Sean Fleury was born on this date to Karen Ann Matteson and Timothy Patrick Fleury. His paternal grandparents are Richard B. Fleury (1928-1992) and Barbara Hope Riley (1927-2015). Sean was born in Warwick, RI and grew up in Massachusetts.
Category: Riley
Born on this date –
Patrick Leo Riley was born on June 7, 1875 in Pawtucket, RI, his father, Patrick, was 40 and his mother, Rose, was 32. He married Marguetta E. Greenhalgh in 1898. They had eight children in 16 years, Patrick Leo died on April 7, 1955 in Pawtucket at the age of 79.
His sister, Rose Riley was born on June 7, 1887 in Pawtucket, RI. At the time of her birth, her father (Patrick) was 52 and her mother, Rose was 42. Rose never married and lived her life in Pawtucket. She was 85 years old at the time of her death on April 5, 1973 and was living at 181 South Bend Street. See the attached item.
Born on this date
Nancy (Fleury) Orlando married to Tony Orlando (yes, that’s correct). Daughter of Barbara (Riley) Fleury and Richard B Fleury, Nancy was born in Providence and grew up in Pawtucket.
Born on this date
Patrick J. Riley on this date in 1900, son of Patrick L. Riley and Margaret E. Greenhalgh. Born and raised in Pawtucket, he was one of eight children and the first born son. Patrick had to leave St Joseph’s Grammar School after the 8th grade in order to earn money for the family. One of his first jobs was hustling coal. He would follow the horse carts used to deliver coal to businesses and homes. As pieces fell off, and hit the ground, he would have to out hustle the other kids for that fallen piece of coal. Some of the pickings would be brought home and others would be hawked in the neighborhood. PJ, as he was called, liked to reminisce about carrying “dinner pails” from the Pond Street area in Pawtucket, to the Potter and Johnson factory which was located where Hasbro now sits on Newport Avenue. He said a good day was when you got to carry four pails for all three shifts.
Pictured above is a 1920 photo from the shipping room at US Finishing which was located on Prospect Street in Pawtucket. PJ is the man in the vest and tie looking directly at the camera. His job was to check the length of the cloth bolts before they were shipped out. In 1925 he went to work for the Blackstone Valley Gas and Electric Company and remained with the utility for 42 years until he retired in 1965.
Patrick J. was widowed twice, Margaret C. McSally in 1938 and Margaret F. Bartley in 1978. He had 5 children and passed away on August 22, 1985.
Born on this date
Maryanne (Daley) Ricci, daughter of Joan L. Riley and Frederick A. Daley. Granddaughter of Patrick J. Riley (1900-1985) and Margaret Cecelia McSally (1900-1938)
Born on this date
Mary Ann Riley, daughter of Patrick Riley (b-Ireland) and Rose Kiernan (b-Ireland), on this date in 1871. Mary Ann, who never married, worked for many years as a “winder” at Narrow Fabrics in Pawtucket. The company was one of the world’s largest manufacturers of shoelaces.
Mary Ann resided at 181 South Bend Street, Pawtucket (right across from what is now McCoy Stadium). She, and some of her siblings, lived at the South Bend Street address for quite a few years. It was her home when she passed away at the age of 71, on December 27, 1942.
Born on this date
Katherine (Kate) Agnes Riley, daughter of Joan M. Burggraf and Stephen F. Riley, granddaughter of Frances C. Riley and Rita Coleman Riley
“Life of Reilly”? (Riley)
Recently, while culling through some files, I came across this Ask the Globe (Boston Globe) article from 6/16/92, and thought you would get a kick out of it.
Q. Who leads the “Life of Reilly”?
A. Anyone who so chooses, although the original name was “O’Reilly.” The expression comes from the American vaudeville song “Are You the O’Reilly?” popularized by Pat Rooney in the 1880s about everyone’s pleasures once the the song’s namesake strikes it rich. Two of the promises made in the lyrics are “A hundreds day will be small pay,” and “On the railroads you’ll pay no fare.” At the end of each verse the vaudeville audiences would join in the chorus: “Are you the O’Reilly they speak of so well? Are you the O’Reilly they speak so highly? Gorblime me, O’Reilly, you’re looking well.”
Born on this date
Kathleen Agnes (Riley) Mulligan, b) April 15, 1899 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island and passed away on August 19, 1988 in Norton, Massachusetts. Kathleen married Willian Frances Mulligan of Foxboro, MA on June 1, 1920 in Pawtucket.
Born on this date – Apr 18
Brenda Welsh Fayed, daughter of Constance (Mulligan) Welch and Joseph Welch, granddaughter of Kathleen (Riley) Mulligan and William F. Mulligan.
(See updated entry for Brenda April 18, 2020)
Born on this date
Elizabeth Theresa Riley, daughter of Patrick Riley (Ireland) and Rose Kiernan (Ireland), on this date in 1881 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. She never married. In the 1940 US Federal Census, her occupation was listed as an “Inspector” in one of the local textile factories. Prior to her passing on October 2, 1951, Elizabeth resided with other family members at 181 South Bend Street, Pawtucket.
