hello barbara. My family is riley from very near monterey county. We grew up in Watsonville california. My grand parents are Harvey Lee Riley,wife was mary ester parks riley. My grand father had siblings one brother was walter. a sister vine. and his mother was ada may riley. My grand father was born in or near little rock arkansas. I saw papers years ago about ft. smith. they moved to blackburn oklahoma during the depression after he was married. Harveys children were Mary jo riley(jodi)Elton Lee,Wilbur dale,Gerald leon, janet elane. are we related. my email is clintreddog@att.net

I am a Riley. Garrard Riley, son of Ninian Riley did travel to California. Please contract me and I will share what I know with you.

This was part of my early research for Thomas Patrick Riley, my grandfather. I found california death record for the Thomas Riley, son of Henry Riley below. I saved the info hoping it would help someone else in their search for ancestors.

My Riley family lived in Denver, Co on the 1880 Census and Thomas married Mary Josephine Crawford in Fort Smith where they both died.

1880 U.S. Federal Census - California - Monterey
Census Place: Castroville, Monterey, California 1880 U.S. Census
Relation Sex Marr Race Age Birth
Henry P. RILEY Self M M W 44 IRE
Occ: Farmer Fa: IRE Mo: IRE
Ann RILEY Wife F M W 35 NY
Occ: Keeping House Fa: IRE Mo: IRE
Rebecca RILEY Dau F S W 14 CA
Occ: No Oc. Fa: IRE Mo: NY
J. W. RILEY Son M S W 11 CA
Occ: No Oc. Fa: IRE Mo: NY
John RILEY Son M S W 9 CA
Fa: IRE Mo: NY
Thomas RILEY Son M S W 7 CA
Fa: IRE Mo: NY
Barnett RILEY Son M S W 5 CA
Fa: IRE Mo: NY
Francis RILEY Son M S W 4 CA
Fa: IRE Mo: NY
Henry RILEY Son M S W 3 CA
Fa: IRE Mo: IRE
Mary A. RILEY Dau F S W 6M CA
Fa: IRE Mo: IRE

I did locate John RILEY still in Castroville, CA on the 1920 census.
Age: 48 Year: 1920
Birthplace: California Roll: T625_122
Race: White Page: 6B
State: California ED: 7
County: Monterey Image: 762
Township: Castroville
Here's the obit for the father, Henry RILEY --

Salinas Weekly Index; Thurs., Mar. 22, 1906:
p. 4 --
Died -- RILEY -- in Santa Cruz, March 19, 1906, Henry RILEY, a native of Ireland, aged about 70 years.
p. 5 --
**Funeral of Henry RILEY
*Aged Resident of This County Meets With a Tragic Ending
[from Wednesday?s Daily]

The funeral over the remains of Henry RILEY, formerly a farmer near Moss Landing, was held in Castroville this forenoon upon the arrival of the first train from Santa Cruz. The body was taken from the depot to the Catholic Church, where services were held and from there the hearse was followed by a host of friends to the last resting place in the Catholic cemetery near that place. Undertaker E. ROBERTS of this city directed the funeral. Monday?s Santa Cruz newspaper gives the following account of his death:

Henry RILEY, an elderly man, died on Saturday evening at Mrs. GATLIFFE?s lodging house at 17 Lincoln Street. He was heard to come in the house by the proprietress by the front stairway, and she heard him fall. He fell down a stairway in the back part of the house, and went to the very bottom, and was dead when the people of the house found him.

The deceased was well known in the community and had many friends. Of late he had been out of health and subject to heart trouble. For a number of months he had been at Mrs. GATLIFFE?s and cooked his own meals. Before coming to Santa Cruz the last time, he had been in a San Francisco hospital for a length of time, where he had undergone a serious surgical operation.

He was a native of Ireland, and had been in this country many years; having participated in a number of the Indian wars, and at the time of his death was trying to secure a pension.

He had been married twice and had a family by his first wife. For several years he made his home on Garfield Street in this city.