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The following is the obituary of William Reilly in 1911- Cambridge Mass. Members of his family have done quite a bit of research in recent years. They also have plenty of stories and records. They believe that William, Thomas and Mary were siblings. Thomas was involved in government and teaching, Mary was the mother of Archbishop Roche and William carried on the business interests in Placentia. William left that behind when he joined his children in Cambridge- after the death of his wife.
There was a vital statistic record in Cambridge which indicated that John Reilly and Hannah Roche were his parents- the American records were a great help in putting this family together. Grandfather and his cousins still visited and corresponded up to his death in 1989- we were able to keep it up until recently with the death of a cousin who was quite a researcher.
Captain William O’Reilly, for a long time a resident of East Cambridge, died on Tuesday at the home of his daughter, Mrs. E. J. Dorney, on Webster avenue, Somerville. He had been In poor health for the past seven months and for several weeks had been confined to his bed. Death was due to old age. Captain O’Reilly was a native of Placentia, Newfoundland. He came to this country 14 years ago and the best part of this time he has been a resident of this city. He had a host of friends here, as well as in Somerville, which was entirely in keeping with his kindly nature. Indeed, he had a kind word for everyone. Tho deceased had been one of the leading fish merchants of Newfoundland, being known from one end of the country to the other. Many persons remember the prosecution of the Bait Act In Newfoundland. At that time Captain O’Reilly was one of the leaders in the fishing Industry there, and the Newfoundland government, In Its efforts to enforce the law and bar the French from gaining access to the shores, met with much At one time in particular, Captain O’Reilly, while out In his little fishing vessel, the “Hero,” was eepled by the revenue cutter “Fiona,” which bore down upon him. Equal to the emergency, Captain O’Reilly immediately made sail and In the face of a northeast gale outstripped the revenue cutter and was soon safely under the French flag. Those who knew him well always rejoiced In the fact that he was newer caught napping. Captain O’Reilly was a charter member In the Star of the Sea Society and kept his membership therein for 65 years. He ls survived by one son, Patrick O’Reilly, who is employed by the city of Cambridge, and three daughters, Mrs. E. J. Dorney and Mrs. W. Wlllworth, of Somerville, and Mrs Henry T. Green, of Cambridge. Funeral services took place on Thursday morning at St. Joseph’s Church, Union square, Somerville, and the burial was In St. Paul’s Cemetery, Arlington.So pleased to see replies. To Bob- yes, I think I have the Atkins in the family tree collected about 1991. It is lovely to hear from you. And Cat Canning. I have come across the name Canning many times- recently I think in the Placentia Family Records at the Rooms. And possibly in the Facebook pages for St. Leonards-St Kyrans and South East Bight. I believe Gail Taylor has many or all of the records listed at the Rooms for the families in the communities around isle Valen, St. Kyrans, etc. I think permission was recently given to copy the files. Have you checked the files from John Mannion and Keith Matthews-there may be gems in there. I found that the Brown family arrived a few years earlier to Sound Island-about 1808-1810, and that the Irish Catholic Community included MicMac people. Philip Brown later supplied people like James Howley-1870’s and the guides that accompanied him were Mic Mac. I understood that the MicMac lived in the area of Irish town until the 1850s-this from someone who has done much deeper research than I have. Thank you for contacting me. Do you know what the Murphy background is? I have DNA connections around Bacon Cove, Holyrood, etc, with a Murphy family. There was speculation that Patrick Brown may have married a Murphy.
Jade. I come from a large Brown family -Irish from Kilkenny settled at Sound Island Placentia Bay about 1804? Spread to Paradise,Bar Haven,st Leonard’s,grand Falls,st. Johns etc. Do you have a location for Margaret? Where she might have lived in 1945 Newfoundland census?
I have Harris family in Newfoundland through my grandmother Mary Grace Harris 1901-1930. Her father was John Harris- businessman and member of Govt St. Johns. Father William Harris Builder St Johns around Monkstown Road, William Harris Ferryland m Catherine Saunders, Rev John Harries -Anglican, St Johns -originally from Haverfordwest Wales – died 1810 at Anglican Church St Johns. The Harris family became Catholic in Ferryland I believe. There was a request for permission for Anglican William Harris to marry Catherine Sa(u)nders in 1811 in the Colonial Records. Subsequently, church records showed Catholic BMD. Let me know if I can be of help.
