Author Topic: WHELLANS family - Morebattle  (Read 32745 times)

Offline brina

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WHELLANS family - Morebattle
« on: Saturday 07 February 09 11:30 GMT (UK) »
I am trying to trace the Whellans family who I have traced back to Morebattle.   I know that Andrew Douglas Whellans (1836-1901) who married Agnes Fox is definitely correct.   He died in Perth.   I think his father was also Andrew Douglas Whellans (1806-1881) who married Jane Patterson (1802-1866) then Jessie Wedderburn.   His father was William Whellans a Carrier and mother Janet Laidlaw (I do not have dates for them yet).I am keen to confirm that I am on the correct track here as Andrew appeared to move about a bit and his occupation appeared to change from Day Labourer to Grocer, House Proprietor to Lodging House Keeper at his death in Edinburgh.   

Any help, advice or assistance gratefully received.

P.S. The other thing is that they are sometimes recorded as Whelans (only 1 l in the name) and I cannot find them in 1951 census results and in 1961 only the younger Andrew's aged 24 and 1.

Offline MonicaL

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Re: WHELLANS family - Morebattle
« Reply #1 on: Saturday 07 February 09 15:47 GMT (UK) »
Hi Brina

Welcome to RootsChat  :)

Looks like you have researched the line up well! I would imagine, given that you are showing death dates that you have viewed the certs. and with the information contained there regarding parents' names worked your way back.

The 1841 census has:

William Whelans 81, carrier
Janet Whelans 60
John Whelans    35, teacher
Janet Whelans 5
Andrew Whelans 35, day labourer
Jane Whelans    39
William Wheelans 11
Wilson Whelans 6
Andrew Whelans 4
Jane Whelans    3

Address: Morebattle

You also have Andrew snr. showing as a child of William and Janet in the OPRs in 1806 in Morebattle.

Following their 1828 marriage in Ancrum, Andrew Jnr shows as born in 1836 in the OPRs (twin John born on the same day?).

This looks to be the family in 1851, which I think you were missing:

Andrew Wheelans 44, Grocer & Spirit Merchant
Jane Wheelans 50, b. Hawick, Rox
John Wheelans 14
Andrew Wheelans 14
Jane Wheelans 12
Mary Wood 16, servant

Address: Morebattle

For 1861, Andrew Snr and wife:

Andrew Whelens 54, Grocer & Draper, b. Morebattle
Jane P Whelens 60, b. Hawick, Roxburghshire

Address: Morebattle

Monica  :)
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Offline MonicaL

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Re: WHELLANS family - Morebattle
« Reply #2 on: Saturday 07 February 09 15:56 GMT (UK) »
Just in case you haven't seen them. There are two Will & Testament entries for Andrew Snr. showing on Scotlands People:

Andrew Whellans, 16/05/1882 - or Andrew Douglas Whellans, 28 Candlemaker Row, Edinburgh, d. 13/12/1881 at Edinburgh, testate   Will   Edinburgh Sheriff Court Wills   SC70/4/194 and a further entry ref. SC70/1/214

Monica
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Offline brina

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Re: WHELLANS family - Morebattle
« Reply #3 on: Saturday 07 February 09 20:32 GMT (UK) »
Hi Monica,  :)

Thank you so much for your kind response.   I was aware that Whellans was often spelt Whelans with one "l" and I have tried different perambulations for different years but clearly I had not done so for Census 1851.   Thank you so much for letting me know that they were classified as Wheelans then.   Also I had not been able to find Andrew Whellans and Jane Patterson's marriage record but once again it was a different spelling.   

Yes I did see the records of Andrew and John (twins) but did you see that they were registered many years after they were born?   I wonder if this was due to them being baptised later than normal or that they just forgot to register them.   I read recently that people could not hold certain occupations unless they were baptised so maybe this was the case.

I had noticed the will and inventory of Andrew Whellans, 28 Candlemaker Row, Edinburgh, but I have not yet paid to access it.   I think I will definitely do so within the next couple of days though as this will be very interesting to read.

He was obviously an interesting character and moved around quite a bit, even in later life.

Having said all this I wonder where the Whellans family originally came from.   My mother tells me that her father said that they came over the Border from England.   I suspect that perhaps they hailed from Ireland and maybe one day I will find out.    Any ideas will be gratefully received.

Monica, many thanks once again, I really do appreciate your help and am so glad that I have found this website.

Brina


Offline MonicaL

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Re: WHELLANS family - Morebattle
« Reply #4 on: Saturday 07 February 09 21:14 GMT (UK) »
Hi Brina

Not sure on your comment on the later registrations for Andrew and siblings - is this to do with their christenings?. The births that show on IGI at least seem in order:

1. WILSON WHELLANS Birth: 11 AUG 1834 Morebattle
2. JOHN WHELLANS Birth: 16 JUL 1836 Morebattle
3. ANDREW WHELLANS Birth: 16 JUL 1836 Morebattle
4. JEAN WHELLANS Birth: 19 MAY 1838 Morebattle

There is also a submitted entry on IGI for brother JOHN WHELANS marriage to a MARY GIBSON on 25 JUN 1860 Edinburgh.

I can't easily see a marriage for William and Janet (Laidlaw). