James Reilly

See 1900 census.

John Poff was the first husband of "Jane," the mother of my grandmother, Vera (Reilly) Thompson sometime around 1885 or 1886. By John, Jane had "Alice May" in 1886; but he must have died about a year later, because by 1888 Jane had married "James Reilly" by whom she had two children, Vera, my grandmother, and Orville. The 1880 census had reported that Jane was single and a school teacher, but by 1885/6 she married John Poff and by 1888 she "jumped into the fire" and married James Reilly, perhaps so she could have a father for her young child, Alice May, my grandmother's half sister.

The 1900 census reports that James was born in Canada/England which may mean he was born in Canada but of parents from England. It also states he was the owner of a farm with a paid off mortage for perhaps as long as 22 years.

Unfortunately, her second husband, James Reilley has always been reported by all oral family tradition to have had a serious drinking problem to have abandoned his family. Vera is reported to have frequently and loudly articlulated her father's drinking problem.