By Jared L. Olar
December 2018
Our descent from the Odells traces back through the Turney family to RICHARD ODELL (c.1540-1611) of Salford, Bedfordshire, England. The Odell surname is a toponymic family name, indicating a family from the village and parish of Odell in Bedfordshire, England. The village's name has had several variant spellings over the centuries. A History of the County of Bedford, Vol. 3, page 69, lists the following variants: "Wadelle, Wadehelle (xi cent.); Wahull, Wodhull (xii–xiv cent.); Odyll (xv cent.); Odell, Woodhill alias Wahull (xvi cent.); Woodhill alias Odell or Odley (xviii, xix cent.)." The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon Wadhill, meaning "hill where the woad plant grows," referring to the plant from which the ancient pagan Britons and Picts derived woad, their distinctive blue warpaint. The medieval feudal holders of Odell bore the surname of DE WAHULL. In the late Middle Ages, other families from Odell also began to assume the name of their home parish as a toponymic surname, giving rise to English families called Odell, Odill, Odele, Odle, Wodell, etc., and descendants of some those Odell families later emigrated to New England. Although the surname was originally pronounced something like "Oddle" (obviously the correct pronunciation), eventually the most common pronunciation was "Oh-DELL," with the emphasis on the second syllable. That in turn led many Odell families to add an apostrophe to their surname -- "O'Dell" -- which was both the result and the cause of the erroneous belief that the family was of Irish origin. Nevertheless, there has never been a native Irish O'Dell family -- all Odells derive their origins in Bedfordshire, England.
Despite attempts to derive the American Odells from the medieval De Wahull family and from English royalty, the genealogies of the American Odells cannot be traced back further than circa 1500. The first men to bear the Odell surname in America were WILLIAM ODELL (1601-1676) and JOHN ODELL, both of whom came from Odell in Bedfordshire. William, one of the early inhabitants of Fairfield, Connecticut, came to New England in the company of Rev. Peter Bulkeley, who was also from the Parish of Odell, Bedfordshire, England, where Bulkeley was rector of All Saint's Church for many years. Bulkeley's wife Grace Chetwode was the daughter of Sir Richard Chetwode, whose mother was Agnes de Wahull of Warkworth in Northumberland, a descendant of the medieval De Wahulls of Odell. This correlation of the surname of the colonist William Odell with the Wahull descent of Bulkeley's wife led genealogists in the past to construct the following line of descent for William Odell:
Thomas de Wahull of Warkworth (1410-1441), married Isabel (1415-1441)
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Thomas Wodhull of Cranfield, Bedfordshire (1437-1463), married Esther (1445-1468)
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Richard Odell (1490-1551) of Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, married Catherine Mangus
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Richard Odell of Newport Pagnell, born 25 Nov. 1518, died 3 Jan. 1590, married Anne Rogers
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Richard Odell of Newport Pagnell, born circa 1540, died 31 March 1611 in Salford, Bedfordshire, married Elizabeth Pierce/Perst
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Richard Odell of Newport Pagnell, born 1576, died 21 Nov. 1636 in Newport Pagnell, married Martha Nichols -- Richard's will names his eldest son William as a beneficiary.
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William Odell, the immigrant
There are several problems with the above lineage. For example, in several cases the given date of death is actually the date of burial or the date that the individual made his will. Most seriously, the identification of the colonist William Odell as the William, eldest son of Richard Odell of Newport Pagnell, is impossible, since the Newport Pagnell William was baptised 23 Oct. 1625 in Newport Pagnell, whereas the colonist William was born circa 1601. Following is an abstract of the will of Richard Odell (1576-1636):
Will of Richard Odell of Newport Pagnell, (Bucks.) miller, dated 21 November, 1636:
To William Oddell my eldest son, my freehold land in Cranfield, co. Beds. Mary Oddell my daughter £20 at marriage or 21. Elizabeth Oddell,
daughter of John Oddell my brother, 10 shillings. Residue to Martha my wife, whom Extrx. and John Oddell and Robert Markes of Newport Pagnell, blacksmith, Overseers.
