I
had some difficulty choosing my topic for this article as there are so many
subjects that I am really looking forward to sharing with all of you, but I can
only do one at a time and it is a slow process. It would be nice if I had some
logical order, but I am motivated by what seems to be the subject most
completed. So for this reason I will fill you in on my Aaron OLMSTEAD research
as I have made some great progress on this line and the “Red Book” does not do
it justice. On our two most recent cross country trips Bill and I actually
followed the trail of Aaron’s descendants from Washington County, NY to Dorset,
VT to Kane and Boone Counties, IL. Even though this is not my direct line I
have become rather attached to these “cousins” and wish that someone would come
forth and claim them as their own!
Aaron
OLMSTEAD, probable son of Jabez (9088) and Miriam HUSSE OLMSTEAD, was born
around 1760 in Alford, Berkshire Co. MA, may have served in the Revolutionary
War between 1775 – 1779, married and had a son, Aaron Jr. born in 1788 in
Alford. In April of 1789 Aaron mortgaged 24 acres in the David Borry Patent in
Granville, Washington Co. NY. In 1790 he was in the Granville census with a
probable wife and a young son and daughter. The only other recorded information
on Aaron are two Washington Co. court documents which give some insight into
his character. One was in Oct. of 1789 when Aaron, Timothy CASE, and Francis
INGERSOL were charged with wickedly and maliciously conspiring to falsely
accuse their neighbor Henry CUMMINS of committing sodomy (buggery) with a mare!
They are described as persons of “ill name and fame and of dishonest
conversation”. In 1798 Aaron was charged with armed robbery along with three
male members of the CASE family. As this was his last appearance in Washington
Co. it is safe to guess that he was
either run out of town or ran off on his own. It also is likely that he left
his family behind as his son Aaron Jr. appears in Washington Co. records
beginning in 1811 and 1812 when he mortgages property near the Hartford /
Hebron Twp. line. By Jan. of 1817 Aaron Jr. is declared insolvent and Jabez
OLMSTEAD is appointed assignee. Court records show that Aaron was in a pretty
sorry predicament with a wife and two infant children, no property, only $50
worth of personal belongings and outstanding debts owed to 23 different
creditors. Some were relatives as the list includes Jabez and Miriam OLMSTEAD
and John WILSON. Aaron Jr. was enumerated in the 1820 Hebron census next to
Jabez. In 1825 he was in Hartford and in 1830, 1835 and 1840 in Hebron. In the
1850 and 1860 census he was in Dorset,
Vermont. Dorset is just a few miles from where Aaron lived in Hebron.
The
Olmstead “Red Book” lists Aaron Jr. as a “stray” on page 416 and I used that
information as a starting point in my search. I managed to gather an amazing
amount of information including cemetery records, obits and vital records in
Illinois. There are still a few gaps to be filled, but I was pleased to learn
as much as I did on my own, having no contact with descendants.
Aaron
Jr. was born 14 Oct. 1788 in Alford, MA. He married Elizabeth “Betsey” WILSON
in 1812. She was born 12 Feb. 1789,
died in 1839, and was the daughter of William and Betsey WILSON. Aaron remarried
around 1849 to an Olive SMITH who was the widow of Amos SMITH of Granville, NY.
In 1850 and 1860 Aaron and Olive were living in Dorset Hollow, Vermont on
property owned by Olive. Aaron’s daughter Caroline lived with them. Aaron died
on the 26th of Dec. 1862 probably in Vermont as I found no record of
him having ever been in Hampshire, IL. Aaron and Betsey’s children were:
1)
Elizabeth
W. born 14 Feb. 1814 Washington Co. NY,
m. Moseley W. BALDWIN 1 Oct. 1834 Dorset, VT, died 28 Sept. 1864. She was with
her sister Ann and Hervey KING in 1850 in Ottawa, IL.
2) Emerson born 15 May 1816,
m. Margaret L., keeper of livery stable in Milwaukee, WI in 1860 and 1870
census. Children: Blanche, Oscar, Lily, Julia, Harriet, and Archibald.
3) Miriam born 5 Jan. 1819, m. Silas
Hardy BALDWIN 20 Feb. 1849 Dorset, VT, died 3 Nov. 1878 Hampshire, IL.
Children: Austin, Elizabeth Ann, Mary E., and Oscar.
4) Lucy T. born 10 June
1821, m. John KELLER, died 7 Jan., 1881 Belvidere, IL. Children: Charlotte and
Jane (Jenny).
5) John born 25 Feb. 1824,
died Oct. 1861, m. (1) Catherine DONAMSON. Children: George E., m. (2) Joanna.
Children: Frederick. Lived in Milwaukee Co. WI in 1860. George was with his
aunt Lucy and John KELLER in 1870 in Belvidere, IL. He married his cousin Julia
KING.
6 Ann Lorett born 25 Jan 1826, m. Hervey KING 6 May 1847 Kane Co. IL, died 12 Jan. 1877
Ottawa, IL. Children: Albert, Willis D., Julia O., Jessie A.
7) Jane born 1 March 1829,
m. Byron C. EATON 24 Sept. 1860 Kane Co. IL, died 15 July 1868 IL.
8) Oscar born 15 April 1830,
died 12 Aug. 1836 Washington Co. NY.
9) Caroline born 25 June
1832, died 7 Jan. 1865 Hampshire, Kane Co. IL.
It would be fun to know who submitted the information in the “Red Book” on Aaron Jr. as I feel certain that this person had access to a family Bible. The birth dates of Aaron, Betsey, and all their children are not recorded in Berkshire Co. MA or Washington Co. NY so surely must be from private family records.
I have one last thought to share about Aaron
OLMSTEAD Sr. We know that he had two children by 1790 and maybe more by the
time he disappeared in 1798. It is possible that Miriam OLMSTEAD born about
1793 was his daughter. She married Benjamin MATTESON from Shaftsbury, VT in
1819 and by 1825 had settled in
Hounsfield, Jefferson Co. NY. Around 1847 they moved to Shabbona, DeKalb Co.
IL, not far from Aaron Jr.’s family. Miriam died 17 October 1848 at age 55.
Their children were: Miranda, Lorenzo,
Oscar, Lois, Albert, Eliza, Miriam, and
Jane Hannah.