The Olmstead Family History

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Almesteda Album
Olmstede Hall Album

The Olmstead surname appears under a great many different forms both in this country and abroad: Almesteda, Elmsted, Elmstead, Elmested, Hamstead, Hampstead, Hampstede, Hamsted, Hempsted, Hempstede, Holmestead, Holmested, Holmestede, Holmstead, Holmsteade, Holmsted, Holmstedd, Holmystede, Homestead, Hompstead, Hompsted, Hompstede, Hownsted, Olmested, Olmestede, Olmsted, Olmstead, Olmsteed, Olmsted, Omstead, Ownsted, Umsted, Umstede.

The Olmste(a)d family surname is derived from the land called "Almesteda".

The earliest mention of the family name occurs in "Doomsday Book" for the County of Essex, in the survey made under William the Conqueror, in 1086. It appears as follows under "The Land of Suen of Essex" and the "Hundret of Tendringe": "Almesteda (Elmsted or Olmsted) was held by Robert Fitz Wimarc. Now Suen (holds it), and Siric' of him, as 1 manor and as 8 hides. Then 14 villeins; now 13. Then 31 bordars; now 36. Then 6 serfs; now 1. Then 3 ploughs on the demesne; now 4. Then 19 ploughs belonging to the men; now 18. (There is) wood(land) for 500 swine, 22 acres of meadow, and pasture for 60 sheep. Then as now {semper) 1 mill, and 1 saltpan. Then 3 rounceys (runcini), and 18 beasts (animalia), and 30 swine, 150 sheep, 40 goats, and 5 hives of bees; now 5 rounceys, 10 beasts, 32 swine, 190 sheep, 80 goats, (and) 2 hives of bees. It was then worth 9 pounds; now 10." —The Victoria History of the Counties of England [Essex], Westminster, Archibald Constable & Co., p. 491.

The parish of Elmsted is in the Hundred of Tendring, Essex. it is written Almesteda and Elmsted. From Wright's "Essex," Vol. II., pp. 759-60;

Almesteda.

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Possible Scandinavian Origins:

While the Olmste(a)d family called England their home for many generations, one finds that near the hamlet of Almesteda, currently called Elmstead, there are a number of small towns and villages that have names ending in "-sted" and "stead", and also by the fact that almost all these places were in eastern England, chiefly in Essex, some thirty to forty miles inland from the North Sea and that they extended in a broad line or band from northern Essex in a southern direction nearly to the Channel.

Listed below are the names of the towns and villages in Essex. The English letter "x" is a double consonant, and is equivalent to "cs" or "gs". For example, Broxted is equivalent to Broc-sted, wherein you recover what seems at first a missing "s":

Turning to the pages of an atlas to Denmark, you will find that in the western-part of Denmark there are easily found at least fifteen names of villages and districts that are strikingly similar in form, and manner of spelling to the Olmsted (Almesteda) name; while in southern Sweden there is the considerable town of Halmstad, nearly opposite Copenhagen.

In Essex are: Broxted, Braxted, Thaxed, Fairsted, Felsted, Halsted, Standsted, Hempstead, Burstead, Greenstead, Harkstead, Bumstead.

Denmark: Holsted, Ulsted, Oldsted, Hadsted, Orsted, Ovsted, Vedsted, Nysted, Grindsted, Briersted, Graisted, Gjedsted, Fjelsted, Tisted, and Thisted, Fredrikstad, Stromstad, and Rakkestad.

In Sweden there is a city of Halmsted.

In Norway, Stiklestad.

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