Mary (Unknown) Odell (abt. 1640 - bef. 1712)

Wife of John Odell — married 18 Dec 1660 in Fairfield, Fairfield, Connecticut

Descendants

Died before 22 Jan 1712 before about age 72 in Fairfield, Fairfield, Connecticut

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Biography

The Mistaken Identities of John Odell's wife

• In 1894, Rufus King, published a pedigree chart of the Odell families, including the immigrant William Odell and his son John Odell. In that chart (see image attached) John is reported as having married twice, 1st to Joanna Walker, d/o Joseph and Abigail, and second to Mary ______. King cites Schenk's History of Fairfield which also says that Joanna married John Odell.^[1] This is based on the will of Joanna's mother which names her as Joanna Odell. There is a major flaw in this statement. Joanna Walker was born 5 May 1677,^[2][3] making it quite impossible for her to be the mother John's children born about 1677. Joanna instead married Samuel Odell, John's son.^[4]
• Someone combined Joanna Walker and Mary Unknown and came up with Mary Walker. This is quite prevalent on the internet. There is a Mary Walker in the right place and time: Mary Walker, daughter of John Walker and his wife Grace (Unknown), bpt. Mar 1641 New Haven. However Mary Walker married John Brown 1 Jan 1660, in New Haven. She divorced him in 1674 and remarried 28 May 1675, in New Haven, John Clark (his 2nd wife also). She had children by both these husbands.^[5]

Mary Unknown, Wife of John Odell

Mary Unknown married John Odell. They had children about 1666-1693:^[6]

1. John Odell d. 1743 age 77^[6]
2. Elizabeth Odell m. Abel Bingham^[6]
3. Rebecca Odell m. Luke Guire and Robert Turney^[6]
4. Samuel Odell b. 1677^[6]
5. Hannah Odell b 1679; m. Nathaniel Seeley and Jacob Sterling^[6]
6. Deborah Odell b. 1682 m. John Downs^[6]
7. Mary Odell m. Nathaniel Porter and John Middlebrook^[6]

The inventory of Mary Odell's estate was taken 22 Jan 1711/12. Among the probate documents are the names of Mary's sons John and Samuel Odell and unmarried daughter Deborah Odell. Also are the names of her sons-in-law Abel Bingham, Robert Turney, Jacob Starling. Among these names are Danill Cortis, and Samuel Ferris. All of these signed the distribution agreeement.^[7]

Questions

• Samuel Ferris who signed Mary Odell's estate distribution. Logic tells us this is a son in law. A Samuel Ferris, son of Zachariah, m. about 1710 Martha ______.^[6] Is Martha another daughter of Mary and John Odell?
• Danill Cortis also signed the estate distribution. Bingham, Turney and Sterling were married to Elizabeth, Rebecca, and Hannah. That leaves daughter Mary unaccounted. According to Jacobus, Mary and Nathaniel Porter married about 1713 (his second wife). Mary married in 1727 John Middlebrook.^[6] This leaves room for Mary to have married Daniel Curtis shortly before the distribution of her mother's estate. Did Mary marry first to Daniel Cortis/Curtis?

Sources

1. ↑ Schenck, Elizabeth Hubbell Godfrey. The History of Fairfield, Fairfield County, Connecticut, from the Settlement of the Town in 1639 to 1818: 1639-1700. publ 1889. p 400
2. ↑ "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCW2-KM4 : accessed 20 May 2016), Joanna Walker, 05 May 1677; citing BOSTON,SUFFOLK,MASSACHUSETTS, ; FHL microfilm 397,042.
3. ↑ Boston, MA: Births, Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths, 1630-1699. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015.) Originally published as: A Report of the Record Commissioners of the City of Boston Containing Boston Births, Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths, 1630-1699, Rockwell and Churchill, City Printers, Boston, 1883.
4. ↑ Jacobus, Donald Lines, MA (compiler, editor.) History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield. Fairfield, Conn.: The Eunice Dennie Burr Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution, 1930. (J.Walker Vol 1 p. 638
5. ↑ Jacobus, Donald Lines (compiler). Families of Ancient New Haven, Vol I-VIII. and Index Vol IX New Haven: 1931. Reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1974, 1981, 1997. Originally published as New Haven Genealogical Magazine, Volumes I-VIII. Rome, NY and New Haven, CT 1922-1932. (p.1931)
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9} Jacobus, Donald Lines, MA (compiler, editor.) History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield. Fairfield, Conn.: The Eunice Dennie Burr Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution, 1930., Odell Vol 1 p445/6
7. ↑ Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Connecticut County, District and Probate Courts.