Last updated: March 27, 2022
Person
James Riely (Riley)
Norma B. Hall
Quick Facts
Significance:
Mississippi Homesteader
Place of Birth:
Amite County, Mississippi
Date of Birth:
January 1857
Place of Death:
Amite County, Mississippi
Date of Death:
1928
Place of Burial:
Amite County, Mississippi
James Riely (Riley) filed his Homestead Land application #15034 at the Land Office in Jackson, Mississippi on July 1,1884, for 165.16 acres of land in Dayton*, Amite County, Mississippi. He proved up on his homestead and was issued land patent #5803 on March 19, 1891.
James Riely (Riley) married Martha Jenkins, both from Amite County, on January 25, 1879. He first settled on the property with his family before applying for his homestead application on November 15, 1883. Riely constructed a dwelling house with a kitchen as well as cleared and fenced four acres of land. He filed for his homestead claim eight months later on July 1, 1884. Riely signed his name with an "X" to swear he was the head of his family, over the age of twenty-one, and a citizen of the United States.
Riely lived continuously on the property for five years and cultivated the land. His Homestead Affidavit described the land as "poor hilly land" with about 140 acres of timber that "consisted mostly of pine and oak". He cleared approximately 20 acres of timber and considered it "ordinary agricultural land". Riely built a 18x25 home and made improvements. He described his home and improvements in his Testimony of Claimant form as, "It is built of pine poles, consisting of two rooms, one front and back room and galley in front worth $50. Kitchen built of pine poles - worth $25.00, a corn crib worth $20, a smoke house worth $15, a log cotton house worth $15 and about 20 acres of fences and 15 acres under cultivation - all worth about $200."
On question #19 of the Testimony of Claimant form James was asked have you voted since establishing residence on the land? He stated that he voted at the Talbert Precinct, Amite County, Mississippi since he became of age.
Marshall Johnson and Samuel Johnson were witnesses for James Riely’s Homestead claim. Mr. Marshall Johnson (age 40), a self-employed farmer attested that he had known James Riley for 14 years, and he lived in Gloster, Amite County about five miles where James resided. He saw the improvements (fencing, fields, and buildings) on the farm. Mr. Samuel Johnson (age 30) was a also self-employed farmer living in Dayton*, Amite County and lived three miles from the James Riely farm. He knew him for seven years and could attest to the improvements such as the cutting of timber, a 18x25 dwelling, and a shed room on his farm. Samuel Johnson was the brother-in-law of James Riely’s (Riley) wife (Martha) and married her sister (Laura Jenkins) on January 10, 1884.
After five years of marriage, James and Martha had four children (Sarah, Minnie, Susanna, and Estelle) as noted in the 1900 US Census. As the cultivation of Riely’s farm grew, so did his family, from four children to six additional children as noted in the 1910 Census (Mary, Eunice, Ida William M, Jeanette, and James S). Riely's 80 year old grandmother Margret Anderson also resided with him. By 1920, James was a widow and his children had moved away except for his two sons William M and James S. However, James still owned his farm. James Riley died in 1928 in Amite County at the age of seventy-one.
*Dayton, Amite County, Mississippi: The town of Crosby has been known by several names throughout its history. Crosby was first named Dayton in 1884 in honor of David Day who gave the Railroad right-of-way. In 1917 the town's name changed to Stephenson after the Foster Creek Lumber & Mfg. Co. mill & town was established. Then in 1934, the named changed again for L.O. Crosby who bought the vast company holdings.
~ Contributed by Norma B Hall, descendant
Norma B. Hall
Photo Credit: N.B. Hall
More about the contributor: Norma B. Hall is the 2nd great-grand niece of James Riely (Riley). James Riely was the brother of Van Riley who was Norma’s 2nd great-grandfather. Norma became interested in genealogy research after a conversation with her mother, who shared that her 2nd great-grandfather Van Riley acquired his land thru a land grant. Based on Norma’s research it turned out to be land acquired under the Homestead Act May 20, 1862. The land continues to be owned by the Van Riley family in Amite County, Mississippi. Norma attended Tougaloo College (Tougaloo, Mississippi) and Howard University – School of Social Work (Washington. D.C). She is a retired Social Worker and presently doing genealogy research full time, focusing on relatives in the states of Mississippi and Louisiana.