What the Census Suggests

        As I continue with my saga on the search for my Irish GG Grandparents John Mervyn Reilly and his wife Matilda, I feel like I’m playing that hide and seek game we used to play as kids. You know, the one where you get the hint “warmer” or “colder?” Well, this past week I have been hearing the words in my head “warmer” and “getting warmer,” “getting warmer!”  We could be Reilly and Mervyn and more!

(I so apologize in advance for getting deep in the genealogy weeds with the following information, but the devil is in the details and it helps me to put it to paper)

This past week I was looking to see what I could find with my GG-grandfather’s name John M. Reilly in the 1855 NY state census in Brooklyn. I had already found him there in the 1865 one. But by 1860 I knew he was in Cincinnati Ohio with his wife Matilda and 2 month old Elizabeth Reilly (my g-grandmother).  

Well, I did find something that looked interesting, if not promising. Here is what this 1855 state census suggests to me:

There was a John M. Reilly at age 24 was living with a family in Brooklyn, and was listed as a son. His father’s name was also John  (notice that the surname is spelled Riley, but I have had to get over these misspellings back then.) 

NY 1855 state census Brooklyn John Riley family

This 1855 state census states that he had been in this country for 3 years, but for the other members of the family it is only 2. And that 3 year arrival would have been in 1852, which was the same year as a passenger list from Dublin Ireland listed a John Merryn Reilly, arriving in New York City May 3, 1852. Many times one member of a family would come to this country first, then the others would follow. So this makes sense to me. And his occupation fits, too.

But even more interesting is the second youngest daughter in this household is  Phoeb, 14 years old in 1855. That name rang a bell with me. I recalled there was a Phebo listened in the Cincinnati 1860 census with the John Reilly family, with the age of 20 (no relationships to the head of household are asked in the 1860 federal census). I wondered at the time if she could be a sister of John Reilly. 

Then I looked at my DNA matches for Reilly surname in my match’s trees. I have worked this list before, met a 3rd cousin, but apparently I only got so far down the match list. Well, I found a tree with only a small 24 CM match for the home person in this tree, but their tree was extensive. Here is what I found:

1. This tree also included that 1855 census family John Riley, mentioned above. 

2.  They showed Phoeb in Detroit Michigan in the 1870 census as married, but no info between 1855 and 1870.  Well, Detroit was the first place that “my” John M. Reilly lived and married in 1856 after he left Brooklyn. 

3. Then I went further back one generation in their tree, and saw they listed a surname Mervin for the Irish female ancestor who married a Reilly in the late 1800’s  in Ireland. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

4.  I need to add that they had misidentified the son John M. Riley, as John Michael Riley, but stated they were not sure it that was correct.

NY Tribune 9/23/1856 marriage listing. It must have been noteworthy for NYC paper to list Detroit wedding!

So the bottom line for me is that I am definitely on the right track with “my” John Mervyn Reilly. I know who he worked for in Detroit and Cincinnati, but it seems like the wheels fell off for him during the Civil War, plus losing at least 2, and as many as 4 children before they reach 8 years old. The story could have a very sad ending for him, but that not definite yet. To be continued.