James Olmstead (abt. 1645 - bef. 1731)

Born about 17 Apr 1645 in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Phebe (Barlow) Olmstead — married 1 May 1673 in Norwalk, Fairfield, Connecticut

Descendants

Died before 28 Apr 1731 before about age 86 in Norwalk, Fairfield, Connecticut

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Biography

Capt. James Olmsted was a prominent early settler of Norwalk, Connecticut [1].

• Town Clerk from 1678 to 1707, and again in 1721
• Town Judge
• Deputy to the General Court at Hartford
• Selectman in 1671 & from 1682 to 1685
• Lieutenant in 1680
• Deputy of the General Assembly of the Colony of Connecticut from Norwalk in the sessions of October 1691, October 1692, October 1693, and May 1699.

"Capt. James Olmsted was Town Clerk of Norwalk for 29 years from 1678 to 1707 and again in 1721. He was also Town Judge and repeatedly a Deputy to the General Court at Hartford. In fact, he was one of Norwalk's most emient and influential citizens. In 1671 he was chosen Selectman. In 1673 in "The Estates of Lands and Accommodations of ye Towne of Norwalk", James is credited with £50. In 1680 he was made Lieut. From 1682 to 1685 he was again Selectman. On 16 Jan 1694 he was chosen by the town to select a minister, and on 8 Oct 1697 he was chosen "for to signife unto the Rev. Elders at the time of ordination, the good agreement of the towne with the church in the ordayning of Rev. Mr. Steven Buckingham." On 4 Jan 1702/3 we find the name of James Olmsted as Justice and Recorder, affixed to a document, in which the town of Norwalk lays claim to "severall Islands lying adjacent to their township . . . namely Cockenoes Island known by the sayd name and Mamachimons Island, and the Long Island, and Camfield's Island, known by sayd names, and all other Islands lying in or adjacent unto the towneshipp of Norwalk." In 1706 he was a member of a committee to seat the church, "the sayd committee to order and determine that matter according to their best discretion; they to have respect to age, quality, and the estates of persons in the publique list, and the towne to abide their determination." By vote of 11 Dec 1723, the town granted to Capt. Samuel Hanford the right "to sit in ye pue with Captain Olmsted and Captain Platt", evidently a privilege to be desired, as his seat in the church was one of honor. [1912 "Olmsted Family in America", p. 192] [note: the genealogy reduced all of the surname to the "simplest form of the name; James spelled his name with the "a" as found in the original town record book of Ridgefield, CT]"

From James Olmsted sprang the Norwalk Olmsted contingency. His sons remained in Norwalk and here transmitted the name. [Norwalk, p. 282]

James was named as Richard's eldest son in Richard's will dated 5 Sep 1684. [ibid, Hammond, p. 355]

James left a will dated 28 Apr 1731 which was proven at Fairfield on 12 Jun 1731.^[1] In it he gives to his wife Phebe "all ye Real Estate which I am this day possessed of", which his sons Joseph and John were to have at their mother's death. It adds "My son Nathan, now deceased, has had his full portion of my estate."

His inventory was taken on 20 August 1731.^[2]

DNA Confirmation

Paternal relationship is Confirmed by a triangulated group consisting of

"David Olive" | GEDmatch A1000066

"Irene Snyder" | GEDmatch T984926

John Schalcosky | GEDmatch A781813

Sharing an 7.3 cM segment on Chromosome 15 from 27,606,723 - 30,354,303

Chr	Start	Stop	cM
15	27,606,723	30,354,303	7.3

Paternal relationship is Confirmed by a triangulated group consisting of

"David Olive" | GEDmatch A1000066

"Irene Snyder" | GEDmatch T984926

John Schalcosky | GEDmatch A781813

Sharing an 12.5 cM segment on Chromosome 15 from 31,022,319 - 36,417,486

Chr	Start	Stop	cM
15	31,022,319	36,417,486	12.5

Sources

1. ↑ “Probate Records, v. 6-8, 1717-1750”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G92K-T27S  : 3 May 2022), FHL microfilm 007627301, image 618, Fairfield, Fairfield, Connecticut, Vol 8, 1725-1740, Page 266-267.
2. ↑ “Probate Records, v. 6-8, 1717-1750”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G92K-T2QJ  : 3 May 2022), FHL microfilm 007627301, image 630-631, Fairfield, Fairfield, Connecticut, Vol 8, 1725-1740, Page 291-293.

• Olmsted, Henry King, M.D. Genealogy of the Olmsted Family in America (A.T. De La Mare, New York, 1912); pg. 187, 192, #3954

• "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP45-1HTY : 21 September 2019), James Olmstead, 1 May 1679; citing Marriage, Norwalk, Fairfield, Connecticut, British Colonial America, Compiled by Lucius A. and Lucius B. Barbour, housed at State Library, Hartford, Connecticut; FHL microfilm 008272242.

• The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records (NEHGS, Boston, 2011) Vol. Norwalk, Page 5.

• The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records, Norwalk Vital Records 1651-1850, pg. 5, 101.

• New England Marriages Prior to 1700, Clarence Almon Torrey, Ed. 1992, pg 554.

• Clemens, William Montgomery. American Marriage Records Before 1699. Pompton Lakes, NJ, USA: Biblio Co., 1926.
• Connecticut Wills, Fairfield County Probate Records, Vol 6-8, 1717-1750, pg. 266-267.

• Connecticut Wills and Probates, Connecticut State Library (Hartford, Connecticut); Probate Place: Hartford, Connecticut, Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999, Probate Packets, Ogden, L-Osborn, Gershom, 1648-1880, Ancestry