Who was Elizabeth Towson Odell?

One night, on a whim, I decided to search FindAGrave.com for individuals with the middle name Towson.  One of those individuals jumped out at me – Elizabeth Towson Odell Bullock.

Mrs. Bullock stood out to me because of the similarity of her name to that of Elizabeth Buck Towson O'Dell. Elizabeth Buck Towson was born to John Towson and Penelope Buck circa 1775. She married a man named Isaiah O'Dell, and they raised a family in Baltimore.

Mrs. Bullock also stood out to me because her birth place was listed as Stafford County, Virginia. Stafford County was where Elizabeth Buck Towson's brother, Thomas Towson, settled down and raised his own family, dying in 1861.

In 1857, on May 12th, Lizzie T. O'Dell married Fleming J. Lavinder (sic) in the District of Columbia, though her obituary states that he was from Baltimore. They would welcome two children: Fleming J. Lavender, Jr. in 1859 and Charles Odell Lavender in 1862. Fleming J. Lavender Sr. would pass away during the Civil War, though the date is unknown, and whether it was related to the war is uncertain.

Elizabeth would remarry on February 23rd, 1869 in Alexandria, Virginia. Her new husband, Joseph James Bullock was, according to her obituary, a "one time chaplain of the Senate and also once pastor of the Franklin Street Presbyterian Church of Baltimore" and was also 24 years her senior. They had one son, T(homas) Wingfield Bullock, in about 1871. Dr. Bullock died in 1892.

Mrs. Bullock's obituary helpfully mentioned a sister who had survived her. With this sister's name, and that of her husband, I was able to find the memorial for Dr. Samuel T. Weirick and his wife Virginia P. O'Dell Weirick. Mrs. Weirick's memorial was helpfully already connected to her mother– as well as a brother whose memorial I had apparently recently already visited. His name was Thomas T. O'Dell Jr.

With that information, things came together very quickly. Thomas T(owson) O'Dell Sr., born circa 1806-1810, was likely the son of Elizabeth Buck Towson Odell and Isaiah O'Dell. That would make Mrs. Bullock's a Towson by blood, and perhaps indicates that she was named for her grandmother.