Patricia Balkcom,
I have an outline of a descendants chart on a Bridget Flynn who had three husbands-and the families connect with alot of Placentia people husbands Michael costello shamus Dunphy and unknown Power and names such as Murphy, dawson, whelankelly and griffin, sullivan, etc
Archbishop Roche was the son of Edward Roche and Mary O’Reilly. Edward Roche was baptised at the StJohns Basilica-his father Edward came from Ireland. Had several brothers and sisters. Mary O’Reilly was the daughter of John O’Reilly lighthousekeeper, and his wife Hannah Roche.John the lighthousekeeper was son of John O’Reilly (1780-1863) and wife Mary Whelan.
Mary O’Reilly had a brother Thomas O’Reilly teacher and Magistrate, and a brother William-wife Sarah Bonia. William had a business but eventually relocated to Cambridge Mass, where he is buried. Mary O’Reilly Roche died quite young and Sarah Bonia O’Reilly(wife of William) helped to raise Edward (the bishop) and his brother John. Their father Edward Roche also died young. John Roche died at about age 20.
There are strong DNA matches between the families of Garrett O’Reilly-m-Leonard and his brother William-m-Collins. Six people who have significant matches.
Does anyone know why some of the people in Placentia spoke French-sometime only french -in their younger days-say around 1870-1880. Perhaps the Bonia family. Several mentions of it.
It is so wonderful to chat with so many Reilly family members and people with other Placentia families. I have an Ancestry tree-McNeilly Family tree, but I have not posted all of the Placentia info on it. There is a tree contributed by Leo O’Reilly from the US that outlines John O’Reilly/Mary Whelan’s family.Name: John Rielly
Gender: Male
Event Type: Death
Birth Date: Abt 1780
Death Date: 7 Jan 1863
Age at Death: 83
Reference Date 1: 27 Jan 1863
Source: Gazette (Royal Newfoundland Gazette) 1807-; Courier (Morning Courier & General Advertiser, Morning Courier) 1844-1878; Times and General Commercial Gazette 1832-1895; Public Ledger 1820-1882 (issues available begin 1827); Express (Newfoundland Express) 1851-1876
Notes: Deceased was a native of Great Placentia.THis is the account of John O’Reilly of Placentia-wife Mary Whelan. He had many obits. I had originally included twelve children in his family-incl Garrett, William and Margaret-as I had alot of correspondance indicating that my grandfather and John’s grandchildren were cousins. Just recently I confirmed that John had a brother William with a wife named Bridget Whelan.
Kevin Roche,
Just checked and William O’Reilly and Margaret Collins were not listed at Sandy Point in 1871 so they may still have been in Placentia. I think William’s obituary gave a nice story about their reason for relocation. This couple lost two children to diptheria about 1859. I believe their names were John and William -there were alot of children buried in the Placentia cemetery around that time so I am cautious in using the naming patterns. My great grandmother Bridget and her twin Alice were born in 1861, but I am not sure if they were the first children, or if other children died in 1859.The Passing Beyond of a Good Woman
At St. George’s on October 30, there died Margaret relict of the late William O’Rielly, fortified by the last rites of Holy Mother Church, of which she was an exemplary member. Deceased was the only surviving daughter of Joseph Collins constable, of Placentia and Anne Brett. She was of her father’s side a descendent of the old English Collins family, and on her mother’s of the sturdy race who fought so valiantly at Vinegar Hill. It was a proverb at Placentia “offend Mrs. O’Rielly and you had her praise;” and if it is a characteristic of the lady to never cause pain or give offence, then Mrs.O’Rielly was a lady in the highest sense of the word. In her home at Placentia, Sunday evenings witnessed a gathering of the immediate neighbors, not to discuss politics or the shortcomings of the absent, but to aid in the spread of devotion to the Adorable Heart of Jesus. This gathering consisted of about twenty members, each of whom received a prayer and a pious practice for the week. Deceased was buried at Sandy Point and had an unusually large funeral, which was attended by a Guard of Honor from the Star of the Sea Society and sixteen pall bearers; and, blessed by the prayers of the Church, all that was mortal of Margaret O’Rielly was laid to rest, to await the summons, ” Arise ye dead, and come to judgement.”
~ from the Western Star which was then printed in Birchy Cove (later Curling) on the Humber Arm
There passed peacefully away on Friday, the 30th ult., Margaret, relict of the late Wm. O’Reilly, planter, of Placentia. Deceased came from one of the most respected and oldest families in the Ancient capital, and was known in her youth as “Handsome Margaret Collins”. She was aunt to the Collinses and O’Reillys of Placentia, and to the business men of the latter name in St. John’s. She was the mother of nine children. Three sons and two daughters survive her. Two sons and one daughter live at St. George’s, one son in St. John’s and one daughter in Boston. Two of her sons are in Government employ; one as inspector of revenue protection, the other, with whom she lived and from whose home she was buried, is Sub-Collector of Customs at St. George’s. Deceased was in her 81st year, and died a most holy death.
