Samuel Reily’s military service

Having ruled out the potential explanations of surname/ DNA mix-ups after the Burtons and Reilys arrived in the Mississippi Territory, research focus must move backward in time. As previously discussed, the idea was discarded, that Samuel’s sons John Y. and Robert W. were fathered by a Burton because their conceptions were far separated in place and time. Conversely, Samuel’s sons were probably not old enough or in the right place to sire Burton children. That begs the question of Samuel sowing his seed and fathering children in the Burton family. Samuel was born in South Carolina in 1767 and lived there until moving to Mississippi. However, he may have done some traveling or served in the military some distance from home. Reviewing some of Samuel’s life may detect his potential encounters with the Burton family. It would be helpful to know more about those Burton lineages and their descent to contemporaries who have DNA matches to the Reily family.

Samuel Reily was born in 1767, so he would not have been old enough for military service in the Revolution. However, he should have been involved in the War of 1812. His age would have made him eligible (1812- 1767= 43), and able- bodied men would have been expected to participate in the local militias. An indexed pension record for a South Carolina Samuel Reily was found, which may be our Samuel, but further documentation would be needed for verification… maybe the actual pension files or his service records. Reily, Samuel, SC-8926, srv. Capt. Memorial Forest’s Co Ky Mil. (White, V. D. 1992. Index to War of 1812 Pension Files, Vol II. The National Historical Publishing Co. Waynesboro, TN). A few additional details were available on that unit, too. Porter’s Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Militia 7th Company, Capt. Memorial Forrest, Lieutenant Noah Halbert, Ensign John Mann.

An Endicott family history included the following information (http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/woodford/endecott.t.txt). Memorial Forrest (born 1783) enlisted 10 September 1814 in Lt Col Andrew Porter’s Kentucky Volunteer Militia in the War of 1812 and served as a Captain. He received $40 per month pay. He died while on active duty at Ft. Gratiot, MI, 21 days before his enlistment was up. He probably died of disease since the sanitary conditions at military installations were appalling. The war had ended 24 December 1814, but the remote outposts were not aware of it because of the slow communication system of the time. In 1815, a company of Kentucky families from the vicinity of Cynthiana moved to Posey County, Indiana. This included widow Nancy Forrest and her family. Her husband had been Captain Memorial Forrest (b. 1783) who was killed in the War of 1812 while serving under Lt. Col. Andrew Porter at Fort Gratiot on 15 March,1815.
Kentucky connections offer some possibility of associations between Samuel Reily and the Burtons of Tennessee, but the timing is not reasonable. By 1814, Samuel was already settled in Mississippi. General Jackson assembled his forces at Natchez, some marching overland and others transported via the Mississippi River. Perhaps Samuel joined that Kentucky unit there and never travelled to Kentucky; Natchez would have been readily accessible from Samuel’s home near Centreville.
In his application for membership in the Sons of the American Revolution, William B. Reily, Jr. LSSAR 0728B, listed Robert Reily as an ancestor, then Samuel Reily, Lieutenant in South Carolina Volunteers. This service of Samuel Reily is also listed on the application for James Weaks Reily, LSSAR 0717A. Both of these applications cite Stub Entries Book U- W, page 192. However, a review of this evidence (Salley, A. S. 1918. Stub entries to indents, Books U- W. The Historical Commission of South Carolina, Columbia, SC) raises some doubts. The stub entry, issued 13 September, 1785, shows Samuel Reiley received payment for duty as a lieutenant in 1781, 1782, 1783. Samuel was born in 1767; this would have placed him as an officer, a lieutenant, at ages 14- 16. That may be possible, but 14 seems very young for command. The William B. Reily application also lists Samuel as Captain 32nd Regiment of State SC militia under Lt. Col. John Moore 1810 Camden District, Clarendon County. That seems reasonable, considering Samuel’s age, the date, and the location, but supporting evidence has not yet been found… perhaps service records or unit histories may document this.This military information is interesting, but none of it can definitively tie Samuel Reily to close proximity to families of the Burton clan.