(1832) Observations on the Meteors of November 13th, 1833 (1834) Introduction to Astronomy (1839) Compendium of Astronomy (1841) Letters on Astronomy, Addressed to a Lady (1841) Life and Writings of Ebenezer Porter Mason (New York, 1842) Rudiments of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy (Cincinnati, 1844) Olmsted wrote some biographical sketches, one of which became among the most influential writings on Eli Whitney. The Memoir of Eli Whitney, Esq. was first published in the American Journal of Science in 1832, seven years after Whitney’s death. Details of early biographies differed, with one of the most important differences being the state of practice of cotton ginning at the time of Whitney’s invention. Olmsted said workers used their fingers to separate seed from cotton, whereas others said roller gins were widely used. Thus, Olmsted said Whitney invented the cotton gin, whereas others credited him with the more modest accomplishment of inventing a new and more efficient kind of gin. Most later biographers, especially after the Civil War, adopted Olmsted’s version. Meanwhile, authors writing more broadly about the southern United States elaborated on Olmsted's ideas, treating the cotton gin as a symbol of nineteenth century prosperity or of the evils of slavery. Further reading Family His son Francis Allyn Olmsted wrote a book on Hawaii. His son Alexander Fisher Olmsted (1822–1853) was a professor of chemistry at the University of North Carolina. Notes References External links 1791 births 1859 deaths American astronomers Burials at Grove Street Cemetery Yale College alumni University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty Yale University faculty People from East Hartford, Connecticut