Witnesses: Richard Hull, Thomas King, Robert Bitchnoe
Proved 10 January, 1636/7, by the Extrx. named
(Source - Arch: Buckinghamshire Will Book 36, folio 80)
Besides Richard's son William not being the colonist of that name, Richard's proposed ancestry is demonstrably erroneous. Odell genealogists have claimed that Richard of Newport Pagnell, born 1576, is the same as Richard Odell, one of the sons of the Richard Odell who was buried (not died) 31 March 1611 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England. The villages of Salford, Newport Pagnell, and Odell are all within 10 miles of each other, so it is both geographically and onomastically plausible to connect Richard Odell of Salford with Richard Odell of Newport Pagnell and William Odell of Fairfield, Connecticut. Nevertheless, there is no positive evidence linking Richard Odell of Salford (c.1540-1611) with Newport Pagnell. Even more, Richard Odell of Newport Pagnell, was born circa 1576, whereas Richard Odell of Salford's son Richard was baptised 25 Nov. 1581 in Salford. Therefore the Newport Pagnell Richard cannot be the Salford Richard. But even if these men were in fact the same person, Elizabeth Pierce could not be his mother, because Elizabeth was the first wife of Richard Odell of Salford (c.1540-1611), whereas his son Richard, baptised 1581, was the eldest child of Richard's second wife Ann/Agnes Rogers.
It is here that another error in the above lineage becomes evident. Note that Richard Odell (1518-1590) is said to have married an Anne Rogers. But Ann(e) Rogers was the second wife, not the mother, of Richard Odell of Salford (c.1540-1611). It is not impossible that Richard Odell of Salford was the son of Richard Odell of Newport Pagnell (1518-1590), although I am not aware of any positive evidence that he was -- but even if he was, his mother certainly was not Anne Rogers.
As for the first three generations of the lineage, in which the family name transitions from Wahull to Wodhull and finally to Odell, such a descent is not impossible, but this particular line of descent appears to be both unsupported and unlikely. Far more likely than a 250-mile move in a single generation from Warkworth in Northumberland south to Cranfield in Bedfordshire is that the Odells of Cranfield and Newport Pagnell probably were of local origin in Bedfordshire, with no descent at all from the noble Wahulls of Warkworth who themselves had originated in Bedfordshire long before their move to Northumberland.
Despite the fatals flaws in the constructed pedigree of the American Odells, it remains extremely probable that the colonist William Odell was closely related to our own Odell ancestors. As Donald Lines Jacobus observed in his Additions and Corrections to History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield (1943), pages 24-25, 35:
"William Odell was closely related in all likelihood, to Mary Odell who married at Salford, co. Bedford, England, 12 Jul 1630, Benjamin Turney. The Turneys were with William Odell in Concord and Fairfield. Mary had no brother William, but she had three uncles, Richard, Thomas and William, all known to have had children and suitable in age for the paternity of William. Newport Pagnell, co. Bucks, where William had a fracas in 1637 (and in 1639 was reported in New England), is very close to Salford, and only about five miles from Cranfield, co. Bedford, home town of the Wheelers of Concord and Fairfield, where Odells were numerous. Until the parentage of William is established by record evidence, various claims of his exalted descent which have been put forward rest on no firmer foundation than the unsupported asseveration of their proponents."
Thus, William could be a first or second cousin of our ancestress Mary (Odell) Turney. With that, we conclude our overview of the probable and plausible proposed ancestry of our Odell ancestors, and turn now to an account of our proven Odell lineage.
1. RICHARD ODELL, ancestry unknown, but no doubt a descendant of an Odell family from the Parish of Odell in Bedfordshire, England, born circa 1540 in Buckinghamshire or Bedfordshire, England, died March 1611 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, buried 31 March 1611 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England. Richard, a husbandman (i.e., farmer), married on 15 Sept. 1565 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, to ELIZABETH PIERCE, born circa 1544 probably in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, died Nov. 1580 in Salford, Bedfordshire, burial 14 Nov. 1580 in Salford, Bedfordshire, possibly daughter of Henry and Joan (Lyverich) Pierce. Richard and Elizabeth had two daughters and three sons, including our ancestor John. About two months after Elizabeth's death, Richard remarried on 22 Jan. 1581 in Salford, Bedfordshire, to ANN ROGERS ("Agnes"), died in late June 1621 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, buried 1 July 1621 in Salford, Bedfordshire. Richard and Agnes had three sons and five daughters.
The 1938 article, "Turney - Odell," published in The American Genealogist (April 1938), vol. 14, page 226, provides this information about Richard Odell:
"Richard Odell, buried at Salford, 31 Mar. 1611; married first, 15 Sept. 1565, Elizabeth Perst [perhaps Pierce], who was buried 14 Nov. 1580; married second, 22 Jan. 1580/1, Anne [Agnes] Rogers, who was buried 1 July 1621."
Paul W. Prindle's Ancestry of Elizabeth Barrett Gillespie (1976), page 350, has this to say about Richard and his second wife Agnes, providing details from Agnes' will.
