The family tree has many branches, and little has been done by the creator of this page to explore them. This section will grow as more information comes in.
William F. Riley was one son of Timothy Riley (1856) and Anna Sullivan (1859). He had several brothers and sisters, They included May, John T., Dan, Charles, Byron G., Noreen, Harold, and Helen. Richard Riley (son of Wm. F) created this attempt to try to document the various branches. Please use the Contact form to send corrections and additions to help fill out these branches!
Click on this family tree shared with me by Elizabeth Stamper, grand-daughter-in-law of Harold Riley
The Riley Family Home at 1303 North Sixth Street, Burlington Iowa
I’ve gathered the following information about the home from several sources
(i.e., the people noted below and obits & newspaper articles)
~ Mary Chris Riley (Ed & Dorothy Riley’s daughter)
Great Grandfather Timothy Riley (b. 1856) built the home at 1303 North 6th Street in the 1880s. He and Anna Sullivan (b. 1859) were married on July 23, 1880, and lived for a time in Ainsworth, where Dan (our Grandfather) was born in 1881. They lived in Burlington for 45 years, according to Timothy’s obit. They raised their family at 1303 – so that was the family home for our Grandfather Dan Riley (b. 1881), who was the eldest child, & all of his siblings, including John (b. 1882), William (b. 1884), May (b. 1887), Charles (b. 1889), Byron (b. 1894), Harold (b. 1896), Noreen (b. 1899),and Helen (b. 1904). (Thanks to Marianna Brinck, Noreen’s daughter, for all the birth dates.)
Brother Dave Riley’s Recollections:
When Grandfather Dan Riley died in 1958, he left Charlie 1303 and 1304, which was the house across the street. When Charlie died, he left the houses to Helen and Noreen. After May died, Noreen and Uncle Joe Schupp moved into 1303. Aunt Helen & Uncle Bill Meyer lived at 1304.
Grandfather lived at the Hotel Burlington after May died until his death, only 4-5 years. He was able to walk to the Riley Bros office around the corner on Main Street. Don't know how he acquired 1303 and 1304 – whether they were handed down to him, or maybe he bought them from the estate. [Mary C. Note: Dan Riley also owned a house at 1331 N. 6th St. Not sure when he lived there, but I have a newspaper article about a roof fire there and how it drew a crowd of onlookers.)
M.C. note: After our dad (Ed Riley) died, our mom (Dorothy) purchased 1308 N 6th Street, right next door to Helen & Bill’s. She and Aunt Helen were very close. Sadly, shortly after mom moved into 1308, Aunt Helen died. After mom died in 1999 at age 89, my brother Dave and his wife, Linda (Tilton) Riley, purchased the home from the estate and renovated it extensively, including beautiful decks overlooking the Mississippi River. We (George & I & our children, Riley & Bud) celebrated many wonderful Christmases there.
First Cousin Julie (Finnegan) Westhoff Memories:
I have such fond memories of 1303... I would visit Aunt May and Uncle Charlie often. They lived there until they passed away. Uncle Charlie’s room was downstairs.
Thank you Mary! Just love reading all of this! I’m sure you all remember
being at Aunt May’s every Christmas Eve.....all holding hands with Santa Claus joining in. We began singing a Christmas song going one way around the table, then the other way....also every Easter Sunday...Aunt Mary has a movie of us all in Aunt May’s yard hunting for Easter eggs.
I remember in the summer we would all sleep on the sun porch upstairs at 1303
once in awhile..... As a side note . Patty, Molly, Buff, and I would take turns visiting Dan Riley at Hotel Burlington when he moved back there and have lunch with him...maybe others did that too! LOVED Dan Riley!.,
Anyhoo...this all brought up a time of reflection!., special memories!...and interesting to hear about Timothy and everyone. Thank you Mary! Love to all! Me
First Cousin Molly (Finnegan) Memories:
Well, you’ll probably get differing facts but here’s what I remember:
Going to visit (Great) Grandfather Timothy whose bedroom had been placed downstairs because of health. Dan Riley lived there then, I think. He moved to the hotel later. Then it was just Aunt May and U. Charlie. When May died, Noreen and Joe moved there with him. Their children were long gone. Dan Riley didn’t visit as often as he used to before Noreen and Joe moved in. He spent more time at our house and maybe Uncle Ed’s.
