Genealogy of the Olmsted family in America : embracing the ...

NOTES UPON THE OLMSTED ANCESTRY
IN ENGLAND
Prepared by Mrs. Frederick Law Olmsted, of Brookline, Mass.
EXTRACTS FROM WALKS AND TALKS OF AN AMERICAN
FARMER IN ENGLAND—FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED, 1850
(Edition of 1858, p. 349)
While in London I was one day visiting a library when the friend who
conducted me called my attention to a series of shelves, saying, " Here are
topographical and genealogical records, arranged under the head of counties
is yours an English name? I have never seen it in England."
" Yes, I believe it is, at least our family came to America from England."
" From what part, do you know? "
" Essex, I have heard it said."
" When? " said he, taking down a book.
" 1630 to 1640."
" Yes, here it is, ' Manor of Olmsted in Bumpsted-Hetion, a moated
Hall. Maurice de Olmestede, and so forth; passed out of the family (name)
early in the fifteenth century; now belongs to Queen's College, Cambridge.'
Where is the ordinance map of Essex? Here. Let's see. Olmsted Hall only
about six miles from a station. Better go out there and see it, hadn't you?
You can do it in half a day easily enough."
The next day I went, travelling half an hour by rail and then taking a
chaise which by a drive of six miles brought me to a small village, with a small
ruinous church in a very ancient graveyard. I enquired for the parish clerk
and found him a cobbler, at his work. The records were locked up and the
curate was away. " Did anyone live hereabout of the name of Olmsted?"
" No." " Did he ever know anyone of that name? " " No, no man. There
was the old hall farm—Olmsted Hall, they called it." " Why? " He did not
know. I asked to be directed to it and found it difficult of access, by narrow
parish roads and farm lanes.
It proved to be a large, low and very commonplace sort of farmhouse
of stone (or plaster) in the midst of a level wheat farm of some 200 acres. The
family of the present tenant had occupied it for several generations. They
received me kindly and, when I told them my name, with some little excitement
and manifestation of respect, as though I had rights in the house. " Come
into the old Hall, sir," they said, taking me to the largest room—a low room
about 20 feet by 20, with a single low window nearly occupying one side and a
monstrous old fireplace, now bricked up for a coal grate.
" Why do you call it the Hall? "
" It always was called so. I suppose it's because they used to hold Courts
here, sir. The house used to be moated all round, but they filled up the moat
in front when the lane was built; that was in my father's time."
The moat still remained around the garden, or deep ditch, on which grew
an old hedge. At one corner of the house was an old yew tree, certainly
several hundred years old. This house, as a matter of record, was occupied
—