"No will by Richard has been found. That of 'Agnes Odle of Hulcot in the county of Bedford, widow,' was dated 21 Jun 1621 and proved 24 Jul 1621 in the Archdeaconry Court of Bedford. It provided that "my house which is one room in Hulcot, I desire that my daughter Margaret and my daughter Susanna shall have it between them [and] . . . my wood, timber, beer and other moveables in and about my yard.' To her eldest son, Richard, she bequeathed £8; to her son Thomas, £8 and to his child or children, 20 s.; to her son William, £4, and to his children, 20 s.; to her daughter Ann, £4 and to her children, 20 s.; to her daughter Dorothy, £4, and to her child, 20 s.; to her daughter Margaret, £12; to Alice Finson, wife of Thomas Finson, 20 s., and to their son John, 3 s. 4 d.; to her son Richard's daughter, 15 s., and to his son, 5 s.; to Gabriel (Gertrude?) Odle, eldest daughter of John Odle of Salford, 20 s. and to the rest of his children, 10 s., and to Henry Feild of Salford, 3 s. 4 d. To her daughter Margaret, a chest with linen and other things therein, and to her daughter Susan, her bed and all her other goods, she to be sole executrix. Mr. Thomas Bingley, Mr. Henry Butterfield and John Odle were appointed overseers of the will, each to receive 12 d."
"Turney - Odell" shows this list of children born to Richard Odell by his two wives Elizabeth and Agnes:
Children by first wife:
Alice, bapt. 19 May 1566; m. 14 Oct. 1589, Thomas Vinson or Finson. She and her son John were mentioned in the will of her step-mother.
Henry, bapt. 3 June 1568; no further record.
Elizabeth, bapt. 10 Oct. 1569; m. 10 Feb. 1594, Thomas Flyede [Feild?]. She may have been mother of the Henry Feild named in her step-mother's will.
John, bapt. 24 Mar. 1574/5; bur. 19 Apr. 1575.
John, b. [say 1577-8]. He was head of the next generation of Odells at Salford, and is placed as son of Richard Odell (probably the eldest surviving
son) because a legacy was given to John's eldest daughter and other children in the will of Richard's widow. He named children Richard and Isabel [Elizabeth] for his parents.
Children by second wife:
Richard, bapt. 25 Nov. 1581; m. and had a son and a daughter in 1621.
Thomas, bapt. 14 Apr. 1583; m. and had a child or children in 1621.
William, b. [say 1585]; named in mother's will; m. and had children in 1621.
Ann, bapt. 9 July 1587; m. and had children in 1621.
Dorothy, bapt. 7 Dec. 1589; m. and had a child in 1621.
Susan, b. [say 1592]; unm. and Executrix of mother's will in 1621.
Margaret, bapt. 8 Apr. 1595; unm. in 1621.
Mary, bapt. 18 Mar. 1598; no further record.
It is noteworthy that the youngest child Mary's surname in her baptismal record is spelled "Wodell" rather than "Odell" or "Odle."
Richard had six sons and seven daughters from his two marriages, all born in Salford, Bedfordshire, England:
-- ALICE ODELL, baptised 19 May 1566 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, married Thomas Vinson (Finson).
-- HENRY ODELL, baptised 3 June. 1568 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England.
-- ELIZABETH ODELL, baptised 10 Oct. 1569 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, married Thomas Flyede (Feild?).
-- JOHN ODELL, baptised 24 March 1575 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, buried 19 April 1575 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England.
2. JOHN ODELL, born circa 1577-78 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England.
-- RICHARD ODELL, baptised 3 June 1610 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England.
-- THOMAS ODELL, baptised 26 Jan. 1612 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England.
-- WILLIAM ODELL, baptised 9 Jan. 1614 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, married John (NN).
-- ANN ODELL, baptised 21 July 1616 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, buried 30 April 1618 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England.
-- DOROTHY ODELL, baptised 3 Oct. 1619 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England.
-- SUSAN ODELL, born circa 1592 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England
-- MARGARET ODELL, baptised 8 April 1595 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England.
-- MARY ODELL, baptised 18 March 1598 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England.
2. JOHN ODELL, son of Richard and Elizabeth Odell, born circa 1577-78 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, died Jan. 1656 and buried 12 Jan. 1656 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England. John married on 5 Dec. 1603 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, to JOAN BINGLEY, born circa 1582 in England, died June 1640 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, buried 28 June 1640 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, daughter of Thomas Bingley. John and Joan had five sons and five daughters. A few years after Joan's death, John remarried on 24 June 1645 in Salford to SUSANNA NICHOLS, born circa 1585 in England. No children were born of John's second marriage.