I definitely remember having dinner there with Aunt May sitting at one end and Dan Riley at the other and that lovely woman who cooked and cared for them would serve. That’s when everyone was healthy.
All those Easters with the whole family. I think the only time mother or I visited 1303 after the Schupps moved in was when Charlie died.
Recollections of Mary Chris:
When I look back at growing up in Burlington, it's amazing to me how so many of the Timothy Riley siblings lived so close to one another. Noreen (who married Joe Schupp) lived in the family home at 1303. Helen (who married Bill Meyer) lived right across the street at 1304. We lived at 822 North 4th Street, and Uncle Harold & Aunt Lucy lived just a couple doors down from us. Uncle Byron & Aunt Thelma lived on North 3rd (in the same 800 block as us). My brother Dan told me that some referred to it as “the Riley compound.”
And the Dan Riley families all lived close to one another too: Uncle Jack (dad’s brother) & Aunt Mary lived at 822 N. 3rd Street. Aunt Mary (now 101 in 2020) told me during a phone call in Nov 2020 that Grandfather told her shortly after she and Jack moved into that house that he had lived in an upstairs room at the 822 N 3rd Street house at one point when it was a rental property! Mom & Dad lived at 827 N. 3rd, across the street from Jack & Mary when my older siblings were growing up. They moved to the 822 N. 4th Street house when Dave was born. Aunt Betty (dad’s sister) & Uncle Hugh Finnegan & family lived at 512 Columbia, up the hill from the library, and just a few blocks from us. Marianna (Noreen’s daughter) & Vern Brinck and their family lived just a few doors up from the Finnegans, at 501 N 6th St (at the top of Snake Alley, the “crookedest street in the world,” according to the Guinness Book of World Records). We moved from 822 N 4th Street to 2481 Surrey Road in 1964. (Mom had had enough of caring for that huge house at 822.) BTW – Our phone # was 24812; I found that to be very serendipitous. I remember Grandfather Dan Riley living at the Hotel Burlington and visiting us at the 822 N. 4th Street house.
The family all got together at the holidays - see description in document, “Aunt May Memories.”
I’ve gathered the following information about the home from several sources
(i.e., the people noted below and obits & newspaper articles)
~ Mary Chris Riley (Ed & Dorothy Riley’s daughter)
Great Grandfather Timothy Riley (b. 1856) built the home at 1303 North 6th Street in the 1880s. He and Anna Sullivan (b. 1859) were married on July 23, 1880, and lived for a time in Ainsworth, where Dan (our Grandfather) was born in 1881. They lived in Burlington for 45 years, according to Timothy’s obit. They raised their family at 1303 – so that was the family home for our Grandfather Dan Riley (b. 1881), who was the eldest child, & all of his siblings, including John (b. 1882), William (b. 1884), May (b. 1887), Charles (b. 1889), Byron (b. 1894), Harold (b. 1896), Noreen (b. 1899),and Helen (b. 1904). (Thanks to Marianna Brinck, Noreen’s daughter, for all the birth dates.)
Brother Dave Riley’s Recollections:
When Grandfather Dan Riley died in 1958, he left Charlie 1303 and 1304, which was the house across the street. When Charlie died, he left the houses to Helen and Noreen. After May died, Noreen and Uncle Joe Schupp moved into 1303. Aunt Helen & Uncle Bill Meyer lived at 1304.
Grandfather lived at the Hotel Burlington after May died until his death, only 4-5 years. He was able to walk to the Riley Bros office around the corner on Main Street. Don't know how he acquired 1303 and 1304 – whether they were handed down to him, or maybe he bought them from the estate. [Mary C. Note: Dan Riley also owned a house at 1331 N. 6th St. Not sure when he lived there, but I have a newspaper article about a roof fire there and how it drew a crowd of onlookers.)
