Doreen Dolleman’s Research

 

 

Thanks for the encouraging words that so many of you expressed over looking forward to reading my future articles. Although I feel as if I’ve written zillions of letters to my genealogy pals through the years, this is my first attempt at writing something that needs to be well put together. Hopefully you folks will be patient with me.

 

I’m excited to share the story of our very first trip to Berkshire County, MA, which was in 1994. My husband, Bill, and I arrived too late in the day for town offices or the court house to be open, so we spent the evening at the public library in Pittsfield which has an excellent local history/genealogy department. After several experiences of wasting valuable time in an unfamiliar library trying to “help myself”, I have finally learned to go directly to the librarian and explain that I’m from out of town and need help. This was my approach in Pittsfield and within minutes of walking through the front door, the genealogy librarian was explaining the “Shepard Collection” to me and immediately pulled out a card with a reference to the marriage of Jabez Olmstead to Miriam Husse on July 11, 1758 in Sheffield. You can imagine my utter amazement! How was it possible to make such a profound discovery so quickly and effortlessly? If it was this easy then why had other Olmstead researchers not discovered it before me? My mind as usual was spinning with endless puzzling questions. The librarian explained that although the Sheffield vital records were copied in 1932 by Joseph Kellogg, they were never published. Even our own Seattle Library has a huge collection of published Massachusetts’ town vital records, but you won’t find Sheffield among them. This may explain why this extremely significant piece of Olmstead information was overlooked for so long.

 

The Olmsted “Red Book” reference to the wife of Jabez (9088) being an Elizabeth has always bothered me because I’ve never been able to find even one single document or record of any kind to confirm that he had a wife by that name. What evidence did the person who originally submitted this detail back in 1912 have that I couldn’t find? Folks, this is why it is so important in your research to never accept at face value information that cannot be backed up with recorded proof. Unrecorded information should only be considered a good clue that might possibly lead to the truth. Many people have traveled down a wrong trail for years only to discover later that an entire line from which they assumed they were descended was not even their own. Don’t ever accept the “Red Book” as gospel! It is a great starting place for ideas, but do your own research and find those records!

 

Now it’s time to get off my soapbox and back to our trip! I also found at the Pittsfield library the 1774 Stockbridge tax evaluation list with Jabez (9088) listed. Another interesting find was the reference to a different Jabez Olmstead (CT born, son of Samuel and Esther Roberts) in “the Kellogg’s of the New World”. His family was also in Berkshire Co. and he married Elizabeth Kellogg (dau. of Benjamin and Phoebe Stark of Austerlitz, NY). This couple eventually settled in Sidney, Delaware County, NY) and possibly was the source of confusion about the Jabez Olmstead with a wife named Elizabeth, in our Captain Jabez line.

 

The following day we visited the Sheffield town clerk, a wonderful lady who is an expert on local history. We learned so much from her. Although the old volumes of vital records are not available to the public because of their fragile condition, she agreed to open Volume 1 herself and let us see, but not touch, the two Olmstead entries which were: Jabez Omstead and Miriam Husse (or Hulse) married July 11, 1758. Isaac Richardson and Elizabeth Omsted married Oct. 26, 1759. Both were children of Jeremiah Olmstead and Elizabeth Litten. We also visited the Alford town clerk and had an entirely different experience. This person was new on the job, not a native, and had no interest in local history or concern about the old records. We were sent unsupervised to a hot and dusty closet-sized room and allowed to handle the original town books and records dating back to the 1700’s. In volume 1 of the Alford record book we did find Jeremiah and Jabez Olmstead’s names repeatedly from 1773 through the final appearance of Jabez in 1783 and Jeremiah in 1785, elected to such positions as hogg reave and constable, fence viewer, surveyor of highway, and Sabbath warden. We also came across a wonderful old 1700’s map of Alford and surrounding area, recently unearthed by a fellow in the highway-surveying department. We were able to get a copy that shows the original Capt. Jabez grant as well as Jeremiah’s land in the “gore”. In Great Barrington while I spent time at the library scouring the information in their local history room, Bill went across the street to the courthouse and returned with copies of all the Olmstead land deeds and surveys. He was so proud of his accomplishment and so was I!

 

Our second trip to the Berkshires and more exciting discoveries will continue in the next newsletter. So until then, happy ancestor hunting!