Riley, James
mariner, author, was born Oct. 27, 1777, in Middletown, Conn.
He was a mariner who was enslaved by the Arabs of Africa in 1815 and ransomed by Mr. Willshire, the British consul, at Mogadore. In 1821 he settled in Ohio and founded the town of Willshire, named in honor of the consul. From his journals was prepared, in 1816, the Authentic Narrative of the Loss of the American Brig Commerce on the West Coast of Africa, with a Description of Timbuctoo.
He died March 15, 1840, at sea.