Newsletters

Over the years there have been many newsletters published by or for Olmste(a)d Families. I will admit that my collection is far from complete. Our goal is to scan and then post digitized files on this Internet site, especially those appropriate issues that are of interest to the researcher as permissions are gained and as time permits.

I am unaware of any newsletter published by the Olmsted Family, Inc. from their founding until their demise, about 1952. I suspect that there may have been an annual letter announcing reunions and asking that birth, death, and marriage activities be sent to the secretary.

Olmste(a)d Genealogy Recorded (OGR) and Olmstead News issued 1975-1982 by Walt Steesy on a paid subscription basis. This was primarily a genealogical publication that included queries. From 1980 to 1982 it also sent to the members of the Olmste(a)d Family Association.

Olmsted Family Journal by Roger Orley Olmsted, with his son Gregory and daughter-in-law Pamela Olmsted. First issued in April 1993 as a quarterly until ? on a paid subscription basis. In 1998 and 1999 it was issued in Spring and Fall as the Olmste(a)d Family Newsletter for the Olmste(a)d Family Association. This newsletter was well written and included interesting stories and photos to augment genealogical information.

The Jabez of  Olmsted Ware Newsletter has been published bi-annually since 1997 as a joint publication by Carl Hommel (US) (1929-2022) and Joe Barber (Canada) (1927-2019). This newsletter “is to facilitate the exchange of research information among Jabez descendants and to encourage and assist with ongoing research.” Each issue features an article by Doreen Dolleman (1948-2015) who did in depth research on the Jabez Olmsted line, in addition to submissions of genealogical information by other Jabez descendants. Thirty four issues over seventeen years were published by Carl; it was discontinued due to lake of new material to publish. In 2017, Carl gifted his URL jabezolmsted.com, all back issues (as PDF files), to the Olmste(a)d Family Association. The newsletters are now posted on this website.

Tree Leaves or other “official” newsletters of the Olmste(a)d Family Association have appeared in various forms and styles over the years.

*  Fall 1984 – 1985 — Edited by J. W. “Little Bill” Olmstead of Winnipeg, MB.

*  1985 – Dec 1986 — Edited by Walt Olmstead of Liverpool, NY

* Sept. 1991 – Oct. 1992 — Edited by J. W. “Little Bill” Olmstead of Winnipeg, MB. Sept. 1991 was labeled 5th Anniversary issue. (Earlier issues may have been offered by other editors; none are in my [WWS] collection.)

* Summer 1994 – Winter 1997 — Edited by Elizabeth (Olmstead) Carroll of Saint Paul, MN.

* 1998 – 1999 — Roger & Greg Olmsted’s Olmste(a)d Family Newsletter served as the OFA official publication.

* 2000 – 2007 — Edited by Esther Olmstead of Cassadaga, NY. Quarterly in Jan, Apr, Jul, & Oct.

* 2008 – Spring 2010 — Upon the death of Esther in December 2007, Walt Steesy served as temporary editor, continuing on a quarterly basis

* 2010 – 2012 — Following the 2010 OFA reunion in Rochester, New York, Robyn Miller edited the newsletter. It was discontinued due to her lack of interest and new material to publish

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