Genealogy of the Olmsted family in America : embracing the ...

Introduction vii
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 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FAMILY NAME
The parish of Ehnsted is in the Hundred of Tendring, Essex. Its name
is Saxon, " Elm " and " sted," i. e., the place of Elms, as being remarkable
for the growth of trees of that kind. In the record, it is written Almesteda
and Enmested.—From Wright's "Essex," Vol. II., pp. 759-60.
Holm: In local names in England is the Anglo-Saxon holm, i. e., water
island, low ground by water. In Sweden and Denmark holm is a small island,
as Stockholm, etc.—From E. A. Charnock, Local Etymology. Danish and German,
holm, a small island; Swedish, holme; Icelandic, holmi., i. e., an island.
Holm, a green plot of ground, environed by water, and just rising above it,
hence, meadows, especially near rivers. These are to this day called Holmes,
or Homes.—From Bosworth's Dictionary of the Saxon language. " The Icelandic
is the same language as the old Danish. The Icelanders have retained the
old Danish in such purity that it may still be considered the living language."
—Bosworth. ^
THE OLMSTED COAT OF ARMS
The Arms which appear in this volume are recorded as being borne by
one Richard Olmsted, a man of some social standing, and his connection with
the immigrants, James and Richard, is pretty well estabUshed. They were
found in the study of the Rector of Dimmington, born abt. 1580, who was a
native of Felsted, Essex County, England, the headquarters of the Olmsteds,
after they disappear from Olmsted Hall.
Another Olmsted Coat of Arms is that of John Olmsted, of Stansted
Hall, in Halsted, County Essex. He was Master of the Horse to the Earl of
Oxford, A. D., 1518.
S. 3 horses' heads erased. Bits, reins and tassels, arg. ; canton, ermine.
Still another is that which is described as follows: " The arms of the
Olmsted Family are described by James Usher, who painted them, and
gathered a part of his information through his London agent from the College
of Heraldry in that city, and also from the collections of John Coles, who
flourished as a Heraldic writer and collector of arms, at or near Hartford,
Conn., about the year 1785, as follows: Ermine on a fesse, gules. Three
towers, argent. Crest, a Tower, sable. Issuing therefrom, a lion's head,
argent. Motto, ' Bes vivit que bene.' ' He lives twice who lives well.'
" Ermine signifies white, dotted with black figiures. It is an emblem of
unsullied honor, and indicates that the original bearer of the arms held high
judicial position. The towers indicate that some bearer of the arms was in
command of a Fortress. The lion's head is used in arms to denote bravery,
magnanimity and strength. The fesse indicates the belt of a Knight. In
heraldic language gules means red and is an emblem of courage; argent
means silver and is an emblem of purity; sable means black and is an emblem
of antiquity." It is well to call attention to the fact that the motto, used
with coats of arms, is not an essential part of the insignia, the bearers being
at liberty to select such motto as may suit their own taste.