A Breakthrough Moment

        Last week I wrote about my 2X great grandparents on my mother’s side, who were born in Ireland: John M. Reilly and his wife Matilda. They both immigrated to the US in the mid 1800’s, most likely separately, and they probably met in the US. 

The main two questions I have been trying to answer for years is where did they come from in Ireland, and what was Matilda’s maiden name. I have made some baby steps progress, but I’m no where close to answering these two research questions. 

Here are some new things I have learned:

1. John M. Reilly’s middle name was not Merryn, but it was Mervyn. The only sources I had for the middle name were written church record books of baptisms and burials, where he and Matilda were parents. The handwriting is over 160 years old, and the script was not clear at all. 

          

But this past week I noticed that John’s son Robert also had the middle initial of “M” as did Robert’s son, Robert Jr. I found typed records for them, such as military service records that clearly stated that both their middle names were Mervyn. I should have noticed this before!

John Reilly's grandson's WWII draft registration card

Is this important? Well, it could be. Based on Irish naming conventions, Mervyn could be the given name of John Reilly’s father, or a family name. Or it could be the surname of John Reilly's mother's family. In any event, it is something to go on for sure. With 3 generations of father and son all having that middle name, it must have some significance. Other possibilities exist as well. 

2. There is another person with the same name - John Mervyn Reilly - who has about the same birth year, around 1830, and this John Reilly immigrated in 1852 in New York City, and married in Detroit Michigan in 1856.  Is he and “my” John Mervyn Reilly the same person? I never thought so, but I can’t discount it either. 

This “Detroit” John married a Mary Matilda Whitehead, who’s father was in Dublin Ireland. On the passenger list, he is listed as “gentleman”. And, just the fact that in 1856 there was a wedding announcement in the New York Tribune of this wedding, even though it took place in Detroit, is very interesting. If he is the same person as my John Reilly, why did he relocate to Cincinnati Ohio just three years later? 

3. Regarding “my” John Mervyn Reilly’s quartermaster duties during the Civil War, as of yet I have not been able to find his name in either the military or civilian records. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, just that I haven’t found it yet.

4. My next step is to contact various organizations and local officials in Hamilton County, Ohio (Cincinnati), to see what records they have available that might not be digitized. And if that does’t pan out, I will consider working with a certified genealogist I know who specializes in Irish research. Sometimes you gotta just call in the professionals!!

Wouldn't it be great to have some of this figured out by St Patrick’s Day!!