San
Joaquin County
Biographies
RICHARD JAMES HEENEY
A native son and lifelong resident
of San Joaquin County is Richard James Heeney,
prosperous and enterprising agriculturist on Upper Roberts Island, where he
owns 140 acres. His undertakings have
been successful, and he is esteemed for his cooperation with all movements for
the good and advancement of his community.
He was born at Stockton at the Heeney home at
Market and American streets, March 21, 1874, a son of Richard and Julia (Nolan)
Heeney, both natives of Ireland. The father was born in County Louth, Ireland, December 26, 1828, and remained in his
native land until he was twenty-one years old, when he left for America,
arriving in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1849.
The news of the discovery of gold in California had already reached the
Atlantic shores and he lost no time in starting for the west via Panama, and
after arriving in San Francisco he proceeded to Stockton and engaged in
freighting to the mines. He was a man of
the strictest temperance, using neither liquor nor tobacco, and a man of noble
characteristics. He erected the Russ
House on Weber and Center streets and conducted the same with his partner,
George Lockhead.
The mother came from Ireland in 1865 and they were the parents of seven
children, of whom Richard J. is the only survivor; Mary Ella, Lulu Annie,
William Francis, John Albert, W. Henry, and George E. Patrick all being
deceased. The mother passed away February
25, 1893, the father surviving until June 24, 1894. Rick Heeney, as he
is familiarly called by his many friends, was next to the youngest of their
children. His childhood was spent in
Stockton and he was educated in the public schools. He then entered Stockton Business College,
being graduated in 1893, after which he took up farming. In December, 1893, in partnership with his
brother William Francis, Mr. Heeney located on his
present ranch on Roberts Island, which they farmed together till 1900, when his
brother passed away. Mr. Heeney has continued along and has met with fine success. Aside from his ranching enterprise Mr. Heeney is also the owner of desirable business property in
Stockton on the site of the old home place where he was born, near what is now
the Record Building.
Mr. Heeney’s
marriage occurred in Stockton November 19, 1902, which united him with Miss Birdena R. Rolerson who was born
on Roberts Island and is the daughter of Benjamin F. and Faustina
M. (Tober) Rolerson,
natives of Waldo, Maine. Mr. Rolerson volunteered his services to the cause of the Civil
War and enlisted November 27, 1861, under Capt. Ira B. Gardner in Company I, 14th
Maine Volunteer Infantry, serving until January 13, 1865, when he was mustered
out and honorably discharged. He
returned to his old home, and in time married Miss Tober. Mr. Rolerson came
to California in 1876 and was joined by his wife in 1879. He located first at Farmington in ranching
until 1880, when he purchased land on Roberts Island, and helped to reclaim the
lands and improved his ranch of 355 acres until it was one of the finest in the
Delta country. He sold the ranch in 1909
and was preparing to make their residence in Stockton when he died in that city
August 2, 1909, aged sixty-six years. His
widow survives him, residing in Stockton, aged seventy-eight years. Mr. Rolerson was a
prominent man and took an active part in public matters. He was school trustee, levee trustee, and
deputy county assessor. He was a
32-degree Scottish Rite Mason as well as an Odd Fellow and an Elk, and was a
popular member of Rawlins Post, G. A. R., of which he served as Commander. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Rolerson
resulted in the birth of five children, Mrs. Lois Ammons
of Stockton; Almer died in 1892 in a railroad
accident; Mrs. Edith Banta of Stockton; Mrs. Flora Smith of Geyserville,
and Mrs. Birdena Heeney,
the youngest of the family. Like her
husband, she is much interested in civic improvements in general. She has been president and secretary of the
Roberts Island Rural Telephone Company for the past eleven years, having
accepted the place a year after the company was started; thus under her management
the line has been built up to excellent service to the patrons. The lines were rebuilt in 1922. Mr. Heeney is a
member of the board of trustees of Garden school district, being clerk of the
board, and he is also a trustee of Reclamation District No. 544. In 1919 Mr. Heeney
made a trip to Ireland and many interesting places in Europe, returning to
California after a three months’ trip, in January, 1920, pleased with the tour,
but glad to be back in California.
Fraternally he is a member of the Elks of Stockton and politically is a
Democrat.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1176-1179. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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