Born ‎25 Jan 1844 Ireland, died ‎12 Dec 1918 Padua, Stearns County, Minnesota‎, age 74 years
Most of this narrative was from a June 7, 1937 interview of Margaret Murphy Rooney by Dorothy Hansmann:

Michael Rooney was born in Ireland. His mother died in Ireland while Michael was an infant. When he was three years of age his father, Thomas Rooney, and an Aunt, Katherine Rooney, brought him to Wakefield Township, Quebec, Canada. His father was employed in the woods near Ottawa, Canada for about seventeen years. He decided to take up farming and heard there was much land being given away in the United States and in 1855 he removed to New York City and a few years later to St. Anthony, MN where he was employed until about 1863 when they came to Stearns county and settled on a homestead in Raymond township.

[The 1900 and 1905 census say Michael arrived in the U.S. in 1867. This would be about the same time as the other Rooney's in Minnesota. The 1910 census says it was 1847, which makes no sense.]

Thomas Rooney and his son Michael Rooney took adjoining claims and during the winter Thomas Rooney went to live at the home of his son. A claim jumper came through the country and finding the log cabin unoccup ied moved his family in and laid claim to the property.

In 1872, the grasshoppers came and destroyed all the crops and Michael Rooney left his father on his homestead and went to Montana to hunt buffalo. The hides were worth $30 each and the government granted them permission to shoot a certain number.

In 1896, Michael Rooney and Margaret Murphy were united in marriage at the Assumption Church in Eden Valley. Margaret was born in Ottawa, Canada of a family of eight children. To Michael and Margaret were born four children that eventually lived on their own farms in Raymond township near Padua, MN.

The Rooney families were the first to settle in Raymond township. They erected a church and a school building in Padua. The original church structure was sold to Michael Rooney and a new church was erected in 1886. (This church burned down in 1943 and the present church was then built).

Michael Rooney served on the school board and as assessor for several years. He died in 1918, at age 74 years, and is buried in St. Anthony's cemetery at Padua.

Cause of death: Dyspepsia.

Born ‎± 1845 Ireland, died ‎1847 At Sea Event Description: buried at Grosse-Île, Quebec, Canada‎, buried Atlantic Ocean Or Grosse Isle, Canada
John died on the ship from Ireland. The dead are customarily buried at sea, but the story is that Thomas, his father, had become friends with the captain and convinced him to let them land before they buried John. He's buried at Grosse-Île, Canada, a small island in the St. Lawrence River just downstream from Quebec City. Today it appears to be a largely unoccupied island with a few hotels and is the Irish Memorial National Historic site of Canada.

"Death put a period to her existence," writes Robert Whyte in his "1847 Famine Ship Diary," book. It's the diary of a six-week trip from Dublin to Canada by 110 desperate and wretched Irish immigrants, many of whom may have been sick at the start of journey, though they were supposedly first examined by a doctor. So many died on board, and their sickness was often and simply due to bad water and provisions, resulting cholera and other diseases, and were buried at sea.

However, once they entered the St. Lawrence seaway, they did not dump the bodies overboard because the many islands there and the tide coming in would have resulted in them washing up on shore. So they saved them to bury on Grosse Îsle, the quarantine island just below Ottawa. And one of the Rooney children was buried there – John Rooney, about two years old and the son of Thomas Rooney and Ellen Ward and grandson of Daddy Mick and Mammy Kitty, was buried there in 1847, perhaps the most difficult year of the Irish immigration.

Born ‎4 Apr 1858 Wakefield Township, Outaouais, Quebec, Canada, died ‎21 Aug 1870 Event Description: where did she die?!!‎, age 12 years
Baptismal sponsors: Denis Morris and Ellen Tracy

Born ‎11 Feb 1860 Wakefield Township, Outaouais, Quebec, Canada, died ‎25 Sep 1942 Brooten, Stearns County, Minnesota Event Description: St. Donatus Catholic Cemetery, Brooten‎, age 82 years
John P. Rooney's naturalization record is at the Pope County courthouse, 29 march 1897. He was at one time a Pope County commissioner and, according to Ambrose Gaffaney, had a wry sense of humor.

The Minnesota death record on Family Search has his birth year as 1858.

They were farming in Grove Lake in 1910.

Born ‎13 Jan 1862 Wakefield Township, Outaouais, Quebec, Canada, died ‎± 1885‎, age approximately 23 years

Born ‎3 Aug 1864 Wakefield Township, Outaouais, Quebec, Canada, died ‎16 May 1942 Bangor Township, Pope County, Minnesota Event Description: St. Donatus Catholic Cemetery, Brooten‎, age 77 years, buried Brooten, Stearns County, Minnesota
Cause of death: Pulmonary edema due to hypertension and encephalitis (transmitted from horses to humans).

Hugh and Winifred were first cousins.

