James Riley is my great grandad, that to all intents and purposes is all I know.
James was married in 1909 to Mary Connor, they were married in Westtown, Dewsbury. Although on the marriage certificate James’ age was 31 and surname was O’Riley. The big question is..... was James hiding something. In 1911 James himself has stated he is 30 years old and was born in Dewsbury. There is only one born in Dewsbury around 1880 and that is James Charles Riley, but he too, is on the 1911 census so he can be ruled out. So what did I do next.
I looked on the death certificates I had collected and found that one common name was cropping up as the informant, Alice Tansey, she was stated as aunt and step sister. My dad called her grandma and remembered her. So the next step was to tie her in to the whole thing, I searched for a marriage between Patrick Tansey, who my dad called Grandad and an Alice but got nothing at all, were they from Ireland and got married there?
I was constantly looking through the certs trying to figure a way when it hit me, maybe Alice was married to James’ brother and that is how she is an Aunt. I did a search for an Alice Riley married to a Tansey and found what I was looking for, albeit she married Frederick P. Tansey, I remembered something my dad said when we went to visit my Nan’s grave which also had Alice and Patrick on it, he said he was sure he remembered he was called Fred. So to me that tied him down, Frederick Patrick Tansey and Alice Riley (Nee Young) where married in 1920 in Westtown.
Then I thought maybe she might have been James’ sister, I quickly forgot about that having noticed she Married Patrick quite late on in life, later than was the norm anyway.
So the next step was to do a search for an Alice who married a Riley, There was one in 1894 Alice Young Married Joseph Riley so I ordered the cert and it confirmed to me that he was 23 and his father like on James’ cert was Patrick, a deceased Mason’s Labourer.
The next step was to find a James, Joseph and Patrick and even maybe a John because he was a witness on the Marriage certificate of James and Mary, living somewhere with the ages I have. At this moment in time I have found none.
I do know that Joseph and Alice had a son called William Patrick born in 1896, who in turn had a son called Austin Riley, my dad remembers both of them vaguely so at least the Riley’s exist, Where were they from and where are they on census lists, maybe they where all born in Ireland but why would James put Dewsburyas his birth place.
Is Joseph in the hospital that then lead to his unfortunate death? I did notice one thing though, Alice and William were living next door to James and Mary in 1911, Alice by then was a widow. Did the search for 58 Healds Road which I Knew was an Hospital in 1928 due to the death of my Nan's sister bring any results In 1911 its there with all and sundry but In 1901 guess what? Yep 58 is missing!
James was married in 1909 to Mary Connor, they were married in Westtown, Dewsbury. Although on the marriage certificate James’ age was 31 and surname was O’Riley. The big question is..... was James hiding something. In 1911 James himself has stated he is 30 years old and was born in Dewsbury. There is only one born in Dewsbury around 1880 and that is James Charles Riley, but he too, is on the 1911 census so he can be ruled out. So what did I do next.
I looked on the death certificates I had collected and found that one common name was cropping up as the informant, Alice Tansey, she was stated as aunt and step sister. My dad called her grandma and remembered her. So the next step was to tie her in to the whole thing, I searched for a marriage between Patrick Tansey, who my dad called Grandad and an Alice but got nothing at all, were they from Ireland and got married there?
I was constantly looking through the certs trying to figure a way when it hit me, maybe Alice was married to James’ brother and that is how she is an Aunt. I did a search for an Alice Riley married to a Tansey and found what I was looking for, albeit she married Frederick P. Tansey, I remembered something my dad said when we went to visit my Nan’s grave which also had Alice and Patrick on it, he said he was sure he remembered he was called Fred. So to me that tied him down, Frederick Patrick Tansey and Alice Riley (Nee Young) where married in 1920 in Westtown.
Then I thought maybe she might have been James’ sister, I quickly forgot about that having noticed she Married Patrick quite late on in life, later than was the norm anyway.
So the next step was to do a search for an Alice who married a Riley, There was one in 1894 Alice Young Married Joseph Riley so I ordered the cert and it confirmed to me that he was 23 and his father like on James’ cert was Patrick, a deceased Mason’s Labourer.
The next step was to find a James, Joseph and Patrick and even maybe a John because he was a witness on the Marriage certificate of James and Mary, living somewhere with the ages I have. At this moment in time I have found none.
I do know that Joseph and Alice had a son called William Patrick born in 1896, who in turn had a son called Austin Riley, my dad remembers both of them vaguely so at least the Riley’s exist, Where were they from and where are they on census lists, maybe they where all born in Ireland but why would James put Dewsburyas his birth place.
Is Joseph in the hospital that then lead to his unfortunate death? I did notice one thing though, Alice and William were living next door to James and Mary in 1911, Alice by then was a widow. Did the search for 58 Healds Road which I Knew was an Hospital in 1928 due to the death of my Nan's sister bring any results In 1911 its there with all and sundry but In 1901 guess what? Yep 58 is missing!
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