The 1938 article, "Turney - Odell," published in The American Genealogist (April 1938), vol. 14, pages 226-227, provides this information about John Odell:
"John, b. [say 1577-8]. He was head of the next generation of Odells at Salford, and is placed as son of Richard Odell (probably the eldest surviving son) because a legacy was given to John's eldest daughter and other children in the will of Richard's widow. He named children Richard and Isabel [Elizabeth] for his parents. . . . John Odell, born [1577-8], no record of burial, and no record of will found; married first, 5 Dec. 1603, Joan Bingley, who was buried 28 June 1640, possibly daughter or sister of the Thomas Bingley who was an overseer of the will of John Odell's step-mother; married second, 24 June 1645, Susanna Nichols."
John's date of burial was subsequently discovered in the Parish Register of Salford (1558-1812), which shows the burial of "Jn Odell, sen." on 12 Jan. 1655-56. Some family trees erroneously state that John was baptised on 24 March 1575, but that is the baptismal date of John's same-named older brother who had died not quite a month old.
"Turney - Odell" shows this list of children born to John and Mary Odell:
Children by first wife:
Robert, bapt. 19 Aug. 1604; m. Sarah -----, who was buried 12 Aug. 1650.
Gertrude, bapt. 19 Aug. 1604; m. 10 July 1626, John Chad or Chard.
Mary, bapt. 10 Nov. 1605; m. 12 July 1630, Benjamin Turney; . . . .
John, bapt. 29 Mar. 1607; bur. 22 Sept. 1682; left a will; m. 1 May 1632, Elizabeth Wheeler, who was bur. 4 Oct. 1676.
Thomas, bapt. 1 or 12 July 1608.
Richard, bapt. 3 June 1610.
Edward, bapt. 26 Jan. 1611/12.
Isabel, bapt. 9 Jan. 1613/14; called Elizabeth in the Bishop's Transcripts; m. 4 Feb. 1632/3, John ------.
Joan, bapt. 21 July 1616; bur. 30 Apr. 1618.
Joane dau. of John, 3 Oct. 1619.
John and Mary's children, all born at Salford in Bedfordshire, were as follows:
-- ROBERT ODELL, baptised 19 Aug. 1604 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, married Sarah (NN).
-- GERTRUDE ODELL, baptised 19 Aug. 1604 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, married John Chad (or Chard).
3. MARY ODELL, baptised 10 Nov. 1605 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England.
-- JOHN ODELL JR., baptised 29 March 1607 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, buried 22 Sept. 1682 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, married Elizabeth Wheeler.
-- THOMAS ODELL, baptised 1 or 12 July 1608 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England.
-- RICHARD ODELL, baptised 3 June 1610 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England.
-- EDWARD ODELL, baptised 26 Jan. 1612 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England.
-- ISABEL ODELL ("Elizabeth"), baptised 9 Jan. 1614 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, married John (NN).
-- JOAN ODELL, baptised 21 July 1616 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, buried 30 April 1618 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England.
-- JOANE ODELL, baptised 3 Oct. 1619 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England.
3. MARY ODELL, daughter of John and Joan Odell, baptised 10 Nov. 1604 in Salford, Bedfordshire, England, died before 1659 in Fairfield, Fairfield County, Connecticut. Mary married on 12 July 1630 at Salford, Bedfordshire, England, to BENJAMIN TURNEY, born circa 1597 at Surcott near Linslade, on the Bedfordshire side of the Bedfordshire/Buckinghamshire border, England, died before 6 June 1648 in Fairfield, Fairfield County, Connecticut, son of Thomas and Judith Turney. The identity of Benjamin's wife Mary and of her parents was confirmed by Helen G. Thacker of London, whose discovery was announced in the 1938 article, "Turney - Odell," published in The American Genealogist (April 1938), vol. 14, page 224, as follows:
"Since the publication of the ancestry of Benjamin Turney of Fairfield . . . the identity of the emigrant's wife was found by Miss Helen G. Thacker of London. Their marriage was entered in the register of Salford, Bedfordshire, the home of the bride: "Benjamin Turney and Marie Odell were married the twelfth of Julie 1630." On a recent trip abroad, I visited Salford, and obtained the following Odell records, which indicate that Benjamin Turney's wife was daughter of John and Johan (Bingley) Odell and granddaughter of Richard and Elizabeth (Perst) Odell . . . ."
Benjamin and Mary had six daughters and two sons. They had their children baptised at the church in Soulbury, Buckinghamshire. Benjamin was a prominent man at Soulbury and was the churchwarden there. However, after the baptism of his daughter AGNES (Ann) on 8 Jan. 1636, Benjamin no longer appears in Soulbury records. He next appears on record in Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, on 16 Feb. 1639, when he had his daughter REBECCA baptised. Thus, he and his wife Mary and their children had left Soulbury, England, and settled in Concord, Massachusetts, at some point between those two dates. Benjamin and Mary had two more children in Concord before moving in 1644 to Fairfield, Connecticut.
Donald Lines Jacobus in his "History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield ," 1930-1932, vol I., pages 618-19, shows the following genealogical sketch of Benjamin Turney's life:
"He settled in Concord, Mass., by 1639, and was made freeman, June 1641; and removed, we suppose in Sept. 1644 with Rev. Mr. Jones, the Wheelers, and others, to Fairfield. Here he d. in 1648; and it may be guessed that he or his wife was closely related to Ann wife of Thomas Wheeler, Sr., for in her will 1659, which was witnessed by Robert Turney, Mrs. Wheeler gave her best hat to Rebecca Turney. . . .
"He m. Mary -----, who m. (2) Joseph Middlebrook.
"Inv. 6 June 1648, presented by Mary Turney, 10 Nov. 1648. Ages of children: Mary 17, Robert 15, Judith 13, Ann 11, Rebecca 8, Sarah 6, Ruth 4, Benjamin 3. Receipts were given to Joseph Middlebrook in 1661 by Nathaniel Seeley in behalf of his wife and for use of sister Sarah; John Wheeler in behalf of his wife and for use of sister Ruth Turney and bro. Benjamin Turney and sister Rebecca; and Stephen Sherwood who m. the said Rebecca acknowledged receipt of her portion; also Thomas Sherwood receipted to Middlebrook for his wife's portion. John Wheeler by 1673 purchased from Stephen and Matthew Sherwood all their interest in right of their wives, the daus. of Benjamin Turney dec'd. . . ."
As Jacobus noted, Benjamin died in Fairfield, Connecticut, in 1648, some point prior to 6 June 1648 when an inventory of his estate was taken. After his death, his widow Mary remarried on 24 March 1656 to JOSEPH MIDDLEBROOK, born circa 1610 in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, England, died prior to 22 Nov. 1686 (when his will was inventoried) in Fairfield, Connecticut. Mary died circa 1659 in Fairfield, as is known from the fact that Joseph was remarried by 1660.
The known children of Benjamin and Mary Turney were:
-- MARY TURNEY, baptised 18 Sept. 1631 in Soulbury, Buckinghamshire, England, died 19 Dec 1675 in Fairfield, Connecticut, married Nathaniel Seeley.
-- ROBERT TURNEY, baptised 13 June 1633 in Soulbury, Buckinghamshire, England, died circa Jan. 1690 in Fairfield, Connecticut, married Elizabeth Holly.
-- JUDITH TURNEY, born circa 1635 in Soulbury, Buckinghamshire, England, died circa 1672 in Fairfield, Connecticut, married John Wheeler Sr.
-- ANN TURNEY ("Agnes"), baptised 8 Jan. 1636 in Soulbury, Buckinghamshire, England, died before 1683 in Fairfield, Connecticut, married Thomas Sherwood Jr.
-- REBECCA TURNEY, born 16 Feb. 1639 in Concord, Massachusetts, married Stephen Sherwood, younger brother of Thomas Sherwood Jr.
-- SARAH TURNEY, born 11 Dec. 1641 in Concord, Massachusetts, died before 1670, married Matthew Sherwood, younger brother of Stephen Sherwood.
-- RUTH TURNEY, baptised 28 Jan. 1643/44 in Concord, Massachusetts, died before 7 Nov. 1666 in Richard Bouton.
-- BENJAMIN TURNEY JR., born circa 1645 probably in Fairfield, Connecticut, died before 28 Nov. 1694 in Fairfield, Connecticut, married Rebecca Keeler.
Odell Genealogy Resources:
Mindrum Family History, with information on Mary Odell and her ancestry. We Relate: Mary Odell, information and ancestry. We Relate: William Odell, information and discussion of genealogical conjectures. Find-A-Grave Memorial of Mary (Odell) Turney, with links to her parents, husband, and children. Parishes: Odell, British History Online. Parishes: Salford, British History Online. St. Mary the Virgin Church at Salford in Bedfordshire St. Mary's Church in Salford The Odell Genealogy No Green in These Genes: When your family tree reveals you’re not Irish after all -- "Odell," NOT "O'Dell."