEARCH FOR THE ANCESTORS OF JAMES OLMSTED, SET ON FOOT BY FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED* Mr. Briggs of London was employed in 1890 to search all available records in order to ascertain the birthplace of the family of the Olmsteds who came to New England in 1632. They were members of the Rev. Thomas Hooker's congregation, commonly known as the Braintree Colony, which fact pointed to County Essex. The distinguished genealogist, Mr. Henry M. Waters, most kindly gave Mr. Briggs a copy of a portion of two parish registers, one of Fairsted, County Essex, the other of Great Leighs, in the same county. The Fairsted register, given below, proved to contain the record of the baptism of the children of one James Olmsted, the record of the burials of several of his children, and of that of his wife, Joyce. This, without any doubt, is the record of the Family of the James Olmsted who emigrated to New England in 1632. Mr. Waters also found, in the adjoining parish of Great Leighs, the record of one James Olmsted, who married in 1576 Jane Bristow, and had baptized in that parish eleven children. The second son, Richard, was baptized 22d March, 1578-9. James, the third son, was bap- tized 4th December, 1580, and married 26th October, 1605, Joyce Cornish. In Great Leighs two of his children were baptized and in Fairsted the five others. Mr. Briggs searched in Somerset House for all the wills under the name of Olmsted and found among a great number of others that of James, the father of James Olmsted, the emigrant, and grandfather of Richard, John and Re- becca, and of Nicholas and Nehemiah — all of whom came to New England in the " Lyon " in 1632. He then proceeded to search the Subsidy Rolls. He found that James Olmsted who married Jane Bristow had belonged in the neighboring parish of Great Waltham, and that his father, James, had married there one Alice (family name not found, but presumably either Hawkyns or Sorell). The fourth payment of the subsidy (due 3d year Edward VI.) was not collected till the 6th year of Edward VI. (1552-3) and in the return then made " the widowe Holmestede " is found in the parish of Great Waltham " in the place of James," showing plainly that he had died in the interval between 1550 and 1553. It seems to be proved that James and Alice were the parents of the James who lived at Great Leighs, and died in 1595, and grandparents of James, the emigrant. The Sorells and Hawkynses mentioned in the will of " Als," below, both lived near James in Great Waltham. While the name of William Olmsted is met with in the Rolls as owning lands in Felsted, thus confirming the statement in the Harleian MSS., No. 6071, f. 319, British Museum (given herewith) that the family of Olmsted, whose original seat was Olmsted Hall, County Essex, had a branch established in Felsted. All the above mentioned parishes are very near together. Some of the property was freehold and some leasehold. Farther back than James — ^born probably in 1520 — it has not been possible to go with certaintyt but there is every probability that James, born in 1520, descended from one Richard Olmestede *Toward thd expenses of the search, running over many years before Mr. Waters set us right, Vice-President Marlin E. Olmsted, of Philadelphia, contributed $25, Rt. Rev. Charles T Olmsted, of Utica, $10, and Mrs. Kate O. Beebe, a daughter of John Olmsted, of Springfield, $10. tThere is mention in the rolls of one James Olmsted, at Braintree, and Beatrice, his wife, who may have been the parents of the James who married Alice. Introduction xi Felsted, who brought a suit for the recovery of money due him from one Bartholomew Barber, thus bringing the record near to the time when the " Hall " passed from the name of Olmsted. It might be possible to find soniething in the Manor Rolls of the Earls of Oxford, if they exist for the period, also in the Feet of Fines, relating to the transfer of lands in all parts of the country. Proofs of the truth of the foregoing statements Fairsted Church Record^ Buried: 3d March, 1627, Faith, dau. of James Olmsted; 14th February, 1609, Frances, dau. of James Olmsted. Baptized children of James Olmsted: Mabel, 30th September, 1610; (Emigrant) Nicholas, 15th February, 1612; James, 22d January, 1615; (Emi- grant) Nehemiah, 10th November, 1618; Mary, 18th April, 1621. Buried: Mabel, dau. of James Olmsted, 18th February, 1621; Mary, dau. of James Olmsted, 24th April, 1621; Joyce, wife of James Olmsted, 21st April, 1621. Baptized children of Richard Olmsted: Mary, 6th July, 1615; (Emigrant) John, 16 February, 1617; Sara, 2d November, 1620; Joseph, 2d December, 1627. Buried: Richard Olmsted, 16th November, 1641; Frances Olmsted (wife of Richard), 10th September, 1630. Great Leighs Church Records James Olmsted and Jane Bristow, married 12th August, 1576. Bap- tized: Thomas, 7th June, 1577; Richard, 22d March, 1579; James, 4th De- cember, 1580; Elizabeth, 2d September, 1582; Nicholas, 24th November, 1583; Mary, 10th October, 1585; Mabell, 16th July, 1587; Elizabeth, 2d No- vember, 1589; John, 20th