General Notes

Came over on the ship Lion in 1632. Like most of the passengers of thistri
p, they moved shortly after arrival to Newtown (Cambridge). James Olmstead
's lot was on the north side of Harvard Street and became the second pie
ce of propety purchased by Harvard College. James was made a Freeman Novem
ber 6, 1632, and was chosen as the first constable November 3, 1634. On Fe
bruary 3, 1634 at a town meeting, seven men were chosen to conduct the bus
iness of the town, and James Olmstead as well as John Talcott, William Wad
sworth and John White were included. In 1634, the settlers found they we
re in need of more land and twelve men, including James Olmstead, were dis
patched to look at lands on the Connecticut River. The group returned wi
th a good report of the new site they had found and on October 15, 1635, s
ixty men, women and children went by land with their cattle, horses and sw
ine and arrived at the new site two weeks later. Their furniture and provi
sion had been sent by ship on the Connecticut River and because of the ons
et of a harsh winter, their ship was frozen at the mouth of the River. Alt
hough a few in the group chose to stay at the new site, many of the six
ty people returned to Newtown, in great hardship. In May of 1636, when t
he weather changed, one hundred people including their minister Reverend T
homas Hooker, set out again to establish the settlement now known as Hartf
ord. They arrived after a two week trip accross the land. James Olmstead h
ad a home lot of about two acres adjoining Reverend Hooker's lot, and ma
ny other plots of land including a seventy acre tract in 1639. He was o
ne of the first members of the First Church of Hartford. James was probab
ly one of the first to be buried in the Ancient Burying Ground which is ba
ck of the Center Church and where the mounument to the original proprieto
rs of Hartford now stands.
Death Date Imported:Bef 23 1640 Sep