1940 Census Thomas Roberts Riley

Here is the Census Record from 1940 for Thomas Roberts Riley, Elizabeth Maybury Riley, and Sue Alexandria Riley.  They were living on St Ledger Ave in Akron.  Tom was 81 and had recently retired from Goodyear.  Sue (age 32) was listed as a Merchant in a Retail Grocery Store.  There is nothing listed for her income, which is a little odd.  The house is valued at $5000.

1910 Census Thomas Roberts Riley Family

The Thomas Roberts Riley family was living in Dover Township in Tuscarawas County Ohio at the the time of the 1910 Census.

He was 51 years old at the time and Lizzie was 47.  All the children were living at home. 
Percy  (Thomas Percy)  Age 18
Grace  Age 15
Ezra Age 14
Sidney Age 11
Norman Age 8
Sue Age 5

They lived a couple of houses away from Tom's brother Ezra and his wife Sue (on Front Street).  Both men were listed as Rollers at a Rolling Mill (Steel).  Percy was listed as a student at business college.  Both houses were listed as Owned with a Mortgage.  I imagine that a roller was a tough job for a 51 year old man. 


Dover became a steel center early on, with the first blast furnace opening in the mid 1850s. The first steel rolling mill began in 1867, and was purchased in 1882 by J. E. Reeves, becoming the foundation for the building of Reeves Steel. The legacy of Mr. Reeves, his company and his family still impacts Dover and Tuscarawas County through such local treasures as the
J. E. Reeves Home and Museum and the Reeves Foundation. The Reeves Foundation annually contributes hundreds of thousands of dollars to local good works.


Dover voters took the city "dry" in 1908, putting 22 saloons and two breweries out of business overnight. Dover became somewhat infamous during prohibition for official Volstead Act violations and many officials resigned in disgust. The city again allowed the sale of liquor after repeal of prohibition in 1933.


I don't know if Tom and Ezra worked at Reeves Steel or Ohio Steel.

Canal Dover Government Building 1911

The population of Tuscarawas County in 1910 was 57,035 and in the 2000 Census it was 90,914.

1899 Map of Canal Dover

Most of the residents on the street were children of Native Born Americans.  Many of the other men on the street also worked for the Steel Mills.

Sue Riley: Golfing

In honor of the PGA Championship (taking place next week only a couple of miles from my home in Johns Creek GA) I am writing about Sue Riley.   She was the youngest child of Tom and Lizzy Riley.  She never married.  After her mother died, she moved to Florida with long time family friend, Theda Hill.  Sue worked in the insurance industry in Florida.  She was an excellent golfer.  


She set a Golf Record in 1938 for playing a 180 holes in a day with a partner. Don't forget you can click on the picture to make it bigger to read.

Family Picture Friday: Sue, Sid, Ezra, and Tom Riley

I have reached out to some of the Riley Second Cousins (my second cousins, the kids of Ray's cousins) and some are now reading the blog.  I thought they would like this picture of the Riley siblings (missing from the picture is their sister, Grace).  I think this was taken around the time of Lizzie's Funeral in Akron, Ohio.

On this day in 1990

 On this day in 1990, Sue Alexandria Riley died in Florida.  She was the beloved Aunt to the Riley family   She was 85 years old.  She had colon cancer and mild Alzheimer's (according to her death certificate).
Below is a picture of Sue (on the right) with her long time friend, Theda Hill (the one we can thank for the wonderful pictures)