I am looking for information on the family of my great grandfather John Rielly/Reilly who was born in Cavan town, County Cavan in about 1841. His parents were John Reilly, a carpenter, and Catherine Delaney. He married my great grandmother in 1879 in Victoria, Australia but disappeared a few years later after leaving home to work in a mine. I would like to know more about his family in Ireland. I don't know where to start searching records in Ireland. I just looked at the microfiche images on the Catholic Parish Register and I find them very difficult to read. I don't know what parish he was born in.
Friday 20th Dec 2024, 12:59PM
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Hi, as you likely know, the name Reilly is very common in Co. Cavan.
I looked on the paid site RootsIreland for a marriage for John's parents, with no luck. Also for his baptism, again without findings.
Are you sure of the names of John's parents? If they were found only on a death record, it is possible the names are not correct. If John himself stated their names, that would be more reliable.
Did John have siblings? If so, can you list their names?
Did John have children? Can you list them, in order?
Thank you.
Patricia
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Attached FilesAlice Rielly Death Certificate.pdf (169.66 KB)
Thank you so much Patricia for looking on Roots Ireland. The names of his parents, his birth place and his father's occupation were on his marriage certificate. We don't have a death certificate because he disappeared. John couldn't read or write. He signed his marriage certificate with an X. He didn't know how to spell Reilly. His occupation was listed as a labourer. My great grandmother was a widow who owned a farm so I assume he worked for her. She had 8 children from her first marriage. John's descendants ended up spelling the name Rielly. He had 4 children - Mary Lucy Merrigan (1881-1964), Rosetta (Rose Cock), Edward Rielly (died at age 20 in a farm accident),and Joseph Rielly who married Catherine Minhan. Joseph and Catherine had a son named Joseph Louis Rielly. I am the only descendant of Mary Lucy Merrigan. Rose has several descendants. I know Reilly is the most common name in Cavan, and that there are quite a few Delaneys as well. I once saw a census record from sometime in the mid 19th century showing an older couple named Reilly living in Cavan with a young child named Mary Delaney. This made me think there must have been families of the two names who knew each other. John's age may not have been accurate. Unfortunately John Reilly (of whatever spelling) was also a very common name in Australia. We have been unable to discover when he came to Australia - whether as a child with his parents or as an adult. I have not found death certificates in Victoria for either of his parents. However, it's possible they were in another Australian colony. Wherever John died, he probably wasn't with people who knew him well so it's unlikely his mother's name was on the certificate. I don't have a digital version of his marriage certificate. I have attached a copy of his wife's death certificate. Her name was Alice Rielly. I just thought there may be people in Ireland who knew of the family - the descendants of his siblings perhaps. Thank you again.