Ellen Riley (née Donovan, c.1822 – 1886-12-04) was my matrilineal great-great-great-grandmother, being the mother of Catherine Martin. Her parents are unknown. She married Daniel Riley on 1845-11-18 in Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland, where she was likely born, just before they moved to Cardiff, Wales. She had five known children (listed under her husband), and died in Cardiff.
I have not been able to find her baptism nor identify her parents, which would enable me to extend the matriline another generation. For her birth year I have to rely on Cardiff records, which are quite inconsistent:
| Record | Year | Birthplace | Age | Inferred birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census | 1861 | Ireland | 38 | 1823- |
| Census | 1871 | Ireland | 42 | 1829- |
| Census | 1881 | Ireland Co. Cork | 42 | 1839- |
| Death | 1886 | 59 | 1827- |
Given this variation, I can only assume the earlier dates are more likely. Certainly she didn't marry at the age of 6.
It was traditional for a woman to be married in the same parish where she was baptized. Assuming this is the case here (and it might not be), it remains that “Ellen Donovan” is a common name in West Cork, and several baptisms in Clonakility of girls of that name are close enough to her estimated birth to be candidates. Without further information, there seems no way to determine which, if any, is her.
She is the earliest bearer of my mitochondrial DNA I can trace back to. I have worked to catalog all of her female-line descendants, and as of now have identified 131, both living and dead.ref The line under Martha Martin is facing extinction due to a lack of eligible females. The nearest related carriers are the descendants of Martha (Hazelton) Graves.
Her haplogroup is H1c8, as inferred from that being my own. This has since been corroborated as far as H1c through my DNA matches.
Welsh records show an Ellen Riley, wife of Daniel Riley, “Mariner”, dying at 20 Duffryn Street, Cardiff on 1886-12-04. While absolute proof that this is the same person is lacking, the details that are available match up fairly convincingly. From census records, we already know she died between 1881 and 1891, and there are no other records of a deceased Ellen Riley that match. Her daughter Annie was living at 16 Duffryn Street in 1881, which is at least suggestive.
The record states her “daughter-in-law” Theresa Riley was present at her death, presumably the younger Daniel’s wife. The cause of death is “senile decay”.