Bartholomew Riley [11440]

  General Notes:

Married in September 1840 - the family eventually moved into the "frontier" forests of New Brunswick to settle on homestead land in 1862. It is reported they had 12 children.

The marriage took place at the St. Mary's Cathedral in Halifax. The names of both of their parents are included in these records. Bart was born about 1803 in Macroon, County Cork, Ireland, the son of Timothy Riley and Joanna Doody. Elizabeth was the daughter of John Lively and Elizabeth Rourke and was born in Nova Scotia in 1821. Bart and Elizabeth resided in Nova Scotia until about 1862 where ten of their twelve children were born. Meanwhile the Irish born Bishop Sweeny of Saint John, New Brunswick had obtained a 10,000 acre tract of forested, rocky and unsettled land in the remote hinterlands of northern New Brunswick. This land had been granted by the Surveyor-General of that Province for the sole purpose of building a settlement for the Bishop's fellow Irishmen. The 100 acre lots were soon claimed and additional grants and surveys were needed to fill the demand.

Bart and Elizabeth responded to this opportunity and Bart, in May 1862, at the age of 60 left Elizabeth behind in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to care for their brood of ten and set out for this wilderness with their oldest son Timothy. He carried nothing but a small amount of money for supplies and his axe. But it took these two only a matter of weeks to clear enough land for planting a small crop and they built a home for the family by the time fall arrived. After gathering in their crop they returned to Nova Scotia and brought Elizabeth and the other nine children to their new homestead.

In 1866 Bishop Sweeny visited the newly built settlement of Johnsville and had a hearty congratulations for the 64 year old Bart Riley who in just four years had cleared forty acres of forest and rock, owned two yoke of oxen, six cows, several sheep and hogs, a substantial log house, barn and piggery. John Francis Maguire in his book, "The Irish in America" described Bart Riley as having "a grave countenance, handsome features and the richest of Munster brogues."

Responding to the Bishop's praise, Bart said, according to Maguire, " Well, my Lord, I am getting along purty well, I think my maker for it. Sure enough, 'tis a great change from the old country to this. Glory be to the Lord for that same."

Bart died October 1869. Elizabeth remained a widow for over thirty years when she died in December 1901 at age eighty. Elizabeth lived with their son John on his farm in North Johnsville in her later years and was enumerated there in 1901.

Bartholomew married Elizabeth Lively [11439] [MRIN: 3821], daughter of John Lively [2963] and Elizabeth Shonamon [2964], on 26 Sep 1840. (Elizabeth Lively [11439] was born before 1825.)