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Hugh and Winifred were first cousins. Hugh M Rooney was born in Ottawa, Canada and immigrated, with his family, to the U.S. about 1864 (or 1869, according to the 1895 census). They moved first to St Anthony Falls, the site of the present city of Minneapolis, which at that time was so small the town could be covered in a half hour by horse and buggy. Hugh attended a parochial school there until they moved to Padua, MN.
In 1889, he was united in marriage to Winifred S Rooney at Sauk Centre, MN. They moved to the farm near Brooten where they made their home until the time of their deaths. Winifred died in1942, at the age of 77 years. Hugh was a lumberman in northern Minnesota for a time, and grew well acquainted with the Indians, learning their languages and customs. He lived also in Montana for a short time, engaged in hunting. Family stories are built around these early days, when his party would often sleep on the ground during the winter, shooting 15 or 20 buffalo before breakfast. At times the Indians would cause trouble, ruining the buffalo skins, terrorizing the men, and breaking up camp .
It would appear that Hugh's cousin Michael W. Rooney probably accompanied him to Montana, as he often talked about hunting buffaloes and being acquainted with the Indians. This was at the time when the locusts ate the farmers' crops and of necessity they had to go elsewhere to earn money.
Farming, however, was Mr Rooney's livelihood, and he practiced it for 60 years. Hugh was 94 years of age at the time of his death and had resided on the homestead five miles west of Brooten for almost 60 years. Newspaper Article: 9 Jun 1899
Hugh Rooney and Family Narrowly Escape Death by Fire
Bangor township in this county was the scene, on Tuesday evening of last week, of a terrible fire caused by a bolt of lightning, during the rain and thunder storm on that evening, the house of Hugh Rooney of the village of Brooten was struck by lightning and almost instantly burned to the ground. The bolt entered the chimney, scattering the brick all over the lower floor, Mr. Rooney was partially stunned by the shock but recovered his physical and mental activity in an instant and with the assistance of his wife managed to rescue the children who were asleep upstairs, by Mrs. Rooney handling them out through the window from which she afterward jumped herself. In their scant night clothing they made their way in the drenching rain to the house of a neighbor where they were sheltered through the night. Some of the children were obliged to stay in bed the next day until kind neighbors came to their assistance with clothing. Mrs. Rooney who was in a delicate condition, gave birth to a child after reaching the neighbors house, the excitement and exertion no doubt hastening the process of parturition. According to latest report mother and baby as well as the other members of the family were getting along all right. It certainly was a narrow escape from death on part of these people, wither by the electric stroke or the fire it instantly originated. The loss to Mr. Rooney is a severe one, as he is a poor man, but he may consider it a fortune that the lives of his dear ones were saved.
From the Glenwood Herald of June 9, 1899 Cause of death: Cardiac decongestion at age 94. According to his grandson Roland Rooney, Hugh was the last person in Pope County to be "laid out" at home. They placed the casket on two chairs or saw horses in the front parlor. Chairs were set up for mourners paying their respects. Person were assigned to take turns during the night sitting in the parlor with the casket. A note from probably June 1975, from Ambrose Rooney: He said his sister Helen once asked Hugh Rooney if he'd tell her all about all the old relatives so she could write it down. He said, "Sure," and that he'd come over sometime soon and tell her about them. He died the next week. So this must have been July of 1948. |