Rooney family

ROONEY family

Allatt
Allison
Blackman
Blamires
Coombs
Cummins
Exley
Faulds
Fox
Gemming
Glanville
Ineson
Laurie
Penn
Preston
Rooney
Sainthill
Smith
Stovell
Tattersfield
Thompson
Turner
Waymouth

Andrew Rooney was well known as a boot and shoe maker in the early days of the town of Auckland. His wife's brother-in-law, Francis Hamilton, arrived in Auckland on the "Anna Watson" in September 1840, as a member of the party sent from the Bay of Islands to found the new capital. Andrew Rooney arrived in Auckland with his wife and first two children in November of the following year.

When he arrived in Sydney, Australia in 1838, the emigration papers described Andrew Rooney as a married male immigrant, brought out by the Government. He was a native of Saintfield, County Down, Ireland, son of James Rooney of the same place. Andrew was a boot and shoe maker, Presbyterian, in good health, could read and write and had no complaint about the voyage.

On board the immigrant ship "Mandarin" were Andrew with his wife Frances (nee Thompson) and their first child. Also on board were Francis Hamilton, his wife (a sister of Frances Rooney) and their first child.

The children of Andrew and Frances Rooney were:

Ann Jane Rooney, born 7 January 1837 at Saintfield, married Seymour Wells. See Wells tree
Sarah Rooney, born 23 December 1840 at Sydney, married Robert Manfred Scott. See Scott tree
Bethiah Rooney, born 14 February 1844 at Auckland, married her first cousin, Alexander Thomson. See Thomson tree
Frances Eliza Rooney, born 1 June 1846 at Auckland, married Frederick Eldon Winchelsea Hill. See Hill tree
Margaret Rooney, born 2 April 1849 at Auckland, married John Waymouth. See Waymouth tree
James Rooney, born 22 February 1851 at Auckland and died aged 5 days.
Andrew James Rooney, born 24 September 1852 at Auckland, married Emma Fletcher See Andrew James tree.
Mary Harriette Rooney, born 20 June 1855 at Epsom, Auckland, married Edward Charles Frost. See Frost tree
Julia Rooney, born 10 May 1858 at Epsom, Auckland, married Noel Salter Lincoln. See Lincoln tree

See the Family tree for the next generation.

Andrew Rooney was a shoemaker in the 1840s in the early days of the town of Auckland. He purchased various allotments in the town centre and surrounding countryside. In 1855 the family moved from the centre to a farm at Epsom where the youngest two children were born. Although he quoted his trade as shoemaker, he was involved in horse breeding and cattle farming. He died at his home at Epsom in 1880, aged 75.

On 4 December 1880 the "Australian and New Zealand Gazette" reported "Another of the early pioneers of the province has passed away in the person of Mr. Andrew Rooney, whose death took place at his residence, Epsom, at the advanced age of 76. The deceased was well known to all the old residents of Auckland. Mr. Rooney arrived in Sydney in 1838, where he stayed but a short time, and came on to Auckland in 1841, shortly after the foundation of the colony. He entered into business in the boot and shoe trade, which he carried on successfully, and his place of business in Queen Street was at one time the favourite rendezvous of Auckland politicians to discus politics or for the inauguration of movements in the cause of social progress. Mr. Rooney took an active share in the leading events of that period. For many years past he had retired from active business, though always ready to assist in developing the industries of the province in some of which enterprises his speculations proved unsuccessful, owing to circumstances over which he had no control. In private life he was ever active in assisting the distressed and the unfortunate. He leaves a widow, with a son and daughter unmarried, besides five married daughters, and a large number of grand and great-grandchildren. Mr. Rooney was a native of Belfast. In his death the Masonic order lose a very old and zealous and respected member. He was one of the founders of Lodge Ara, the earliest in Auckland, of which he was one of the trustees till his decease."