Riley History
A Story Passed Down Through Generations
“To know where we're going, we must first honor where we came from.”
— A Riley Family Saying
Thelma Malone
The Story of Our Roots
This is the history of the Riley (Rilley) Family. This information was documented by Thelma Malone, and gleaned from Aunt Ennis, the wife of Eddie Riley, brother of General Riley.
The History of General Riley
To the best of our knowledge, General's mother was named Julia, and she was referred to as Jewel. She later married Williams Rilley (Riley) and in addition to General, she had three boys named Eddie, Noble, George and two girls named Jane and Julia. This is the history of General Riley.
The History of Odesser (Dessie)
Grand-pa Peter Sweat (Dessie's father) met Delsia after her first husband died; he later married her. From this union, they had five girls named Goldie, Heneritta, Caddy, Lila, and Odesser. Grandma (Delsia) had a previous child from her first husband before she married Peter, the child's name was Eugene. Euguene protected his sisters at all costs. Euguene was the one that gave Dessie to General. Eugene made General promise that he would never hit her, or hurt her in any way, or he would have to answer to him.
General and Dessie met at a church picnic. During the engagement, General asked Dessie if he could keep her company. He had to get permission from Euguene before proceeding. Euguene blessed off on their interactions. Soon after, General and Dessie married. From their union, 16 children were born, however, only 14 of the children made it to adulthood. These are the names of the surviving children in order: Connie, Elease, Haskell, Harold, Clarence (C.J), Marie, Gladys, Peter James, Murlease, Dell, Thelma, Genell, Otis Benjamin (O.B) and Shirley Mae.
General and Dessie's Grandchildren
Below is a list of General and Dessie's grandchildren, listed under their parents' names:
Elease: Shirley McKeller.
Haskell: Melba, Haskell Jr. (Hasker), Iris.
Harold: Nathaniel, Harold Jr, Steven, Gerry.
Clarence (C.J): Patricia, Lewis, John Lee, Harold, Carolyn, Michael.
Marie: Robert, Vivian, Vernon, Daniel, Leroy, George.
Gladys: Linda, John Carl (J.C), Loretta.
Murlease: Marion Jr., Melvin.
Dell: Shirley.
Thelma: Carl, Carol, C.J, Cathy.
Genell: Theodore, Larry, Thomas, General, Warren, Lenora, Craig.
Otis Benjamin (O.B): Darlene, Roxann.
Shirley Mae: Cinda.
Because Gladys passed while giving birth, Connie, the eldest sister, took the responsibility to mother her children and she loved them dearly.
In closing, let me say, the Riley's had some good looking parents on both sides. You can be proud of them. General Riley was a knockout, and Peter Sweat (Indian origin). Please share this history with your children and their children.
Submitted by: Thelma Malone
Extracted from: Aunt Ennis (wife of Eddie Riley, brother of General Riley)
Edited by: Al-Jamel Johnson
This story belongs to all of us. If you have memories, photos, or details to add, please reach out to the family council.
Forever in Our Hearts