Richard Olmsted (February 20, 1612 – April 20, 1687) was a founding

settler A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settl ...

of both

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

and Norwalk,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

. He served in the General Court of the Connecticut Colony in the sessions of May 1653, October 1654, May 1658, October 1660, May 1662, May and October 1663, May and October 1664, October 1665, May and October 1666, May 1667, May and October 1668, May 1669, May 1671, and May 1679.

Early life

Olmsted was born in Harwich,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1612. It has long been claimed that he came to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

along with his uncle James Olmsted aboard the ship ''Lion'' in 1632, but there is no evidence to support this and he probably came somewhat later.Great Migration Begins--1620-1633, p. 1359 He lived in

Mount Wollaston Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 101,636, making ...

, Massachusetts Bay Colony (now Quincy) originally. Richard Olmstead is in the passenger list of the Lyon which sailed from Thames England June 22, 1632 and arrived at Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony in America September 16, 1632. He came with his Uncle James and his wife Joyce Cornish Olmstead, their children Nicholas, Nehemiah, and Richard's siblings John and Rebecca.

Settlement of Hartford

In 1636, he moved to Hartford, Connecticut with the congregation of

Thomas Hooker Thomas Hooker (July 5, 1586 – July 7, 1647) was a prominent English colonial leader and Congregational minister, who founded the Connecticut Colony after dissenting with Puritan leaders in Massachusetts. He was known as an outstanding spea ...

, becoming one of its original settlers. In 1637, he was a soldier in the Pequot War.History and Genealogy
/ref> About 1647, he married but the name of his first wife is unknown. In about 1670, he married (2) Magdelan (maiden name unknown) Smith, widow of William Smith. In 1646, he was a constable, and in 1649 he was a

fence viewer A fence viewer is a town or city official who administers fence laws by inspecting new fences and settles disputes arising from trespass by livestock that have escaped enclosure. The office of fence viewer is one of the oldest appointments in New E ...

Settlement of Norwalk

Roger Ludlow Roger Ludlow (1590–1664) was an English lawyer, magistrate, military officer, and colonist. He was active in the founding of the Colony of Connecticut, and helped draft laws for it and the nearby Massachusetts Bay Colony. Under his and John Ma ...

purchased the land that would become Norwalk in 1640. Ludlow contracted with fourteen men for the original planting of Norwalk. In 1649, Olmsted, along with

Nathaniel Ely Nathaniel Ely (also Nathaniel Eli) (1605 – December 25, 1675) was a founding settler of Hartford and Norwalk, Connecticut. He served as a deputy of the General Court of the Connecticut Colony from Norwalk in the October 1656 session. He was ...

became the first two settlers. In 1653, he was Deputy of Norwalk to the General Court at Hartford. In 1656, appointed by the General Court, Leather seller, for Norwalk. In 1657, he was chosen Townsman in Norwalk. On May 19, 1659, he was appointed with three others to settle a land dispute between the towns of Stratford and Fairfield, with the Indians. On May 17, 1660, he was appointed Grand Juror for Norwalk. In 1661, he along with John Banks and Joseph Judson were appointed by the General Court to survey the town boundary between Fairfield and Stratford. From 1676 to 1676, he served in

King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between indigenous inhabitants of New England and New England coloni ...

. On October 4, 1660, he was appointed Deputy to the General Court at Hartford. From 1669 to 1675, he was a Selectman in Norwalk. He was chosen Deputy of Norwalk to the General Court a dozen times between 1660 and 1679. In 1675, at a meeting of the Council he was appointed to sign bills for the payment of soldiers in King Philip's War. He was Commissioner for Norwalk, with magisterial powers, from 1668 to 1677. He is listed on the Founders Stone bearing the names of the founders of Hartford in the Ancient Burying Ground in Hartford, and he is also listed on the Founders Stone bearing the names of the founders of Norwalk in the East Norwalk Historical Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olmsted, Richard 1612 births 1687 deaths American Puritans Burials in East Norwalk Historical Cemetery Deputies of the Connecticut General Court (1639–1662) Deputies of the Connecticut General Assembly (1662–1698) Founders of Hartford, Connecticut People from Harwich Founding settlers of Norwalk, Connecticut Pequot War King Philip's War