COMPLETED - Daniel ODELL & Rebecca Marriage Mystery

[westsaxon]

Hello Delta
Forgive me for any errors I make in this but I am new to the site so just trying to work out what is what!  Earlier this year you were in touch with Benzol re the above and he sent you details of the Odell family at Standen headed by Alfred and Elizabeth.  I suspect that it was not the connection you wanted but, if that family is of interest to you, please let me know as I am their great grandson and am in touch with other members of the family.  I am going to try and find other descendants as time permits! Sorry to trouble you if not helpful but all the best in any case!

[delta]

Hello
There were quite a lot of Odell families in and around Bengeo and Hertford but I am pretty sure that Alfred and Elizabeth are not connected to my lot at all.

The connection I would like to be able to find is that Daniel 1811-1890 and William 1806/7-1854 were brothers.  I think Daniel's father 1768-1814 was probably the son of James 1765-1827.  As Daniel 1768 was married in Essex there may well have been other siblings that I know nothing about.
Thanks for your kind offer anyway.
Delta

[delta]

Hello westsaxon
I have just had a thought about your ancestors.  I do have some info on other Odells from Bengeo and surrounding areas which I have taken from Parish registers so please feel free to ask about them if you don't have this info.  For example I have burial dates for Alfred's grandparents George & Susannah.  If you wish you can PM me.

[westsaxon]

Good morning Delta!
Sorry about the late response but we have been away on hols and I had not realised that I had your message tucked away with all the weird and wonderful bits that turned up in my inbox.  I am interested in anything relating to the family especially as I am sharing the info with two other greatgrandchildren of Alfred and Elizabeth and they are always keen to here any new snippets!
I hope I am not imposing upon your helpful nature but I was wondering if you could give me a little advice as a new boy to the site.  My grandmother left my grandfather when my mother was a girl so I never met her.  There have been a few clues as to her whereabuts but nothing too solid and I guess that they did not divorce.  Knowing that people just married again I suspect that there may be a whole separate family line but I have no idea how to go about searching.  I had understood that she had been living in East Sussex in her latter years but an ad in the local papere personal columns has not been fruitful.  Do you know if there is a "right" way of going about this kind of thing?  Any ideas gratefully accepted!!
All the best

[delta]

Hello again
Hope you had a good holiday.
You don't say who your grandparents were but, as a rule, anything relating to births, marriages and deaths after the beginning of the 20th century is not always easy to find on the web.
My first option would be to try the freebmd site which does sometimes give dates up to about 1920ish.  If it's after that I am afraid it means trawling through the bmd records at your local archive office (I think some records are kept at local libraries but I have never tried that route myself). 
The way I would do it would be try to see if your grandmother remarried, starting soon after your grandparents separated.  I believe there may be a way of finding out about divorces but, again, I have never tried to find out anything like that.  If you do find a marriage that seems likely you would probably need to send for the certificate.
Another alternative would be to buy a subscription to either findmypast or ancestry (both around £80 a year I think). The basic package on findmypast gives access to all censuses except 1851 and 1901, but you would be able to scroll through the births, marriage and deaths quarter by quarter and year by year up to 2005/6.  I think Ancestry would probably give you the same options and they do have most of the 1851 and 1901 censuses.
There are a lot of kind people on this site who might be willing to help but you would need to give quite detailed information because of the time factor involved in looking up information when it is not in a census.
Any local archive office should have the bmd info for the whole of England and Wales up to at least 2006.  Some are willing to look things up for you if you are unable to visit but they do charge, usually by the hour so it can get quite expensive.  However, local archive offices only have parish records for the county they are in and they do not receive the records until the parish books have been completed so not all records are available as some books are still in use by the particular churches, especially if it is a small parish.
Sorry not to be more helpful.
Delta

[Adas]

Hello Delta,
I have just found this website and notice that you are probably related to me. My grgrgrandfather William Odell was born Littlebury, Essex. I can't find a lot out about his birth or parents. My grgrandfather was David, born in Bengeo Herts. He moved to Nottingham before 1881.

I also have Daniel Odell married to Mary Webb as William's parents but wonder why, if they did, move to Liitlebury. It is only William who was born in Essex as the others were from Thunderidge and Wadesmill, as was Mary Webb.

