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Rooney Family Info Please.

I live in Manchester and would like to find out more about my Great Great Grandad Andrew Rooney who I have found out lived at 27 Slievenaman Rd. Cross Kilcoo BT34 5LF.  I only know his name from his son, my Great Grandad Joseph's, census records.  Joseph travelled to Liverpool in 1870/71 aged about 20 with his 2 years older brother James.  He returned to marry Anne Curran, a spinster of 22 from Tullybranigan, on 6th July 1878 at St John’s CoI church Tullybranigan.  They both came back to live in Liverpool.  Annie died in March 1894.  Joseph remarried Alice Brown, a laundress from Redford, Lincolnshire, on 6th August 1894 at St. Andrews Church, Stanley, Liverpool.  Joseph died in September 1913 and is buried in a churchyard in Old Swan, Liverpool.

I would be interested if anyone could tell me about Andrew, his wife and any siblings of Joseph and James.  I have a lot of info on the family tree from Joseph and down to present day in England if you are a family member.

Thanks, Alan.

alanrooney2000

6 replies

I think it’s most likely that the Andrew who died in Cross in 1886 is your family. His wife looks to have been Charlotte. Here’s her death:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1893/06014/4711906.pdf

There was still a Rooney family in Cross in 1901:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Down/Tofanny/Cross/1233949/

And 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Down/Fofanny/Cross/242926/

Mother was Mary Magill. Can’t find a marriage but I’d guess William was Andrew’s son.

Probate abstract:

Rooney William of Cross Bryansford county Down farmer died 6 December 1947 at Down Mental Hospital Downpatrick county Down Administration Belfast 20 February to Edward Rooney farmer. Effects £103 15s

Newry Reporter of 31st July 1906 reports the sad drowning of Robert & Joseph Rooney of Cross. They had gone for a swim in the River Phimla at Moyad but were not swimmers and had got out of their depth in a whirlpool and drowned.  Their bodies were recovered. An inquest was held.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1906/05556/4559483.pdf

Joseph born 30.9.1884 & Robert 18.1.1887.

Kilcoo Church of Ireland’s baptism records start in 1786. You may get Charlotte’s maiden name from the childrens baptisms. Copy held in PRONI. Rootsireland also has some coverage (subscription). I don’t see a marriage for Andrew & Charlotte in the statutory records so that suggests they married pre April 1845.  I suspect it was pre 1840 as what looks to be a son John married in 1860 when he was aged 40. Ages on death certificates in the 1800s are often just guesses, so I suspect Charlotte was born earlier than her age on her death cert suggests.

This might be another of Andrew’s sons:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1860/09591/5478023.pdf

 Possibly a daughter:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1871/11329/8158314.pdf

There’s a tree on Ancestry with the above family (Jacquie Whetham tree).  After their marriage, the above couple seem to have moved first to England then to Scotland.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Wow amazing information.  All I know is that Andrew was a farmer and the address of the homestead that someone in Kilcoo who remembers the family from when he was a child.  I will have a look at all the links.  Thankyou.   Alan.

alanrooney2000

The person who told me about the family homestead has confirmed that his father mentioned the lads drowning.  Here is the gravestone of my Great great grandad and grandma and the lads who drowned.

alanrooney2000

The Southern Star newspaper reported that the two Rooney brothers were bathing in the Shimna River in Bryansford, where they lived. One got out of his depth, the other went to assist, and they both drowned.

If you subscribe to IrishNewsArchive, you can see the article. I was unable to reproduce it here.

glanvil3@aol.com

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