Changed My Thinking

   

The Emerald Isle - Ireland
Happy St. Patrick's Day

     As sometimes (or many times) happens in family history research, what you think you know about a person/family’s origins can change as more facts come to light. Don’t worry, we still have the same amount of Irish DNA from mom (Dot’s side of the family). We are still descended from the Reillys and the Mervins. I am, however, reconsidering the Mervyn family line from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. That castle (even though it no longer exists anyway) probably wasn’t “our” castle. Good news is that there could be another one in County Cavan. And it still is from a Mervyn/Mervin line.

It would make no sense to give three of your sons the Mervyn middle name, and then repeated for generations after that, if it didn’t hold some significance. My challenge is to find that exact significance. 

However, discovering more about the Mervyn/Mervin line, as well as the Reilly line could be slow going, so I will work on that, but also move on to other research that is waiting in the wings. I can tell you this, there are some amazing stories to be told about the siblings of our John Mervyn Reilly, my Great-Great grandfather. Here is a teaser below:

What infamous battle took place October 25, 1854?

I have to remind myself once in a while that this Reilly and Mervyn family research is now going back over 200 years, which gets to be pretty challenging for Irish records.  To recap, here are my mom’s Irish line, with their birth and death dates, if known, and then what I have discovered these past few weeks.  (bolded info is new in 2026)

Dorothy Mae Harley Hinch (my mom)  1918-2017

Florence Koetzle  1889-1968

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Reilly 1859-1941 

   

    Lizzie’s father: John Mervyn Reilly 1829 - 1872 abt (born in Ireland)

his parents: John Wesley Reilly (b abt 1790 - d 1871) born Ireland, died Brooklyn,

        Elizabeth Mervin (b 1799 - d 1883) born Ireland, died Brooklyn, NY

her parents: Robert Mervin (b abt 1770

  Mary __?

  Lizzie’s mother: Matilda Mary Whitehead  1836 - 1903 (born Ireland, died Philadelphia

Matilda is buried in the Koetzle family plot in Philly, but reinterred north of Philly

her father: George Whitehead

Lizzie Reilly is Dot Hinch's maternal grandmother. Both of her parents, John and Matilda, were born in Ireland.