Mrs. Hugh Rooney

The Hugh Rooney home at Brooten was saddened last Saturday, May 16, when the mother of the home passed away at 11 A.M., following an illness of a few minutes.
Winifred Rooney was born at Ottawa, Canada on August 3, 1864, and was therefore 77 years, 9 months and 13 days old at the time of her death. Her parents were Thomas and Bridget Rooney. She came with her family to Padua and was there united in marriage to Hugh Rooney in 1889. Their union was blessed with five sons and two daughters. A son, Harry, preceded his mother to the grave. The surviving sons and daughters are: Rupert and Arthur of Brooten, Peter and John of Milwaukee, Wis., and Mabel and Emily at home. A grandson, Roland Rooney, made his home with Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Rooney, since his mother died when he was an infant. He is now in the U.S. Navy and had been home on a week's furlough and had left eight days before for Panama and so was unable to be present at the funeral. Besides her husband and children, Mrs. Rooney leaves a sister, Mr. J. F. Landwehr and a brother John P. Rooney, both of Sedan.
Funeral services were held on Tuesday, May 19th at 10 A.M. from the Church of Immaculate Conception of Sedan, of which she had been a faithful member. The services were conducted by Rev. Adolph Schmidt. Burial was made in the Brooten cemetery. Pallbearers were: Steve Mitchell, John Redmond, James and Edmund Rooney, Jack Casey and Joe Egan.
Mrs. Rooney was a kind and loving wife and mother, always willing to do things for her family and friends. She will be sadly missed by all who know her.
Those from a distance attending the funeral were: Miss Anne Mitchell, Miss Donna Syverson, Minneapolis, Mr. and Mrs. James Martin, Eden Valley, Mrs. Sam Stauffer, Mr. Mike and Mr. Owen Batterbury of New London.

Taken from the Pope County Tribune of May 21, 1942.
Typed for the Pope County Historical Society September 18, 1972 by Muriel Mattson.

Born ‎3 Jul 1866 Wakefield Township, Outaouais, Quebec, Canada, died ‎24 Jul 1934 Sedan, Pope County, Minnesota‎, age 68 years
Baptismal sponsors: James Rooney and Elizabeth Rooney


When he was five years old Thomas moved with his parents to Gettys Grove in Stearns Co, MN (the 1900 census says he and his mother, who is living with him at the time, came to the U.S. in 1871, so that matches). From there he went to Sedan, MN where he was in the hardware and general store business for forty-five years. (The 1900 census says he's a hotel keeper.) He died of heat exhaustion and acute myocarditis. He never married.

Thomas J. Rooney's naturalization record is at the Pope County courthouse, dated 29 March 1897.

Thomas J. Rooney

Thomas J. Rooney, old and respected resident of Sedan passed away after a short illness last Tuesday at the age of 68 years. The cause of his death was heart failure.

Deceased who was born in Wakefield, Canada was the son of Tom and Bridget Rooney who were natives of Ireland. The deceased came to the United States as a young child and settled with his parents at first at Gettys Grove, Stearns County, Minn. Later he removed to Pope county and he has been a resident of Sedan for the last 45 years. He conducted a hardware store in Sedan and has been engaged also in other business. He was a member of the Catholic church.

He leaves to mourn his passing brothers and sisters, namely John P. of Sedan, Winnie Rooney of Bangor and Mrs. J. T. Landwehr of Sedan, Minn.

Funeral services were conducted in Sedan this morning by the Rev. Vincent Fettgather and the remains were laid to rest in the Sedan Catholic cemetery. The pallbearers were Johnny Rooney, Francis Rooney, Constant Rooney, Art Rooney, Lewis Rooney and Bert Rooney. The deceased was a man of many friends and one who commanded the respect of all with whom he came in contact. The Herald joins in the sympathy to the bereaved relatives.

Glenwood Herald of July 26, 1934, page five col. four
Pope County Historical Society
copied by James Whittemore
typed Oct. 7, 1940


Thomas J. Rooney of Sedan passed away early Tuesday morning at his home in Sedan after a short illness of several days. Mr. Rooney was one of the pioneer business men on Sedan. He was in the Hardware and General Store business in the village for some forty-five years. He is a brother of John P. Rooney also of Sedan who was a candidate for the State Legislature in the last primary.

In the many years that he was in business, Mr. Rooney made many friends who were saddened to hear of his death. He was a community builder, always true and loyal to his home town, a kind and true friend at all times. The cause of his death was heart failure. Mr. Rooney had never married, remaining single all his life.

Thomas J. Rooney was born on August 12, 1866, at Wakefield, Canada and was nearly 68 years old at time of his death. His parents were Thomas Rooney and Bridget (Brown) Rooney. When he was five years old he moved with his parents to Gettys Grove in Stearns County, Minnesota. From there he went to Sedan where he was engaged in business for the past forty-five years. He was a member of the Catholic Church of Sedan. He is survived by the following brothers and sisters: John P. Rooney of Sedan, Mrs. J. F. Landwehr of Sedan and Winnie Rooney of Bangor Township.

Funeral services were held Thursday morning, July 26th in the Catholic Church at Sedan. Rev. Father Vincent Fettgatherer officiated. The burial took place in the Catholic Cemetery of Sedan. The pallbearers were John Rooney, Francis Rooney, Constant Rooney, Arthur Rooney, Lewis Kloster and Bert Rooney.

Friends from out of town who attended his funeral are Ruth Swenson, Carpio, N. D., Clair Stremlow, Minneapolis and Mrs. Madona Erickson, of Minneapolis.

Pope County Tribune, Aug. 26, 1934

Born ‎1 Sep 1871 Raymond Township, Stearns County, Minnesota, died ‎25 Jun 1963 Glenwood, Pope County, Minnesota‎, age 91 years, buried Sedan, Pope County, Minnesota
Mary Ann is named after an older sister who did not survive. This Mary Ann died at the age of 91 at the Glenwood hospital after being hospitalized for one month with a broken arm.