February, 1592-3; Mary, 15th December, 1593; Thomas (twin), 15th December, 1593. Buried: EUzabeth, dau. of James Olnisted, 19th December, 1582; Mary, dau. of James Olmsted, 22d December, 1594; James Olmsted, 2d December, 1595. Married: Thomas Olmsted and Margaret Sache, 4th February, 1599; James Olmsted and Joyce Cornish, 26th October, 1605. Children of the sons of James and Jane Bristow Olmsted: Thomas, born 7th June, 1577; married, 4th February, 1599, Margaret Sache. Children: Jane, baptized, 7th September, 1603; died young; Thomas, baptized, 21st June, 1606; buried 12th November, 1606; John, baptized, 9th November, 1607; died young; Elizabeth; John Olmsted, baptized 20th February, 1592-3, married, 25th April, 1623, Deborah Robinson, dau. of the incumbent of Fair- sted parish. Children: Catherine, John, Samuel, James, EUzabeth. WILLS Commissary of London for Essex and Herts, 2Qth May, 1592 Abstract of the will of James Hampstead of Much Leighs, County Essex, yeoman. To Thomas Hampstead, my oldest son, land &c in Braintre Manor, called Lowes pasture, containing 16 acres and a rod Calves Croft, 3 acres, a meadow called Alms House, &c. To Richard my second son tenements called Fords and Marshalls and 26 acres of land in my occupation and that of John Allen, joyner. xii Olmsted Family Genealogy To James Hampstead, my third son, land called Broomes Croft, in the tenure of one Huckerbye and other landholders of the same maner. _ To Nicholas my fourth son a free tenement called Beeves als Bells in the ph of Braintre. To John my fifth son, a messuage called Mair and a house in Halfieldwick in Terling. To my daughter Mabel, £40. To my daughter Elizabeth, £40 when 21 or married. [Signed] James Holmestede, Witnesses: wife Jane extrix. Thomas Hubbard Richard-Hyde. Robert Turner. Thomas Tannack. Proved 8th January, 1594-5, * Commissary of London 214, \Qth May, 1627 Will of Nicholas Holmsted of Much Parrendon (Parndon) Co: Essex. To my son John 2 tenements in Braintre called Beers als Bells now in occupation of John Corby and Burnham. To Mary, my daughter, £60, when 18 or married. To John my son, when 21, £40. To John, my brother Richard's son, 20s. To Elizabeth my eldest brother's dau., 20s. To Nicholas, my brother James' son, 6s. 8d. To my sister Mabell, 10s. To my brother John, 10s. My wife Rachel to keep and educate my brother Richard's son, John Wife Rachel exor. William Wood, the elder, of Rye Hill and my brother James to be over- seers. Witnesses : William Wood. Thomasine Wall, et al. Proved at Stortford, 7th March, 1627-8, Invent: £147: "01: "08. The wife Rachel had had for first husband Thomas Graves, the younger, of Stansted Abbott, County Herts. She claimed his share in the " Red Lion" Inn and involved Nicholas Olmsted in a lawsuit (in 1610 or so) which was decided in her favor. He prays in his will that his son John shall have the Inn. Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 2 Brundenell, ith August, 1634 Will of Thomas Slany of London, haberdasher. Abstract Estate to be divided into 3 parts according to the Custom of London. One third to wife Elizabeth. *The Rev. J. J. Manning, late Rector of Fairsted, thought that the farm called Rank's Green, in that parish, was the one occupied by James Olmsted, the emigrant. This was in 1894 held by Henry Homsted Speakman. Mr. Speakman did not know how he came by his middle name, which is so like Olmsted. The name of Olmsted under the form of Holmested is still known in Braintree, County Essex. Introduction xiii One third to his five chiidren, John, Mary, Lidia, Sara and Elizabeth. The other third as follows: To my sister Bazies* 3 children £5 apiece the said legacy to be paid to Barnaby Bowtelle of Dedham, for them. To Joseph my sister Holmested's youngest son a similar legacy to be paid to Mr. Statham of Terling. To my niece Sara Holmestead 30s. To my nephew Richard Holmestead 4 nobles. Proved 28th July, 1638. Archdeaconry of Essex, Rypton clxvij 167 Abstract of the will of Als Hownstedi of the psh of Great Lees, wedoo. 2nd July, 1533. To sons James William and John To the High Altar of Lees Parva [Little Leighs] 8s. John Sorell and son James exor. John Hawkyn of Much Waltham, supervisor. Witnesses: Sir Roger Hyde, curat. John Ingelond. William Thare. And others mo. To be buried in the churchyard of our Ladi. To Jams and William all my copyhold lands equally between them. To my son John a seme of wheat. Proved 2nd August, 1533. Commissary Court, Essex, Herts, 1613. "Abstract of the will of John Hawes the elder of St. Lawrence in the County of Essex, yeoman, 7 August, 1613, proved 12 October, 1613. Mentions son John and Elizabeth, his daughter; kinsman John Anthony; Charles Anthony the younger, a sister's son; Martha Anthony, youngest daughter of said sister; Frances, the eldest daughter of sister Alice Anthony; John Olmsted, son of Richard Olmsted and of daughter Elizabeth, Israel, their second son, Jedidiah their third son and Elizabeth their daughter; daughter Elizabeth wife of Richard Olmstead, clerk; Julian Veale of Mai- den, widow; wife Elizabeth."