Taken from John McGovern Jr's reminiscences of Shakopee.

Feb. 4, 1926  Shakopee Tribune

  "It will soon be 68 years since we came to Shakopee", he added.
"We came in the spring of '58. I was only 2 years old then and of course I don't remember our
arrival, but I do remember Shakopee as it was before the Civil War." You see, he explained, We
came from Providence, R.I. I was born there Jan 15, 1856. Father had come over from Ireland in
1844 and he was employed in a roller mill at Providence and was known as an expert heater."
 "But business became slack in the east in the 50's and my father decided to try the west. Two
sisters of my mother (Margaret Heslan), Mrs. Matt Riley and Mrs. Patrick Riley were living out
there. The latter said was said to be the first white woman to settle in the community around
Riley's lake, named after them, in Hennepin Co., four miles north of Shakopee. So we came out;
there were six of us, my parents and four children. All the children are still living. They are Mrs.
Kane, Mrs. Henry Spielman of Shakopee, Hugh, Marshall, now at Arlington, and myself.   

Aug 1, 1913  Scott Co. Argus

  Mr. McGovern was the oldest resident of the community and had he lived to Aug. 15th, he
would have reached 97 years of age.
  He was born in County Lietrim, Ireland, in 1816 and came to America at the age of 26 years. He
settled first at Providence, R.I., where he worked in the roller mills. His marriage to Margaret
Heslin occurred in 1842, shortly after his arrival at Providence and in 1857 they came west to
Shakopee.

I'm pretty sure the Reilly's, McGovern's and the Heslan's knew each other back in Ireland. They
probably lived close to each other.

May 11, 1893  Chaska Valley Herald

                             DIED.

  At her home in Jackson, Scott Co., Minn., at 7:45 A.M. Monday, May 8. Mrs Margaret
McGovern, aged 75 years.
  An attack of grippe during the winter of 1892 shattered her health and this with bronchial
troubles was the cause of her death.
  She was born in County Munster, Ireland, came to Providence, R.I. in 1844. With her husband
and family she came to Scott Co. in 1857 where continued to reside, sharing bravely the dangers
and privations incident to live in a new state. The last years of her earthly life were spent in
comfort at the home her courage had helped to redeem from the wilds. She leaves a husband, two
sons, two daughters and three sisters to mourn her loss, four children having passed before her to
the better land. A wide circle of distant relatives and friends feel that the memory of her devout
Christian spirit, her forgiving nature never thinking ill of any one, her many unostentious
charitable deeds cannot fail to lead their thoughts to higher things, to the beautiful home where
now rests in peace.
  The funeral occurs at the St. Mary's church, Shakopee, on Wednesday at 10 A.M.

As you know she was the sister of Ann and Elizabeth Heslan. I wonder who the other sisters are?
Ann died in 1891.
  I guess the place to look for the records of the Reilly's is St. Mary's church. They all seemed to
belong to it.
  One thing seems pretty obvious to me is friends and neighbors were divided up mainly along
religious lines and of course nationality. The Cavanaugh family and Reilly family lived next to
each other but didn't seem to interact with each other, the Cavanaugh's were Lutheran and
belonged to St. Johns church in Shakopee. 
 I was looking though my notes and found some article's you might find interesting. I was trying
to find out what dates John Geiser lived in Shakopee, Chaska, Chanhassen and Deephaven. Here's
what I found. The first indication I have that John Geiser lived in Shakopee was in 1869 when I
ran across something about a tax adjustment on his real estate.
  In 1871 there was a list of marriage licences's issued in 1870, one was John Geiser to Katherine
Reilly in February.
  In 1872 the railroad building in Shakopee burned down and it shows on a list he lost $250 in
tools.
  Apparently he went into business with Gottlieb Neidenfuehr, he was the father of Valentine, who
married Elizabeth Reilly, daughter of Mathew Reilly. In 1886 he moved to Chaska to start his
own business, in 1887 he moved to Chanhassen and then in 1910 he moved to Deephaven.