Summary of Justin Martin's Genius of Place

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 John and Charlotte Olmsted welcomed a baby boy named Fred in 1822. He was the first child for John, age thirty, and Charlotte, age twenty-one. He was named after Frederick Olmsted, John’s older brother who had died a few years earlier.

#2 John Olmsted was a soft man who was capable of real sweetness toward those he loved. He was a seventh-generation descendant of one of the city’s founders, James Olmsted. Fred’s mother, Charlotte, died of an overdose of laudanum six months after the birth of her second child.

#3 Following his mother’s death, John Olmsted briefly stopped writing in his diary. He then picked back up with: No a/c kept of expenses from February 24 to March 12. He left the care of his two young sons to a live-in nurse.

#4 Fred’s parents took him to a school that used a curriculum based on the work of Hartford residents. The first Puritan settlers had been fervent about education, believing that if they taught their children to read and reason, their principles might be passed along to subsequent generations.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jun 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822536692

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Insights on Justin Martin's Genius of Place

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

John and Charlotte Olmsted welcomed a baby boy named Fred in 1822. He was the first child for John, age thirty, and Charlotte, age twenty-one. He was named after Frederick Olmsted, John’s older brother who had died a few years earlier.

#2

John Olmsted was a soft man who was capable of real sweetness toward those he loved. He was a seventh-generation descendant of one of the city’s founders, James Olmsted. Fred’s mother, Charlotte, died of an overdose of laudanum six months after the birth of her second child.

#3

Following his mother’s death, John Olmsted briefly stopped writing in his diary. He then picked back up with: No a/c kept of expenses from February 24 to March 12. He left the care of his two young sons to a live-in nurse.

#4

Fred’s parents took him to a school that used a curriculum based on the work of Hartford residents. The first Puritan settlers had been fervent about education, believing that if they taught their children to read and reason, their principles might be passed along to subsequent generations.

#5

Fred’s boarding school years were typical for the time. He was sent away to study with different ministers, and he would go to many different schools. He developed a restless intelligence, and was difficult to discipline.

#6

Fred was a very different child than the ones around him. He was allowed to come and go as he pleased, and he often went to the country store to listen as his elders talked.

#7

Fred was sent to several different schools as he grew up. He was very active and imaginative, but also impulsive and trustful. He was often mischievous, which made him a troublesome and mischievous boy.

#8

Fred’s days were spent working on the farm or at the school. He had to drop out of Brace’s school when he developed a severe rash from sumac plant poison. He was sent to the seaside town of Saybrook to undergo hydrotherapy, which involved exposing his eyes to saltwater.

#9

Fred’s father was extremely relieved that his son had finally found a trade that he was interested in, and he was even able to start training to be a minister. But Fred was still a source of confusion to those who knew him. He was a person of obvious intelligence, but he seemed to lack any sense of urgency.

#10

Fred’s indolence was a front. He was actually very interested in the world around him, and he seemed to be communicating that by not bothering to describe himself or his life in any detail.

#11

Fred decided to become a sailor. He wanted to sail to China, which was a family tradition. But choosing China meant that Fred had to wait some months for the timing to be right.

#12

Fred went to look for a ship to hire him on, and he found the Ronaldson, a bark operated by the Gordon and Talbot company. The captain, Warren Fox, seemed like a deeply honorable man.

#13

The Ronaldson was packed with fur pelts,