Van Reiley

Van Rieley (Riley)

Norma Bentley Hall, descendant

Quick Facts

Significance:

Mississippi Homesteader

Place of Birth:

Mississippi

Date of Birth:

January 12, 185

Place of Death:

Amite County, Mississippi

Date of Death:

September 2, 1918

Place of Burial:

Amite County, Mississippi

Van Reiley (Rieley, Riley) filed his Homestead Application #18159 at the Jackson, Mississippi Land Office on February 22, 1888 for 79.16 acres of land located in Amite County, Mississippi. Van improved upon his homestead and received his Patent #9337 on May 11, 1895, under the name Van Reiley.

Van married Lurenna Hornsby in Amite County on March 11, 1873. He first settled on the property with his family in February of 1887. Van constructed a dwelling house with a kitchen and cleared at least six acres of land. One year later, he filed his claim on February 22, 1888. Van signed his named with an X swearing that he was the head of his family, over the age of twenty-one and a citizen of the United States.

The land is pine land for which is most valuable for ordinary agriculture. He lived continuously on the property for six (6) years and cultivated twenty-five acres of land and raised crops thereon for five seasons. He built a 16’x18’ house consisting of one room built with pine logs, a kitchen, crib, and a cotton house all of pine logs worth $80.

In compliance with the Homestead guidelines, Van Reiley identified witnesses to swear that he had made the improvements required for ownership. The listing of the witnesses was publicized on March 6, 1894, in the Land Office in Jackson, Mississippi and posted for thirty days.

Alex Anderson and Alex Shropshire were the witnesses for the homestead claimant. Mr. Alex Anderson (age twenty-eight) of Gloster, Amite County, was named on the public notice for the homestead claim. He verified that Van made improvements on the land by building a dwelling house, kitchen, crib, and a cotton house worth $80. Mr. Alex Shropshire (age forty-two) of Gloster, Amite County also supported that Van actually established residence in the month of February 1888.

Van responded to Claimant question #5 – “Of whom does your family consist of; and have you and your family resided continuously on the land since first establishing residence thereon? (If unmarried, state the fact.)”

He answered that “self + 4 children” resided on the land continuously, that he was “unmarried my wife died in the year 1890.” His answers were consistent with information in the 1900 United States Census, where he was listed as a widow with children Elise, Florence and Seaborn. His fourth child (Leona) lived next door to him and was married to a Jesse Gillmore (Gilmore). They had three children – Rufus, Luther, and Van. Van Reiley-Rieley had five (5) children, Henry was the oldest.

With the loss of his wife and raising four(4) children on his own, he cultivated the land and met all the requirements to obtain ownership of the homestead. However, just when he thought he had met those challenges to obtain the land patent, he received a letter from the Department of Interior – General Land Office, Washington, D.C, January 1895 stating that the claimant name is signed differently on the documents he submitted – Van Reiley and Rieley, he was called to “finish an affidavit having the orthography of his name verified and upon receipt thereof the register will correct his certificate”. He had to comply within sixty days, or his entry would be cancelled.

Van Reiley-Rieley was illiterate and marked his documents with an X. With a great deal of support from officials, Van received his Patent #9337 on May 11, 1895, under the name Van Reiley. Van had a brother James Reily (Riley), who received Homestead Patent #5803 on March 19, 1891.

Van lived on his land with two of his daughters (Florence and Elise) until he suddenly passed away of heart failure on September 2, 1918, in Gloster. His son reported on his death certificate that his father’s parents were Ed Reiley and Ira Jenkins both born in Mississippi. Van Reiley (Riley) was buried at the Old Shurin Cemetery in Amite County, Mississippi.

Patent Details - BLM GLO Records

~ Contributed by Norma Bently Hall

Norma B. Hall
Photo Credit: N.B. Hall

More about the contributor: Norma Bentley Hall is the 2nd great-grand daughter of Van Reiley (Riley). Norma became interested in genealogy research after a conversation with her mother Mamie Lee Gilmore Bentley, who shared that Van Reiley (Riley) acquired his land thru a land grant. Based on Norma’s research it turned out to be acquired under the Homestead Act May 20, 1862. The land continues to be owned by the family in Amite County, Mississippi.

Norma is retired and presently doing genealogy research full-time focusing on the states of Mississippi and Louisiana.