Rebecca Odell

Rebecca (Brown) Odell was a witchcraft accuser in Connecticut

William Odell, born in Warleyend, Bedford, England, 23 February 1602/3; died in Fairfield, Fairfield, Connecticut, before 6 June 1676. He married in Fairfield, Rebecca Brown, born 1606; buried in New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut, 13 May 1654. [Death Date also seen as 1674]

Torrey, New England Marriages Prior to 1700, has William Odell married to Rebecca Franklin in Concord, Massachusetts, 4 May 1629.

Manning says he m (1) Agnes Franklin and (2) Rebecca Brown (1633).

Mais has Agnes Franklin, daughter of William and Ursula Franklin, the mother of five children by William: William (1630), Thomas (1632), John (1634), James (1640), and Rebecca (1642).

Children of William ODELL and Rebecca BROWN:

1. William Odell, born about 1634; died in Rye, Westchester, New York, 1697. Manning has him born 1634, of Newport Pagnell, Buckingham, England. Married Sara Vowles. [or was he born 1630, or was there an older brother?]
2. James Odell, born in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, 2 January 1640; buried in Concord, 4 April 1641. (Birth and death record NEHGR, 4:272)
3. Rebecca Odell, born in Concord, 17 Jul 1642. Married Samuel Morehouse. Birth record, NEHGR, 4:272.
4. John Odell, married Mary (Joanna) Walker.

Biography

From https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Brown-18294

It is believed that Rebecca (Brown) Odell is one in the same as the Goody Odell mentioned in the following article. She was one of two accusers in the Goody Knapp witch trial, the other being Lucy Pell. (Though there is speculation that this could be their daughter Rebecca, most believe Goody Odell is Rebecca, wife of William Odell)

http://bportlibrary.org/hc/featured/a-witch-hanged-in-bridgeport/

From the Bridgeport, CT library

A Witch Hanged in Bridgeport

By Eric D. Lehman

In the middle of the 17th century, Bridgeport was simply a no-man’s land between the growing colonial villages of Stratford and Fairfield. That is no doubt why the citizens of these Puritan communities decided to hang a witch here.

In 1651 a woman named Goody Basset was executed in Stratford after making a confession, probably under torture, which also intimated there were other witches in the area, hinting at “others who hold their heads full high.” Other single women in the community and nearby Fairfield were looked upon with suspicion. One of these was Goody Knapp, a “simple minded woman” whom the townspeople regarded with contempt.

In the fall of 1653 the situation came to a head, and the good folk of Fairfield called for a witch trial. One of the founders of Connecticut, Roger Ludlow, came from Hartford with three others to preside over the court case, and “to execute justice there as cause shall require.”

A multi-day trial followed, in which testimony was given by a woman named Lucy Pell, and a midwife named Goody Odell. She was told to examine poor Goody Knapp and found “witch marks” on her, positive proof as far as these judges were concerned.

A guilty verdict was reached and Goody Knapp became hysterical, saying that she had nothing to confess. But she claimed she would whisper any confessions she did have to Roger Ludlow at the gallows.

The hanging took place in what is today the Black Rock section of town, according to historians at approximately 2470 Fairfield Avenue. At the time this was “between the house of Michael Try and the mill, west of the Stratfield boundary.”

After the body of Goody Knapp was cut down, the women of the town crowded around to see the “witch marks” but found nothing. A friend of the “witch,” Goodwife Staples said “They were naught but such as she herself or any woman had.” Another woman on the scene said, “Aye, and be hanged for them, and deserve it too.”

Many women and some men were hanged for such trivialities when it came to the hysteria surrounding witches. It is sad that such an event had to happen in what is today Bridgeport, but hopefully the story of Goody Knapp will remind us that we, too, might find ourselves at the gallows, if our society is ever allowed to descend to the level of superstition again.

—-

From http://odellclan.homestead.com/geneology.html

The Odell chart says she died before 1644, but page 6 of Lockwood Genealogy says, "13 May, 1654, Court of New Conn. "Goodwife Odell present when Goodwife Knapp was hanged for a witch".

Brown Name Meaning English, Scottish, and Irish: generally a nickname referring to the color of the hair or complexion, Middle English br(o)un, from Old English brun or Old French brun. This word is occasionally found in Old English and Old Norse as a personal name or byname. Brun- was also a Germanic name-forming element. Some instances of Old English Brun as a personal name may therefore be short forms of compound names such as Brungar, Brunwine, etc. As a Scottish and Irish name, it sometimes represents a translation of Gaelic Donn. As an American family name, it has absorbed numerous surnames from other languages with the same meaning.
Source: Ancestry.com

Citations

• http://odellclan.homestead.com/geneology.html

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It is believed that Rebecca (Brown) Odell is one in the same as the Goody Odell mentioned in the following article. She was one of two accusers in the Goody Knapp witch trial, the other being Lucy Pell. (Though there is speculation that this could be their daughter Rebecca, most believe Goody Odell is Rebecca, wife of William Odell)

http://bportlibrary.org/hc/featured/a-witch-hanged-in-bridgeport/

From the Bridgeport, CT library

A Witch Hanged in Bridgeport

By Eric D. Lehman

In the middle of the 17th century, Bridgeport was simply a no-man’s land between the growing colonial villages of Stratford and Fairfield. That is no doubt why the citizens of these Puritan communities decided to hang a witch here.

In 1651 a woman named Goody Basset was executed in Stratford after making a confession, probably under torture, which also intimated there were other witches in the area, hinting at “others who hold their heads full high.” Other single women in the community and nearby Fairfield were looked upon with suspicion. One of these was Goody Knapp, a “simple minded woman” whom the townspeople regarded with contempt.

In the fall of 1653 the situation came to a head, and the good folk of Fairfield called for a witch trial. One of the founders of Connecticut, Roger Ludlow, came from Hartford with three others to preside over the court case, and “to execute justice there as cause shall require.”

A multi-day trial followed, in which testimony was given by a woman named Lucy Pell, and a midwife named Goody Odell. She was told to examine poor Goody Knapp and found “witch marks” on her, positive proof as far as these judges were concerned.

A guilty verdict was reached and Goody Knapp became hysterical, saying that she had nothing to confess. But she claimed she would whisper any confessions she did have to Roger Ludlow at the gallows.

The hanging took place in what is today the Black Rock section of town, according to historians at approximately 2470 Fairfield Avenue. At the time this was “between the house of Michael Try and the mill, west of the Stratfield boundary.”

After the body of Goody Knapp was cut down, the women of the town crowded around to see the “witch marks” but found nothing. A friend of the “witch,” Goodwife Staples said “They were naught but such as she herself or any woman had.” Another woman on the scene said, “Aye, and be hanged for them, and deserve it too.”

Many women and some men were hanged for such trivialities when it came to the hysteria surrounding witches. It is sad that such an event had to happen in what is today Bridgeport, but hopefully the story of Goody Knapp will remind us that we, too, might find ourselves at the gallows, if our society is ever allowed to descend to the level of superstition again.

References

• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Brown-18294