Granville Polk Riley (1843 - 1914)

Born 9 Mar 1843 in Owsley, Kentucky, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 10 Nov 1914 at age 71 in McKee, Jackson, Kentucky, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Susannah Rolfes [send private message] and Greg Meland [send private message]

Biography

Granville was born March 9, 1843 in either Owsley County, Kentucky or Longs Creek, Breathitt County, Kentucky, to John "Gentleman" Riley and Jennie Jane Johnson. (Note: An alternate birth in 1838 is shown in two sources, listed below. ^[1][2])

He married Sarah Jane "Sally" Baker about 1865. He later married Isabelle "Icy" Burton, probably in 1866 in Breathitt County, Kentucky.

He was a lawyer, and also served in Company B, 7th Kentucky Infantry in the Union Army during the Civil War, being inducted January 5, 1863, and released December 26, 1864. (Note: GEDCOM import listed him as being in the 47th, rather than 7th, Kentucky Infantry; this was probably a typo, but more information is needed.)

On the 1860 census, he lived with Elen in Breathitt County, Kentucky. Elen may have been his sister or his wife:

Granville Riley M 17 Breathitt Co
Elen Riley F 23 Clay Co Ky

On the 1900 census, he lived in Pond Creek, Jackson, Kentucky:

Granville Riley Head M 57 Kentucky
Icy Riley Wife F 51 Kentucky
Edmond Riley Son M 22 Kentucky
John D. Riley Son M 17 Kentucky
Evva Hamilton Granddaughter F 6 Kentucky
Bert Riley Grandson M 5 Kentucky

On the 1910 census, he lived in Pond Creek, Jackson, Kentucky:

Granville Riley Head M 67 Kentucky
Iby Riley Wife F 67 Kentucky
Burt Riley Grandson M 13 Kentucky

United States Census of Union Veterans and Widows of the Civil War, 1890
Name Granville Riley
Event Type Census
Event Date 1890
Event Place Cow Creek And Buffalo, Owsley, Kentucky, United States

Marriage or Marriages

Some controversy exists as to whether Granville was married to Sarah Jane "Sally" Baker or Isabelle "Icy" Burton.

At the time of his death, Granville was definitely married to Icy Burton. She received a widow's pension from his Civil War service. Prior to that, she appeared as his wife on several censuses, and appeared as the mother of most of his children on the birth and death records that have been found.

According to find-a-grave, he married 1866 Isabelle "Icy" Burton in 1866.

However, his daughter, Maxaline, was born in 1866, and according to her death certificate, her mother's name was Sarah Jane Baker.

Sarah Jane Baker's Find a Grave memorial also states that she married three times, and one of her husbands was Granville "Lawyer Gran" Riley, and that she had children with each of her three husbands.

There are family trees on Familysearch that disagree on which woman he married, but all trees agree, he married her about 1865 in Breathitt County, Kentucky. No actual marriage records have turned up thus far.

One of these trees shows his wife as Icy and five children.

Robert B. "Robin"
George
Betsy Margaret
Elizabeth
Wiley

Two other Familysearch trees show his wife as Sally and two children.

Maxaline "Massie" or "Massey"
Martha

According to the Rootsweb source referenced below:

"Icy Burton, B: Oct 1848 in Jackson County, Kentucky, D: 11 Jun 1934 in Lee County, Kentucky, M: Granville Polk Riley, Bef. 1868 in Kentucky."

And

"Icy Burton-4(Mary Ann-3, Henry-2, William-1) was born in Oct 1848 in Jackson County, Kentucky. She died on 11 Jun 1934 in Lee County, Kentucky. She married Granville Polk Riley before 1868 in Kentucky, son of John J Riley and Jane Johnson. He was born on 09 Mar 1843 in Breathitt County, Kentucky. He died on 10 Nov 1914 in Jackson County, Kentucky. Children of Icy Burton and Granville Polk Riley are: i. Robin B Riley, B: 29 May 1868 in Breathitt County, Kentucky, D: 22 May 1940 in Lee County, Kentucky. ii. Wiley Riley, B: 23 May 1879 in Breathitt County, Kentucky, D: 12 Jan 1929 in Lee County, Kentucky."

This is a work in progress, as there is more information for each marriage than is currently shown.

Children

From birth and death records, Find a Grave, and census records, I have found the following:

Maxaline (1866 - 03 Dec 1954)
Martha (1867 - 1943)
Robert B. "Robin" (1868 or 29 May 1868 - 22 May 1940)
George W. (1871 or 1873 - 1914)
Edward (03 Jul 1872 - d. 21 May 1926)
Betsey Margaret "Maggie" (22 May 1874 - 1954)
Elizabeth (1875- )
Wiley (1877 or 23 May 1879 - 03 Jul 1924 or 12 Jan 1929)
Betsey Margaret "Maggie" (22 May 1874 - 1954)
Elizabeth (1875- )
Edmond (1878 - ) John D. (1883 - 1927)

The book Morris Fork Kentucky: Family Stories and Genealogies from Breathitt County and Eastern Kentucky has the following list of children:

(With Sarah): Maxaline (November 3, 1866).

