Dear Brina & Monicalesl
Noted your chat on this topic via Google alerting.
I'm involved heavily in researching Whillans and its homonyms, including Whellans. You might have a glance at my website
http://www.one-name.org/profiles/whillans.html to gauge where I'm at in this effort.
One of the lines I have researched is the Morebattle Whellans, W-W2 (my ref #) William Fillins/Whealins/Whelands/Whelans/Whillins c04dec1768 (Morebattle), wright in Jedburgh, feuar/carrier in Morebattle. This William's second marriage was to Jane/Janet Laidlaw, his first was to Allison/Alison Thomson.
You will note, I'm sure the spelling variations I've noted in the various literature, ie I've seen William's surname spelt five different ways, but funnily not as Whellans. His chn were, from one source, surnamed Whillans. I am becoming quite convinced that these names and others such as Wealleans (from Northumberland) are from one and the same source, coming from Argyllshire from where they were scattered primarily to Roxburghshire & Northumberland. That is the primary reason why I have commenced a Y-DNA study to (in)validate this hypothesis.
I have also hyp that William had a sister Margaret, a bro Samuel, and possibly another dau Janet; furthermore that their father, also a William, witnessed baptisms in Morebattle during Dec1768, Jun1771, and Jun1780.
Tracking forward, I can name over 120 descendants of this William.
Could we email more extensively off list?
Frank Whillans, Melbourne Australia.