Reilley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Reilley or a variant listed above, including:

Reilley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• John Reilley, who arrived in Boston in 1823
• Terrence Reilley, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1823 2
• Patrick Reilley, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1842 2
• Pedro Reilley, aged 60, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1846 2
• Ann Reilley, aged 15, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 2
• ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Reilley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

• P Reilley, who arrived in Mississippi in 1905 2

Reilley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

• Mr. John Reilley, (Rielly, Riley, Reily), English shoe maker who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 15 years for highway robbery, transported aboard the "Bangalore" on 28th March 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) from Bermuda 3
• Laurence Reilley, aged 18, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Isle of Thanet" 4
• Elizabeth Reilley, aged 25, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Lord of the Isles" 5
• Mr. John Reilley, (b. 1823), aged 34, English sawyer, from County Meath, Ireland travelling aboard the ship "Herefordshire" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 27th May 1857 6
• Mrs. Caroline Reilley, (b. 1821), aged 36, Cornish house servant, from County Waterford, Ireland travelling aboard the ship "Herefordshire" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 27th May 1857 6
• ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

• Thomas T. Reilley (1884-1940), American football coach, the 12th head football coach at New York University
• Alexander Aloysius "Duke" Reilley (1884-1968), nicknamed "Midget", American Major League Baseball player who played for one season for the Cleveland Naps in 1909
• Charles Augustine "Charlie" Reilley (1856-1904), American Major League Baseball player who played from 1879 to 1884
• Thomas T. Reilley, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 21st District, 1916 7
• Richard S. Reilley, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 13th District, 1901-02 7
• Patrick Reilley (1848-1924), American politician, Mayor of Hammond, Indiana, 1893-94, 1899-1902 7
• George J. Reilley, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Louisiana, 1900, 1908, 1916, 1920, 1940, 1944 7
• Donna Reilley, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1980 7
• Hugh Reilley (1918-1940), Canadian fighter pilot who flew for the RAF during the Battle of Britain, killed in action
• Schubert Reilley Dyche (1893-1982), American college football and college basketball head coach