The Genealogy & Family History Social Network
Looking for the Parents of WILLIAM J. REILEY
The parents of my great-grandfather, William J. Reiley, have been my brick wall.
a. William J. Reiley was born 24 Mar 1861 and died 1 Feb 1889.
b. The 1880 census for St. Louis, MO is the only one I have been able to find him in. The record indicates that he was born in MISSOURI, father in ENGLAND and his mother in PENNSYLVANIA.
c. The birth record of my grandfather, William H. Reiley, says that his father, William J., was born in PENNSYLVANIA. William H. Reiley was born in St. Louis, MO. He was an only child.
d. Spelling of the name has ranged from Reiley, Reilly, Reilley. Family lore said it was even O’Reilley at one time but family lore is always subject to doubt.
I have gone through the 1870 census time and again trying to find a match of England and Pennsylvania with a son born about 1861 named William or Willie, or anything remotely similar.
No luck. Any help would be appreciated. I would love to be able to tell my father more about his family.
One other note. Due to the prejudice against the Irish in the late 1800’s, I always wondered if William J.’s father did come from Ireland but he just said England since his father may have left from Liverpool. Just a desperate thought.
a. William J. Reiley was born 24 Mar 1861 and died 1 Feb 1889.
b. The 1880 census for St. Louis, MO is the only one I have been able to find him in. The record indicates that he was born in MISSOURI, father in ENGLAND and his mother in PENNSYLVANIA.
c. The birth record of my grandfather, William H. Reiley, says that his father, William J., was born in PENNSYLVANIA. William H. Reiley was born in St. Louis, MO. He was an only child.
d. Spelling of the name has ranged from Reiley, Reilly, Reilley. Family lore said it was even O’Reilley at one time but family lore is always subject to doubt.
I have gone through the 1870 census time and again trying to find a match of England and Pennsylvania with a son born about 1861 named William or Willie, or anything remotely similar.
No luck. Any help would be appreciated. I would love to be able to tell my father more about his family.
One other note. Due to the prejudice against the Irish in the late 1800’s, I always wondered if William J.’s father did come from Ireland but he just said England since his father may have left from Liverpool. Just a desperate thought.
Views: 86
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Kate Steere on
-
Welcome, Deborah! :)
I am curious how you have such an exact date for birth and death for William J Reiley? Do you have a death record, or obituary for him?
Do you know what William J's middle name was?
Do you have a death record for William H Reiley? -
-
-
Hi Deborah-
I found William H Reiley's death record, which I will post as an attachment. It indicates his possible father (Will? Reiley) was born in St. Joseph, MO. - Attachments:
-
-
William_H_Reiley_1946.pdf, 64 KB
-
-
-
Permalink Reply by Deborah Price on
-
Katie,
Thanks so very much for taking an interest in my brick wall. I found William J.'s exact birth date on his Application for License to Marry, dated 14 Sept 1882. I believe there may have been some concern about William J. being 21 years old at the time he wanted to wed Louisa Jaeger. I sometimes wonder if he really was 21.
I don't know what the J. stands for. The H. in my grandfather's name is for Henry. He named his sons, William Henry II, John Edward, and Theodore Earl.
Thank you. I do have a copy of my grandfather's death certificate. I should have remembered the St. Joseph, MO.
I did search there and there are Reiley's located there but I can't find anyone that matches the England/Pennsylvania parentage. That is the rock I keep stumbling over along with a William born about 1861.
Again, thank you for your help! -
-
-
Thank you, GeneJ.
I am attaching the William J.'s Application for License to Marry and the Marriage License.
Thank you for having me go back through my records. I thought I had found the right death certificate for William Reiley but further investigation has proven I was wrong. So right now the death date I have, 1 Feb 1889, is incorrect. So it is back to the drawing board.