M.C. note: After our dad (Ed Riley) died, our mom (Dorothy) purchased 1308 N 6th Street, right next door to Helen & Bill’s. She and Aunt Helen were very close. Sadly, shortly after mom moved into 1308, Aunt Helen died. After mom died in 1999 at age 89, my brother Dave and his wife, Linda (Tilton) Riley, purchased the home from the estate and renovated it extensively, including beautiful decks overlooking the Mississippi River. We (George & I & our children, Riley & Bud) celebrated many wonderful Christmases there.
First Cousin Julie (Finnegan) Westhoff Memories:
I have such fond memories of 1303... I would visit Aunt May and Uncle Charlie often. They lived there until they passed away. Uncle Charlie’s room was downstairs.
Thank you Mary! Just love reading all of this! I’m sure you all remember
being at Aunt May’s every Christmas Eve.....all holding hands with Santa Claus joining in. We began singing a Christmas song going one way around the table, then the other way....also every Easter Sunday...Aunt Mary has a movie of us all in Aunt May’s yard hunting for Easter eggs.
I remember in the summer we would all sleep on the sun porch upstairs at 1303
once in awhile..... As a side note . Patty, Molly, Buff, and I would take turns visiting Dan Riley at Hotel Burlington when he moved back there and have lunch with him...maybe others did that too! LOVED Dan Riley!.,
Anyhoo...this all brought up a time of reflection!., special memories!...and interesting to hear about Timothy and everyone. Thank you Mary! Love to all! Me
First Cousin Molly (Finnegan) Memories:
Well, you’ll probably get differing facts but here’s what I remember:
Going to visit (Great) Grandfather Timothy whose bedroom had been placed downstairs because of health. Dan Riley lived there then, I think. He moved to the hotel later. Then it was just Aunt May and U. Charlie. When May died, Noreen and Joe moved there with him. Their children were long gone. Dan Riley didn’t visit as often as he used to before Noreen and Joe moved in. He spent more time at our house and maybe Uncle Ed’s.
I definitely remember having dinner there with Aunt May sitting at one end and Dan Riley at the other and that lovely woman who cooked and cared for them would serve. That’s when everyone was healthy.
All those Easters with the whole family. I think the only time mother or I visited 1303 after the Schupps moved in was when Charlie died.
Recollections of Mary Chris:
When I look back at growing up in Burlington, it's amazing to me how so many of the Timothy Riley siblings lived so close to one another. Noreen (who married Joe Schupp) lived in the family home at 1303. Helen (who married Bill Meyer) lived right across the street at 1304. We lived at 822 North 4th Street, and Uncle Harold & Aunt Lucy lived just a couple doors down from us. Uncle Byron & Aunt Thelma lived on North 3rd (in the same 800 block as us). My brother Dan told me that some referred to it as “the Riley compound.”
And the Dan Riley families all lived close to one another too: Uncle Jack (dad’s brother) & Aunt Mary lived at 822 N. 3rd Street. Aunt Mary (now 101 in 2020) told me during a phone call in Nov 2020 that Grandfather told her shortly after she and Jack moved into that house that he had lived in an upstairs room at the 822 N 3rd Street house at one point when it was a rental property! Mom & Dad lived at 827 N. 3rd, across the street from Jack & Mary when my older siblings were growing up. They moved to the 822 N. 4th Street house when Dave was born. Aunt Betty (dad’s sister) & Uncle Hugh Finnegan & family lived at 512 Columbia, up the hill from the library, and just a few blocks from us. Marianna (Noreen’s daughter) & Vern Brinck and their family lived just a few doors up from the Finnegans, at 501 N 6th St (at the top of Snake Alley, the “crookedest street in the world,” according to the Guinness Book of World Records). We moved from 822 N 4th Street to 2481 Surrey Road in 1964. (Mom had had enough of caring for that huge house at 822.) BTW – Our phone # was 24812; I found that to be very serendipitous. I remember Grandfather Dan Riley living at the Hotel Burlington and visiting us at the 822 N. 4th Street house.
The family all got together at the holidays - see description in document, “Aunt May Memories.”