Born on this date
Michael J. Riley, son of Patrick Riley (Ireland) and Rose Kieran (Ireland) was born on this date in 1865 in New York City. He was the 1st in our Riley family to be born in the United States. Michael never married. According to his death certificate, Michael died on January 15, 1953, while in a nursing home located in Central Falls. Prior to his stay in the nursing home, he resided at 181 South Bend Street in Pawtucket.
Cynthia L. (Fleury) Massaro, daughter of Barbara H. Riley and Richard B. Fleury, granddaughter of Patrick J. Riley (1900-1985) and Margaret Cecelia McSally (1900-1938).
The Riley Name
O’REILLY – ANCIENT RULERS OF CO CAVAN
O’Reilly is the 11th most common surname in Ireland. The name means ‘extroverted one’ and is derived from the old Irish name O’Raghaillach, which means ‘descendent of Raghaillach’. There are several variations of the name some of which are: Riley, O’Reilly, O Raghailligh, Rily, Brily, Bailey
In the 15th century the O’Reillys produced their own coins. A ‘Reilly’ is still used as a name for a coin of significant value.
The motto on the O’Reilly coat of arms says ‘Foutitudine et prudentia’ which means ‘With fortitude and prudence’.
St Mary’s Abbey in County Cavan
The O’Reillys were a very religious family and even set up a Franciscan Friary in Cavan, St Mary’s Abbey. It was founded by Giolla Iosa O’Reilly in the early 12th century. It was burned down by the English in 1468 but soon rebuilt by the Irish. It was an active friary until 1826.
All that remains of the abbey today are the three story tower, the graveyard and a section of the wall. Myles “the slasher” O’Reilly, who was a hero in the Battle of the Bridge of Finea in 1644 is buried in the graveyard, as is 1640 Rebellion leader, Eoghan Roe O Neill.
Thirty nine abbots who worked at St Mary’s were O’Reillys. The family has also produced Archbishops in Co Armagh
Related to the O’Connors
The O’Reilly sept once ruled Breffny, which was an ancient Gaelic kingdom which covered the area that is now Co Cavan and parts of the surrounding counties, particularly Co Westmeath.
They have close links with the O’Connor kings of Connacht. Both families have a common ancestor in Maolmordha. Maolmordha was the great grandfather of Raghaillach, who was the forefather of the O’Reillys.
The first recorded spelling of the name O’Reilly was Cathal O’Reilly who was Prince of Breffny in 1237.
Military O’Reillys
John Boyle O’Reilly was born in Co Louth 1844. He became involved in Fenian military groups and was deported to Australia. He escaped and headed to America where he settled in Boston and became editor of the Pilot newspaper. Before long the Pilot became one of the most read publications in the entire country.
John Rielly was leader of the San Patricios, who were a group of Irish Americans who deserted the US Army during the 1846-48 Mexican war and went to fight for the Mexicans.
They were unhappy with the way Irish American Catholics were treated by the rest of the US Army and also disagreed with brutality towards Mexican citizens, priests and nuns. Today there is a sculpture of John Reilly as well as the flag of the San Patricios in his home town of Clifden, Co Galway. Click on this link to hear the song that honors the San Patricioshttps://youtu.be/rJiGXrfbq1A
Patrick Riley funeral – Sept 15, 1906
The following is a post funeral write–up from the late afternoon edition of the Pawtucket paper describing Irish immigrant Patrick Riley’s funeral.
Evening Times of Pawtucket – pg 8, September 15, 1906
“The funeral of Patrick Riley, which was attended by many of his relatives and friends, took place today. (Sept. 15, 1906) His remains were taken to St. Joseph’s Church from his late home of 181 South Bend Street and the funeral service was held at 9 o’clock. It consisted of a high mass of requiem with Rev. Fr. Kiernan of Norwich, Conn. officiating, and after the mass Miss Lucy Smith sang “Jesus, Lover of My Soul.” The esteem and affection in which the deceased was held was attested by the large number of floral tributes. The funeral coriege included 100 carriages*. The bearers were Owen Keough, Bernard O’Toole, Patrick Fitzpatrick, and James K. Keough, life long friends of the deceased. Interment was in Mt. St. Mary’s Cemetery.”
* One of the grandsons, Patrick J Riley, said that people were still getting into their carriages down by 181 South Bend Street (across from the now McCoy Stadium) as the body was being carried into the church.
Ship Passenger List
I may have found the day Pat Riley/Reilly set foot on United States soil!
Below is a copy of a page from the manifest of the ship, Neptune which arrived in the Port of New York on May 28, 1862. You can see that the first column on the left has number 4, listed as Pat Reilly and number 5 is listed as Rose Kiernan.
This document is from the National Archives and Record Administration.
This is a pleasant find, but it has raised a question or two. When the page came up on the screen it was different from all of the other index pages on the microfiche roll. It was the very last page on the roll. Its physical makeup, font and layout was not at all similar to the other twenty some pages which makes me a bit nervous.
19 Pond Street 