Mr. L. B. Olmstead was born in Knox County, Iowa, August 22, 1857. He was the son of Silas and Lucetta Olmstead. On October 17, 1884, he married Marie Louise Miller, who passed away October 30,1916.
In his early years he farmed near Northville, Illinois. At the urging of his, wife he studied law, taking his law books with him to the field, and with the books fastened to the beam, he walked, cultivated, and learned law. After he passed the bar examination he located in Somonauk, Illinois, where he was an attorney for fifty-five years. He was the oldest living attorney in De-Kalb and LaSalle Counties.

At the time of his death he was President of the Somonauk State Bank which he was instrumental in organizing after the discontinuance of the private banking business of Tom Wright. For many years he was President of the Farmers Elevator Company.

Mr. Olmstead loved flowers and for years maintained the beautiful gardens at Somonauk. It was about this same time that he started the Marie Louise Olmstead Museum, which is located above the drug store and barber shop.

Over the years he added hundreds of items to his collection and it soon grew to be one of the finest museums in this part of Illinois.

Under the terms of his will his entire estate was to be used in perpetuing the museum. Five Trustees were to handle same.

Mr. Olmstead died November 5th, 1951, at the age of ninety-four years.