(With Isabelle): Robert (May 29, 1867), George (1873), Elizabeth (1875), and Wiley "Willie" (October 10, 1876).

From Familysearch trees:

With Sally:
Maxaline:1866 - 03 Dec 1954

and/or

Maxaline "Massie" or "Massey" (1866-1954)
Martha (1867-1943)

With Icy:
Edward, b. 03 Jul 1872, d. 21 May 1926
George - 1914 Robin B. -1940 Wiley 1877 - 03 Jul 1924 Betsey Margaret 22 May 1874 -

and/or

Robert B. "Robin" (1868-1940)
George (1873-)
Betsy Margaret (1874-)
Elizabeth (1875-)
Wiley (1879-1929)

According to find-a-grave, his children with Icy were:
Maxaline "Massey" (1866 - 1954)
George W. (1871 - 1914)
Maggie (1874 - 1954)
John D. (1883 - 1927)

None of these lists are complete or conclusive (census, Familysearch, Find a Grave).

Death

He died of pulmonary thrombosis secondary to tuberculosis on November 10, 1914 in McKee, Jackson County, Kentucky.

GRANVILLE P. RILEY
Pond Creek, Jackson Co., Ky. P.O. Lite, Ky
White, male, married, about 70 years
Died: 10 Nov 1914, of Tuberculosis of 9 years.
Born: Breathitt Co.
His birth date & parents were listed as Unknown.
Occupation; Lawyer,
Informant: T. H. Little
Buried by John D. Riley of Lite, Ky.
Buried: Moore's Creek
(source: http://newsarch.rootsweb.com/th/read/RILEY/2006-07/1151787461)

He is buried in Wilson Cemetery, Moores Creek, Jackson County, Kentucky.

Granville is listed as #38 on the pedigree chart in the book Morris Fork Kentucky: Family Stories and Genealogies from Breathitt County and Eastern Kentucky.

Notes

Note: Some family trees and Find-a-grave show that Maxaline's mother was Isabelle "Icy" Burton, however, Massie's death certificate shows that her mother was Sarah Jane "Sally" Baker, as does the book, "Morris Fork Kentucky: Family Stories and Genealogies from Breathitt County and Eastern Kentucky." Sally married three times, and Granville also married more than once. Because both women were married to Granville, there had to have been at least one divorce, since the two women died within three years of each other, and Granville predeceased both women.

There were at least two men named Granville Riley in Breathitt County, at least seven in Kentucky, and at least 13 in the nation. In addition to Granville Polk "Lawyer Gran" Riley, there was also Granville C. Riley Granville C. Riley (abt. 1866 - 19?? ), who married Nancy Ann Riley (1865 - 1948). This can lead to some confusion.

Sources

1860 census: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZB9-GDK

1890 Veteran Census: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8S6-53J

1900 census: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M94N-CZW

1910 census: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2DF-HH7

Birth of daughter, Betsy Margaret: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWKK-CQY

Source for middle name & info on Icy Burton: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kyborn/gay.html

Death certificate: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=5385287&PIpi=126447282

Find a Grave Memorial: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5385287

Civil War widow pension to Icy Burton: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2M2Y-TQ8

Civil War pension to Icy Riley: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJDG-1JDZ

Civil War pension: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2M2Y-RBR

Sarah Jane Baker Bolin's Find a Grave Memorial: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=35229786

Death certificate of daughter, Maxaline: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N9RZ-49H

Death of son, George: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N9JW-WH6

Death of son, Edward: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X6CD-378

Death of son, Robin: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N9YK-VMK

Death of son Wiley: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F4MR-FM1 and https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N9NC-GB8

Familysearch trees:

• md. Sally: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:3QCG-1VJ

• md. Sally: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:39TV-PXT

• md. Icy: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:3QFV-5NC

From GEDCOM User ID: ABF9C866ECAC3B49861A386F26BDBFEEC554

• WikiTree profile Riley-1254 created through the import of meland2012.ged on Feb 6, 2012 by Greg Meland. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Greg and others.

• Source: S38 Abbreviation: Dozens of Cousins Author: William O'Connor Publication: 1988
• Source: S58 Abbreviation: Brøderbund Software, Inc. Title: Census Microfilm Records: Kentucky 1850 CONT CD # 303 Author: National Archives of the United States Publication: Brøderbund Software, Inc. CONT 1998 Page: Disk 1 CONT page 2019

1. ↑ Source: #S38
2. ↑ Source: #S58 Page: Disk 1 CONT page 2019

Morris, Leon. Morris Fork Kentucky: Family Stories and Genealogies from Breathitt County and Eastern Kentucky. Elkhart, Indiana, 1995.

• https://books.google.com/books/about/Morris_Fork_Kentucky.html?id=eda1GwAACAAJ

• http://www.kykinfolk.com/breathitt/reading/morris_fork/mf_corrections.html

• Danielle Whitehead, firsthand knowledge. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Danielle and others.