John Rigney, a strapping Irish lad, arrived in the United States in 1847 looking for a better life. Jobs were scarce and he enlisted in the US Army. He married another Irish immigrant, Elizabeth Lowry, September 30th 1848 and together the Army sent them around Cape Horn to Fort Vancouver. From there, army companies "M' and "L" helped establish Fort Steilacoom. When his enlistment was up in 1852, he claimed his first donation land claim of 640 acres where he built his first home. He left this home and built a log home near present day 64th and Orchard streets in Tacoma and raised his 9 children. When the railroad was scheduled to come from Portland to Tacoma, Rigney felt land value would increase & took an additional 137.83 acre claim south of his original one. It extended from the present day B & I Store to 74th Street and South Tacoma Way.

 

Certificate of marriage of John and Elizabeth

 

John L. Rigney and Twin Sister Anne Rigney First Children Born to Settlers of Pierce and Thurston Counties from front page of the Tacoma News Tribune, John L. Rigney’s Obituary July 13 1925.

 

Anne Rigney First Child Born to Settelers of Pierce County from Anne’s Husband Michael Eustace Obituary November 30 1915.

 

John and Elizabeth Rigney’s First Land Claim of 640 Acres September 1 1852

 

John and Elizabeth’s first home John built, September 1852, it sat close to a creek called Mini creek off 74th and South Tacoma Way on Rigney Hill. One of the first homes built in Pierce County.

 

Photo of John and Elizabeth’s First Home Built September 1852

 

Rigney Hill is on the west side of South Tacoma Way and 74th Street. The family still has original ownership of John Rigney’s land grant property from his 137.83 acre land claim directly across 74th street from the original home John built and will have the Rigney name back on the hill soon.

 

Land Grant Patent for 137.83 acres to John Rigney from the United States of America 1-5-1875. (This land grant was John Rigney’s second land grant; at one time he owned just under 800 acres)

 

              Photo of Rigney Hill                 

Rigney Hill as it has been known since 1852 at 74th and South Tacoma Way

 

In above photo is Rigney family homestead property at 3804 South 74th Street. This property is the last of Mike Rigney’s Great-Great Grandfather John Rigney’s United States Land Grant owned continuously by the Rigney family since John Rigney staked out his land claim. The small parcel of land north of the Rigney’s undeveloped land was purchased from the City of Tacoma in 2009. The Rigney family will be putting the historic name back on the hill the name Rigney Hill has been missing since the Rigney Hill garage was taken down in the late seventies at 74th and South Tacoma Way

 

Below, Rose Rigney O'Donnell (left) and her twin sister Marcella Catherine Rigney Henly (right) were born to John and Elizabeth Rigney in 1862, two of 9 children and the second set of twins. John Rigney arrived in the Washington Territory in 1849 as a soldier assigned to Fort Steilacoom. He was born in Ireland, and had joined the army when he found it difficult to find work in New York. After his years in the army, he and his Irish born wife Elizabeth moved to a 640 acre donation land claim. Some of the children moved to Steilacoom in 1880, where the girls taught school and operated the area's first Western Union telegraph. As the twins became widows, they lived together at the Rigney home in Steilacoom and kept records for Western States Hospital until 1950. Marcella died in August of 1950 and Rose died March of 1951 after the pair celebrated their 89th birthday. (T. Times)

 

Photo removed temporarily

 

Below, Portrait of Marcella Catherine Rigney Henly, one of the Rigney twins, daughters of pioneers of Pierce County, with her husband, Neil Henly. Born in 1862, when the Civil War was still in its early years, to John and Elizabeth Rigney in their hand-hewed log house near what is now Manitou Park; Marcella and her sister Lucia Rose were the Rigney's second set of twins. The girls taught in the school district and operated the area's Western Union telegraph. Marcella married Neil Henly December 31, 1885 and resided at 1307 Starling, Steilacoom in a home that was a wedding gift from her father. Mr. Henly was the only survivor of the steamship Pacific which wrecked near Flattery in 1875.They had seven children. (T. Times 10/11/1934,

 

Photo removed temporarily

 

Below, 1938 Descendents of James and Ann Burrows Rigney pose in front of the Steilacoom Town Hall. James and his wife Anne moved west in 1857 to join James' brother John Rigney in Tacoma. They brought their children Mary, John and James with them. They settled on a farm on the prairie which is now part of McChord Air Force Base.

 

Photo removed temporarily

 

Below: These wooden crosses mark burial sites in the Pioneer Catholic Cemetery, a portion of the Calvary Catholic Cemetery today. One of the oldest cemeteries in the county, it has been in use since about 1850. The four acre old cemetery was located on the Steilacoom Road near South Tacoma and was donated for burials by John and Elizabeth Rigney. There were no written records of the burials in the Pioneer section.

 

Photo removed temporarily

 

If you have any photos, paper clippings etc. of the Rigney Family please get in touch with Mike Rigney.

 

Thanks, 

Mike Rigney

 

Home Page: http://www.rigney.us/