Conflicting Clues
Ever since I took the plunge into Irish waters over one month ago, there have been many false starts and conflicting clues along the way. Imagine looking for a John M. Reilly and wife Matilda (just Matilda, no maiden name), with little else to go on. It seemed to have been a fruitless swim in the Irish Sea, wading in these waters for over 10 years now and making no headway to speak of. This latest go round has been different. The main reason for this is that I have had 12 years of on the job training, so to speak. I am more cognizant of little clues in records. In addition, more research tools and records are available now. And I have learned to think more critically about details. Details that seemed unimportant to me years ago all of a sudden took on new significance. One example of this is the middle initial “M” in two male descendants of John M. Reilly, which until this time I never considered a clue. Map of Ireland, with County Cavan in g...