My great grandfather, John White Liley, was born in Canada in 1895 and lived most of his life in the Detroit area (died 1957). My grandmother claims he referred to hisself a "London Jew," even though his children were baptised and raised Christian. His parents (Henry Liley and Rosa Elizabeth nee McEvoy) came from London, England.
Our family is just trying to figure out if he was serious. Grandma is 87 and its tough to get a straight story these days. Can anyone comment on the likelihood that Lileys (or less likely, McEvoys) from England might be Jewish?