Story written by by Laura, 2x great-granddaughter of Margaret (Gilroy) & James Rooney
Photos shared by Greg, a great-grandson of Nicolas Meyers and Margaret (Gilroy) Rooney Meyers

Meet Margaret (Gilroy) Rooney Meyers and Nicolas Meyers. This portrait was likely made around the time Margaret and Nicolas married in 1901. You can see Margaret’s wedding band on her left hand resting on Nicolas’ shoulder.

Margaret also has a ring that appears to be a wedding band on her right hand. That band is likely from her marriage to James Rooney. Margaret and James emigrated from Ireland to the U.S. in 1889 and married two days after arriving in Philadelphia. Tragically, James died less than four years later while Margaret was pregnant with their third child. 

Seeing Margaret wearing both of her wedding bands and continuing to style her hair in the traditional way of rural Irish women reminds us that she came of age in a culture shaped by resilience and deep-rooted customs—and that she carried those qualities with her across an ocean.

After James’ death, Margaret ran a boarding house for coal miners while raising her young children in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, just below the Cambria County line. Nicolas was a coal miner living just north of the Somerset County line in Cambria County. 

Had Nicolas boarded with Margaret at some point? Did they meet at services at the nearby Roman Catholic Church, St. John Cantius in Windber? Did they meet through mutual friends or acquaintances? Had they known one another while living in nearby small towns in Clearfield County years earlier while Margaret’s husband James was still alive? We do not yet know. 

The photo above shows Nicolas (center), his younger brother Leonard Meyers (left), and a third unidentified miner (right). Nicolas and Leonard were born in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, after their parents emigrated from Germany when their eldest siblings were young. 

While we cannot directly experience his personality and temperament, Nicolas appears to be an affable man in these photos. He also seems to support his wife as she carried her personal and cultural history into their marriage, although many men of his era would not have done the same. That his step-son, John J. Rooney, would later choose to name his firstborn child after Nicolas seems to reinforce our belief about Nicolas’ character. 

What can you share about things you have heard about Margaret or Nicolas?