This website contains historical and genealogical information about the Odling, Odling-Smee and closely related families.

The Odling family of interest here is the one descended from Charles Odling (1751-1836) of Buslingthorpe, Lincolnshire. The site seeks to cover his ancestors and many of his descendants. The ancestors of some of the women who married into this Odling family are also covered. The Odling-Smees are descended from one of Charles Odling’s grandsons, William Odling, who married Mary Smee. William and Mary’s son, George Odling, later changed his name to Odling-Smee.

The information on the website is presented in two forms: basic genealogical information (births, deaths, marriages, etc) for over 2000 people; and biographical notes and essays about specific branches of the families. The list of names of people in the family trees and the biographical notes are available to all visitors to the site; access to the rest requires registration which is free. Once you have registered, you can log onto the site at any time.

The essays about specific branches of the families can be found under Histories. One is about the ancestors and main descendants of Charles Odling.

A second essay is about the ancestors of Mary Smee (1843-1919). I have written more about her father, Alfred Smee (1818-1877), in my book Alfred Smee: Victorian Scientist, Inventor, Gardener and Campaigner (Mereo Books, 2022). A full record of many branches of the Smee family has been prepared by Pete Smee who has carried out a huge amount of research on Smees worldwide and generously makes it available at www.thesmeefamily.com.

A third essay is about the ancestors of Emma Hahn (1872-1911) who married George Odling (later Odling-Smee). I have written a book about her brother, Charles Hahn: A Jolly Life: The Life and Times of Charles Theophilus Hahn (Mereo Books, 2021) based on his diaries and notebooks. The website does not contain this, but it does have (under Histories) the Pictorial Supplement to the book, which comprises photographs, watercolours, and sketches from Charles’ life and times, most of them by his own hand.

The father of Emma and Charles Hahn, Theophilus Sigismund Hahn (1824-1907), spent many years in Mexico with four of his brothers. Their experiences in Mexico are the subject of a fourth essay.

A fifth essay is about the ancestors (all Scottish) of Katharine Aitchison (1903-97) who married Charles William Odling-Smee (1904-90), the son of George and Emma (née Hahn) Odling-Smee.

The focus of the information is on the centuries up to and including the 19 th century. Some basic genealogical information relating to the 20th century is included, but no attempt has been made to be comprehensive or fully up to date.

Contact and further information Please contact me if you would like further information about individuals in the family tree or the sources of information on the website. I welcome all corrections, new information and comments about the website and the people on it. Click on Contact to write an email to me.

John Odling-Smee, November 2024