General Notes

Served in the Pequot War in 1637. Freeman in 1669. Captain in 1675. Cameov
er with his father on the Lion. In 1637, just eighteen months after the se
ttlement of Hartford, there were less than 800 inhabitants. Due to the thr
eat of Indian attacks, on May 1st of that year, ninety men were draft
ed to fight off any such attacks. This group went down the Connecticut Riv
er to the fort of the Pequot Indians at Mystic, Connecticut where they we
re joined by parties of Narraganset and Mohegan Indians. In an hour battl
e, 600 Indians were killed but only two Hartford men were killed and on
ly twenty wounded. Two of those who went from Hartford were Nicholas Olmst
ead and his cousin Richard Olmstead. They were both granted land for the
ir involvement in this affair. Nicholas received additional land for servi
ng as a committee member of the General Court to view and settle what is n
ow Waterbury, Connecticut. Nicholas was chosen in 1646 to be the Highway S
urveyor. He was a Townsman of Northside Hartford for nine years between 16
53 and 1683. He was Corporal of the Hartford Troop of Horse in 1658, Freem
an and Rate Maker in 1669, and Deputy to the General Court in 1672 and 167
3. In 1673, one hundred sixty men of Hartford were gathered for protecti
on from an apparent threat by the Dutch settlers. Nicholas Olmstead was ap
pointed Lieutenant of these troops. King Phillip's War began in 1675 and N
icholas was set in command of the troops to New London, and Huntington Lo
ng Island. He was made captain of the toops in August of 1675. After ma
ny years of service to Hartford and to the Connecticut Colony, he di
ed in 1684.