Bertha Olmsted Niles was born in 1834 in Hartford, Ct. She came from a well-to-do family, and her father, John Olmsted, provided her with financial support. She was the youngest half-sister of Frederick Law Olmsted (author and landscape architect). After attending schools in Hartford, Olmsted spent six months studying French and music at a female seminary in Middlebury, Vt. in 1852. Upon the death of the school's principal, Olmsted traveled to Europe with his widow, Sophia Hitchcock. She studied in France, Italy, and Dresden until 1857. In April 1861, Olmsted became engaged to William Woodruff Niles. They married in 1862 and he was ordained an Episcopal priest. The two lived in New England, where he served in a number of small parishes until 1870 when he was elected bishop of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire. Bertha Olmsted Niles remained in New Hampshire until her death in 1926.
From the description of Diary, 1857-1868. (Winterthur Library). WorldCat record id: 122516933
