Rebecca Olmstead Newell was born 1624 in Fairstead, Essex, England to Richard Olmstead (1579-1641) and Frances Slany (1587-1630) and died 24 February 1698 Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut of unspecified causes. She married Thomas Newell (1611-1689) 1641 in Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut.
Biography
Immigration to America
Rebeckah Olmstead, a sister of John (later known as Dr. John) and Richard Olmsted, and niece of James Olmstead (1580-1640) and his wife Joyce Cornish with whom she arrived in Boston on 16 Sep 1632 on the Lyon after a twelve week voyage from Braintree, England, along with cousins, Nehemiah and Nicholas Olmsted (see Ward). She probably lived with her uncle James until about 1640, when she and Thomas Newell were married in Hartford.
Founding of Hartford
The James Olmsted family settled first at Mount Wallaston, now Quincy, near Boston, Massachusetts, but in the course of the year, by order of the Court, they removed to Newtown (now Cambridge). While in Cambridge, James Hooker attended the ministry of Rev. Thomas Hooker, and in the summer of 1636, he and his family joined what has come to be known as the “Hooker Party”, which became dissatisfied by the form of government of the colony of Massachusetts and endeavored to move as a community to the Connecticut Valley. James, John and Richard Olmsted are recognized as Hartford Founders Monument, and their names appear on the “Founders Monument” in the Ancient Burying Ground of Hartford, Connecticut (an honor not afforded to women, as they did not receive of the land distribution in their own names).
Marriage & Family
It is believed that Rebecca lived with her uncle, brothers and cousins until she married Thomas Newell (1611-1689) in about 1640.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Rebecca Newell (1643-1711) | January 1643 Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut | 9 May 1711 Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut | Joseph Woodford (1645-1701) |
| Mary Newell (1643-1676) | |||
| John Newell (1647-1696) | |||
| Thomas Newell (1650-1733) | |||
| Hester Newell (1652-1737) | |||
| Sarah Newell (1655-1757) | |||
| Hannah Newell (1658-1757) | |||
| Martha Newell (1658-1757) | |||
| Samuel Newell (1660-1753) | |||
| Joseph Newell (1664-1689) | |||
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Mary Olmstead (1610-) | |||
| Richard Olmstead (1612-1687) | 21 February 1612 Fairstead, Essex, England | 20 April 1687 Norwalk, Fairfield County, Connecticut | Elizabeth Marvin (1614-) |
| John Olmstead (1616-1686) | 1616 Fairstead, Essex, England | 2 August 1686 Norwich, New London County, Connecticut | Mary Marvin (1628-1713) |
| Sara Olmstead (1620-) | |||
| Rebecca Olmstead (1624-1698) | 1624 Fairstead, Essex, England | 24 February 1698 Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut | Thomas Newell (1611-1689) |
| Joseph Olmstead (1627-1628) | |||
References
- James Olmstead List of Famous Descendants
- Newell & Olmstead Family History
- George Kemp Ward. Genealogy of the Olmsted family in America: Embracing the Descendants of James and Richard Olmsted and Covering a Period of Nearly Three Centuries: 1632-1912 (A.T. De La Mare Printing & Publishing Co.) 1912.