It is all very confusing and I would be very grateful if you have come up with anything else since you posted your last message.

It would be nice to hear from you anyway.

Best wishes, Adas

Hello again
Hope you had a good holiday.
You don't say who your grandparents were but, as a rule, anything relating to births, marriages and deaths after the beginning of the 20th century is not always easy to find on the web.
My first option would be to try the freebmd site which does sometimes give dates up to about 1920ish.  If it's after that I am afraid it means trawling through the bmd records at your local archive office (I think some records are kept at local libraries but I have never tried that route myself). 
The way I would do it would be try to see if your grandmother remarried, starting soon after your grandparents separated.  I believe there may be a way of finding out about divorces but, again, I have never tried to find out anything like that.  If you do find a marriage that seems likely you would probably need to send for the certificate.
Another alternative would be to buy a subscription to either findmypast or ancestry (both around £80 a year I think). The basic package on findmypast gives access to all censuses except 1851 and 1901, but you would be able to scroll through the births, marriage and deaths quarter by quarter and year by year up to 2005/6.  I think Ancestry would probably give you the same options and they do have most of the 1851 and 1901 censuses.
There are a lot of kind people on this site who might be willing to help but you would need to give quite detailed information because of the time factor involved in looking up information when it is not in a census.
Any local archive office should have the bmd info for the whole of England and Wales up to at least 2006.  Some are willing to look things up for you if you are unable to visit but they do charge, usually by the hour so it can get quite expensive.  However, local archive offices only have parish records for the county they are in and they do not receive the records until the parish books have been completed so not all records are available as some books are still in use by the particular churches, especially if it is a small parish.
Sorry not to be more helpful.
Delta

[delta]

Hello Adas
Unfortunately, I have not been able to find out anything more about William.  All I do know is that William (1806/7-1854) and my Daniel (1811-1890) married sisters and Daniel was a witness to William's marriage to Martha Harwood.
My Daniel's parents were Daniel (1768-1814) and Rebecca Player (1783-1815) and they were married in Littlebury in 1803.  A Rebecca Player was baptised at Romford, Essex so I am presuming this is the one, and my Daniel was baptised in Thundridge (next to Wadesmill), Herts.  He was the son of Daniel and Mary Webb of Thundridge. 
As William called his eldest son Daniel that could mean that he was named after William's father.
If you have a death certificate for William it may give his date and place of birth.
I have also tried to research the parents of Martha and Susannah but have so far have been quite unsuccessful.  All I do know is that they had 10 children and their mother Elizabeth was buried in 1859.
Best wishes
Delta

[Adas]

Hello delta
I have written information to you about the Harwoods but seem to have lost it. I will have to do it again -but not today. I am still trying to find my way around this site. 
Adas

Hello Adas
Unfortunately, I have not been able to find out anything more about William.  All I do know is that William (1806/7-1854) and my Daniel (1811-1890) married sisters and Daniel was a witness to William's marriage to Martha Harwood.
My Daniel's parents were Daniel (1768-1814) and Rebecca Player (1783-1815) and they were married in Littlebury in 1803.  A Rebecca Player was baptised at Romford, Essex so I am presuming this is the one, and my Daniel was baptised in Thundridge (next to Wadesmill), Herts.  He was the son of Daniel and Mary Webb of Thundridge. 
As William called his eldest son Daniel that could mean that he was named after William's father.
If you have a death certificate for William it may give his date and place of birth.
I have also tried to research the parents of Martha and Susannah but have so far have been quite unsuccessful.  All I do know is that they had 10 children and their mother Elizabeth was buried in 1859.
Best wishes
Delta

[Adas]

Hello Delta,
I will try again to send you the information I have on Martha and Susannah Harwood's parents. Father was Benjamin, christened 26th March 1780 in Little Munden, Hertford. He married Elizabeth Howard in 1805 in the parish of St. Luke Old Street, that is all it says in the Pallot's Marriage Index.
I only have the two children listed. If you have the others I would appreciate it if you could send me the names.
The parents of Benjamin Harwood were William Harwood and Sarah Smith, who were married 24th November 1779 in Therefield, Hertfordshire. I have the family going back further but am not one hundred percent sure if they are the right family.

Have you a full list of any siblings that William and Daniel had?
Best wishes
Adas