~ from The Evening Telegram, a St. John’s newspaper
One more thing. I sorted out the John O’Reilly family from Argentia, because his dates are very similar to John Rielly of Placentia. They do not appear to be related (even through DNA matches)
Argentia John O’Reilly was born in Waterford about 1779 according to his obituary for 1854? in Gertie Crosbie accounts (that is now in Ancestry). His wife was also Mary. Both he and Mary had wills, listing the names of their children. You can follow the family through the Church records.Some of the Placentia family were listed in the Argentia Church records.
Randy Harnett and Derm? Griffin are related to the Argentia O’Reilly’s and are quite knowledgable about Placentia Bay families.
I have had great luck with FTDNA and lately with GEDMATCH. I was able to match up to alot of relatives in Placentia Bay-especially Leonard and O’Reilly kin. We expanded our family tree a great deal, and confirmed our relationships. The Nl GEDMATCH Sites were also a great help-some of the people are so knowledgable about the families of Placentia Bay. I also expanded my information on Scottish relatives and again was able to go back three generations through contacts. The biggest help are the larger DNA matches-they are usually easier to determine the relationship and share info.
I have also found relationships I do not yet understand with 8 or 10 people that match me on a chromosome. THey are likely the blanks on my tree- something to work on.
The GEDMATCH is different because it has many handy tools and you can see who your match is related to-an expanded type of “In Common With” that allows you to see the relatives of your match. Again, it works better when people post their trees along with their DNA. I am working on Ancestry with my tree-that makes it easier to research matches.6 Nov 1845 Sullivan, Patrick Malone, Anastasia J. Forrestal William Bulger Ellen McDonald St. John’s
Kathy, Here is the marriage records for Patrick Sullivan and Anastasia Malone from Nl Gen web The baptisms are not yet posted. I will try to find something in my files. I researched the Humphrey Sullivan Bridget ? from 1800 so may have picked up something of your family along the way. I do not believe your Patrick Sullivan is connected to my Sullivan family but will check and see.
Take care
BrendaHello everyone. I am Brenda Leahey Young-my mother was Marjorie Browne grandfather Bill Browne-his mother was Bridget O’Reilly born 1861 (a twin of Alice) and her parents were Garrett Riely and Margaret Leonard of St Leonard. My grandfather said that Garrett had two siblings that he was certain of -Margaret Riely married to Humphrey Sullivan (they eventually ended up in Cambridge) and William Riely married to Margaret Collins-he wrote it down-I will find.
I have discovered that there is two baptism records at Argentia (online) 1835 and 1837. Shows births of Margaret Riely to William Riely and Margaret Whelan. 1837 shows William Riely and Bridget Whelan.
I have the US death certificate for Margaret Riely Sullivan and her parents are listed as William Riely and Bridget Whelan.
They would make up double first cousins to John Riely (1780-1863) native of Placentia, and Mary Whelan (1790-1873) native of Placentia. Two brothers marrying two sisters. Perhaps once removed in the case of William Rielly who died in 1911. I correspond with this William Rielly family -they have the Bonia history as part of their tree. William Rielly and Sarah Bonia took care of Archbishop Roche when he was a child and his mother was ill. Mary Rielly died when he and his brother John were young. Edward Roche their father also died when they were young.I believe the Mary Whelan info came from Leo Rielly in the US-he provided the original tree for John and Mary Rielly, which has been supported by the nine families and baptism/ burial records.
I went through some earlier records and found the Reily name in Placentia about 1750-60. About 20 years before John Rielly’s birth. Both he and his wife were recorded in their obits as native to Placentia. The list of persons taking oaths in 1786 to Prince William included a number of Rielly and Whelan men (lots of spellings). The Collins family was much earlier around 1720.
Anite O’Keefe of Placentia has located some lists and documents. One was about 1820- a legal document that shows John Rielly in a bit of trouble for having too many catholics in his establishment? And in the 1830-40s there were documents listing many of the Placentia men sharing salvage rights? and money from the sale of oil. They are on Ancestry. I also have a land sale between William Rielly selling a property and business to Roger Sweetman in October 1830. He describes that land as being next to John Rielly’s land.
