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Rooney, Michael
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Aler's History of Martinsburg and Berkeley County, West Virginia
by F. Vernon Aler, 1888
Printed for the Author by 
The Mail Publishing Company, Hagerstown, MD.

CHAPTER VIII.
Historical Pen Sketches of the Early Residents of Berkeley County
by the late Hon. Chas. James Faulkner.

Pages 124-125, MICHAEL ROONEY 

Was born in Ireland. His enemies contended that he had been a
Corsair in early life, but this was believed to be an idle slander.
Certain it is that he spent some years amidst the perils of the
sea. in the British service, and he there acquired the reputation
of an expert sailor and skilful navigator. He was familiar with the
dead languages and thoroughly versed in some of the higher branches
of mathematics. He emigrated to the County of Berkeley about forty
years previous to his death, and purchased a large body of land on
Cherry Run in that county, his dwelling-house having been built on
the western side of that small stream. He was one of the most
zealous and indefatigable magistrates of the county, and took
special and peculiar pride in the discharge of all the duties of
that position. When the County of Morgan was formed in 1820, and
Cherry Run made the dividing line between it and Berkeley, thus
throwing him into the County of Morgan, he promptly abandoned his
substantial residence in that county and erected a new dwelling
house on the Berkeley side of that run, a few yards distant from
his former residence, that he might preserve his domicile in
Berkeley and continue his magisterial functions. His strange and
peculiar features and appearance, and his indomitable will and
imperious temper; the ardor with which he entered into the
examination of every case before him, and the sharpness and point
with which he commented upon the law and facts as they arose in the
progress of the trial, made his court at the old Robert Snodgrass
tavern, on Back Creek, a place of great attraction and resort for
the neighborhood for many miles around. He was elected high Sheriff
of the county, and died in 18__, leaving a will emancipating his
slaves, providing for their transportation to the colony of
Liberia, and appointing Chas. James Faulkner his agent, with full
power to carry his benevolent views into effect. But a testator
often intends what he cannot accomplish. He could emancipate, but
he could not transport without the consent of his freedmen. They
received their emancipation papers with becoming gratitude, but
they declined his generous offer to transport them across the ocean
to that fiery continent from which their ancestors had been
probably torn more than a century before. They concluded that this
country was quite good enough for any white or black man to live
in.

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