All the different census note that William J. was born in Missouri. The only document that does not is William H. Reiley's birth record. On that William is shown as Penn. They also crossed through the name Reilley and wrote Reiley. - Attachments:
-
-
-
GeneJ
Here is the 1900 Census record for William H. Reiley. His mother, Louisa, is listed as a widow, so William J. was dead before 1900. The name is shown as Raley. Researching the name has been a challenge. I am also including William H.'s birth record.
Thank you!
--Deb - Attachments:
-
-
-
Thank you for all the work you have done. I'll take a look at those other directories.
Based on the fact that Louisa is shown as a widow by 1895, I would assume that William J. died before then. That may not be a safe assumption but at least it is something to help narrow the field. As you mentioned, there are a lot of Williams. :-)
William J Reilly 26 Jul 1893 Mississippi Rvr Ft/o Chestnut - This was a murder and the man was single. He was buried in Chicago
William J Reilly 3 Nov 1899 3628 Cottage - This is after 1895 so I am not sure but will check.
William J Reilly 13 Aug 1900 3803 Laclede - I''l check this one, too.
Louisa's father, Karl Jaeger, owned a number of boarding houses. The house at 1620 Washington was one of them. I imagined he let her liver there with her son after William died. A lot of what I have about my father's family is conjecture. This is one where I wish I had known enough to ask questions early on. -
-
-
Hi, GeneJ.,
It is very possible that William J. and Louisa were no longer living together. Using the marriage date and the birth date of William H., Louisa was three months pregnant when they were married. All of which is why my father does not know anything about his grandparents.
I did find a Mr. W. J. Reiley who died on 15 Mar 1905 in Little Rock, Arkansas in the Missouri Death Records on Ancestry. The only thing the burial permit tells me is that W. J. died of cerebral menigitis (sp.). It also gives his birth year as 1863. W. J. Reiley was buried in the St. Paul UCC Cemetery in common ground. What makes this interesting is that Louisa is buried with her family, the Jaegers, in the same cemetery. There is also a Charles Reilley, a Mary, Carrie, and Ellen Reiley in the the same cemetery.
I think the above W. J. is a real possibility but I have been real wrong before. - Attachments:
-
-
-
Hi GeneJ.
I have been trying to run down records but haven't met with a lot of luck. So far I haven't found divorce records for William J and Louisa. Since they were married in a Catholic Church, there probably wasn't a divorce. I found a Wm. Riley in the 1890 Little Rock, AR Directory but I later disproved that one.
The address on the birth record is 1718 Washington St. That is one of the buildings owned by Charles Yaeger, Louisa's father, so maybe she and William were staying there. So we have two addresses: 1620 Washington and 1718 Washington.
In thinking about it, if Louisa is stating she is a widow in the 1900 Census, the W. J. Reiley in the St. Paul Cemetery probably isn't her husband. I need to keep looking.
I found a 1889 Directory entry for a William Reilly at 1620 Washington. We seem to be closing the window on William J.'s death. After William's name, there is the abbreviation "contr.". I assume that means contractor but what does that translate as? I certainly have more questions than answers.
~ Deb - Attachments:
-
-
-
It wouldn't surprise me in the least. Everything has been so hushed about William J. and Louisa. I know more about Louisa's sisters and brother than I do her. Now to find the divorce papers, if they exist. Being Catholic, the two may just have called it quits and separated which complicates things even more.
-
-
-
hi Deborah-
My FIL's great grandmother listed herself as married in 1900, no husband in the household, and widowed in 1920 and 1930, I know the person who was her 'husband' did not die until 1924, and I know she was Catholic as well. -
-
-
Hi Kate,
Families are so interesting. I certainly don't want to embarrass or upset anyone but this is what makes a family history come alive. -
-
-
Yes, it is amazing what we find out, and what may be thought of scandalous then is different than what is considered a big deal now. :)
I'd hate for someone to have to trace my genealogy after I'm gone, they won't find much 'proof' of me. :) LOL -
© 2024 Created by IIGSExecDirector.
Powered by
