WHEATLEY

OMSTEAD'S

 

This article, and the following, comes from a new subscriber, Robert Olmsted

 

We learn from documents in the Archives of Ontario that Gideon Olmstead/Omstead of 29 years of age, born in the Province of Vermont in North America, (U.S.A.) and professing the Christian religion, by trade a farmer, appeared before William Kennedy Smith, one of his Majesty's Justices of the Peace in and for the Home District and took the Oath of Allegiance and signed the Declaration on the 24th day of May, 1797.

 

His was one of the first reported families to settle in Townsend township near Boston, Ontario. He applied for and received a Crown Grant of land on May 20, 1801 for Lot 13, Concession 3, and on 16 October 1804 for Lot 14, Concession 3, in all 400 acres in Townsend township. These properties were sold in 1804 and 1805. A brother, Job, moved to the U.S.A.

 

Having no proof we assume that Israel and Jonas were sons of Gideon, as they were the only other Olmsteads in the area at that time.

 

Jonas (1778-1819) married Hannah Woodley (1786-1874). Their children were: Avaldo, Emily, Moses and Hannah. Murray (Bert) Olmstead, great-great grandson of Jonas, played in five Stanley Cup Games of the National Hockey League with the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

 

Israel (1783-1863) married Mary Woodley (1788-1855) on January 16, 1816. Both are buried in the Boston, Ontario, cemetery.

 

Hannah and Mary were the daughters of George Woodley and Christina Wagers, whose father was Col. John Wagers.

 

Israel and Mary had 8 children: Harvey, George Hemminover, John, William, Mariah, Simon, Elizabeth Phelps and Hannah Kitchen.

 

Israel owned 50 acres on Lot 11, Concession 5, and 50 acres on Lot 12, Concession 4, of Townsend township. This property was left in Israel's will to Harvey who farmed it. Some of Israel's sons spelled their name Olmstead with an "L".

 

Harvey Olmstead/Omstead (1808-1895) married Mary Secord (1814-1901) on May 29,1832 at the Regular Baptist Church, Oakland, Brant Co., Ontario, by Rev. John Harris with witnesses Daniel Secord and William Blakely. Both are buried in Erie Cemetery in Wheatley, Ontario. Mary was the daughter of Daniel Secord Jr. (1785-1859) and Elizabeth Perrin (1789-1857).

 

Harvey and Mary had 13 children: Maria Robertson, Israel, Caroline Camfield, Elizabeth Jane Robertson, Almira, Daniel, Harvey E., Mary Rogers, Alfred Bolby, Nancy Candace Warden, Prudence Alberta Swanton, Henry William, Clarence Leamon. Some of their children used the "L" in their name while others didn't.

 

Daniel, Mary (Joel) Rogers, Henry William and Clarence Leamon moved from Boston to Essex Co., Ontario, at various times and bought property in the Wheatley area. In 1885 Harvey and Mary moved to Wheatley and lived the remainder of their lives with their son Daniel.

 

Harvey was an active member of the Boston Baptist Church and later was received into the membership of the Wheatley Baptist Church. In gratitude to God for prospering him, he donated a beautiful large brass bell to the church for their bell tower. When he died at the age of 87, the bell tolled 87 times. This bell calls the community to worship to this present day.

 

Their son Henry William (1860-1896) was a butcher by trade and lived on Russell Street in Leamington, Ontario. On December 14, 1881, he married at Colchester, Ontario, Sarah Jane Trembly (1862-1951), daughter of George, and Catherine Trembly. They had a daughter Edith (1890-1977) and a son Everett Henry (1886-1942).

 

Everett Henry, who was born October 31,1886, was only 9 years old when his father died. After graduating from school he worked in a general store owned by his uncle, Stewart Anderson. He later purchased his own store in Wheatley which he subsequently sold to John McDowell, who had married his widowed mother, Sarah, in 1909.

 

Commercial fishing was his next adventure and at one time he owned interest in several fisheries along the North shore of Lake Erie. Everett married his first wife, Evalina Vizzard (1889-1920), daughter of J. D. Vizzard and Rachel Jenkins, on June 12,1907. She died June 3,1920 leaving 3 sons, Leonard Roy Jack, Duane Henry and 18 month old Rex Vizzard.

 

On March 10,1921 Everett married his long time housekeeper, Edith Frances Hyatt (1897-1944), daughter of Eliza Jane Furey and Oliver Norman Hyatt. Their children were: Gordon Everett, Donna Frances, Norman Henry. Robert Allan and Arleigh Bruce.

 

In 1911 Everett established Omstead Fisheries on Lake Erie at the mouth of Muddy Creek in Mersea Township. This was well before the official opening of the government built harbour in 1951.

 

When Robert Allan was orphaned at the age of 14, his brothers Leonard and Duane were his legal guardians. Upon graduation from Wheatley Public School, Robert continued his education at St. Andrews College, Aurora, Ontario and then H. B. Beal Technical School where he majored in Wood Working and was proficient in Mathematics. In 1949 Robert began his career at Omstead Fisheries, having previously worked there for several summers.

 

During his 38 years of employment at Omstead Foods Limited, he worked at various jobs. Initially, he tried fishing but found he did not have the stomach for the motion of Lake Erie.

 

He strung fish nets, trucked fresh fish to Wheatley from the small packing plant in Erieau, which he also managed. Later, he set up the French Fried Potato line and Fryer in the Cookroom.

 

With carpenter's blood in his veins, from his mother's Hyatt family, he was adept at construction. He supervised the building of a new fishery, which was built over the top of the old one. The old building was dismantled as the new building progressed. Not one day of production was lost during this time.

 

In 1962 he supervised the building of the Vegetable Processing Plant which he successfully managed until 1987. Before his retirement in 1988 he was Special Projects Manager.

 

On February 3,1951, Bob married Marion Beatrice Myatt, daughter of Elsie Lydia Rogers and Harold James Myatt, in the Adelaide Street Baptist Church in London, Ontario. Their children are: Jeffrey Allan Myatt, Michael Robert and Sandra Louise. They have 8 grandchildren: Jeremy and Holly Omstead; Robert and ElIzabeth Omstead; and Andrew, Michael, Sarah and Daniel Klauke.