And I have done DNA tests and had strong matches with the Sandy Point family-several of their family and ours have matches.
I have met Sister Carmel Wyse who worked in Gander for many years- a brilliant woman. And her nephew Jim.
So it looks like we have another line-Patrick, William and John? And I agree there must be a Garret line.
Our relatives in Cambridge had a meeting with Archbishop Roche and had an account of how the Rielly family arrived in Placentia. It was vague but suggested four or five brothers arrived on their own boat.
They always seemed well educated by the work they were involved in.
Will post again with the land transaction. Give me a few days and I will find the document from Leo Rielly re John/Mary tree.
Take care
Brenda YoungJoe Brazil We had some new findings lately.
John O’Reilly died in 1863 born in 1780 in Placentia (per newspaper accounts). He had nine children. He married Mary Whelan who was born in 1790 in Placentia-died 1873. Their headstone was at Mount Carmel and a pic of it has been posted.
My grandfather mentioned that his mother Bridget O’Reilly 1860-1943 and a grandchild of John were double first cousins. He also said that Garrett O’Reilly, Margaret O’Reilly who married Humphrey Sullivan, and William O’Reilly who married Margaret Collins were siblings.It was William O’Reilly 1835-1911 who was the double first cousin. He died in Cambridge, Mass in 1911. My grandfather kept in touch with the family til his death in 1989.
William was a brother of Thomas the Magistrate and Mary who married Edward Roche-mother of the Archbishop.His father was John O’reilly lighthousekeeper at Cape St Mary’s. This John was son of John 1780-1863.
The parents of Garrett, Margaret O’Reilly Sullivan and William O’Reilly were William O’Reilly and Bridget Whelan. This information appeared on Margaret Sullivan’s death certificate in Mass. in 1909 that I found recently. It confirmed my grandfather’s story. Hope this helps.
Brenda Young Logy Bay
The children of John O’Reilly and Mary Whelan was provided by Leo O’Reilly from the US. The list is on Family tree maker but needs to be adjusted for the three children who belong to William and Bridget.
There is a lovely obit for William O’Reilly in the Cambridge library archives
Death of Captain O’Reilly.Captain William O’Reilly, for a long time a resident of East Cambridge, died on Tuesday at the home of his daughter, Mrs. E. J. Dorney, on Webster avenue, Somerville. He had been In poor health for the past seven months and for several weeks had been confined to his bed. Death was due to old age. Captain O’Reilly was a native of Plaeentia, Nawfoundland. He came to this country 14 years ago and the best part of this time he has been a resident of this city. He had a host of friends here, as well as in Somerville, which was entirely in keeping with his kindly nature. Indeed, he had a kind word for everyone. Tho deceased had been one of the leading fish merchants of Newfoundland, being known from one end of the country to the other. Many persons remember the prosecution of the Bait Act In Newfoundland. At that time Captain O’Reilly was one of the leaders in the fishing Industry there, and the Newfoundland government, In Its efforts to enforce the law and bar the French from gaining access to the shores, met with much At one time in particular, Captain O’Reilly, while out In his little fishing vessel, the “Hero,” was eepled by the revenue cutter “Fiona,” which bore down upon him. Equal to the emergency, Captain O’Reilly immediately made sail and In the face of a northeast gale outstripped the revenue cutter and was soon safely under the French flag. Those who knew him well always rejoiced In the fact that he was newer caught napping. Captain O’Reilly was a charter member In the Star of the Sea Society and kept his membership therein for 65 years. He ls survived by one son, Patrick O’Reilly, who is employed by the city of Cambridge, and three daughters, Mrs. E. J. Dorney and Mrs. W. Wlllworth, of Somerville, and Mrs Henry T. Green, of Cambridge. Funeral services took place on Thursday morning at St. Joseph’s Church, Union square, Somerville, and tho burial was In St. Paul’s Cemetery, Arlington.
I believe Kathleen Thomspson Sullivan is in my family. She married Michael S Sullivan son of Patrick Sullivan JP and Selina Laura Browne of St. Leonard’s St. Kyrans PB. RC May 3 1903-see Family Search files. She was 22 and Presbyterian. He was an engineer, worked for the Reid Co, and became an Member of the government.
They had two children-Arthur Sullivan-an early airplane pilot in Newfoundland who died in June 1932, and a daughter Vera who relocated to England after the death of Michael Sullivan about 1928 and Arthur in 1932. I believe Vera married twice. Kathleen died, I believe, in England but I do not yet have the date.
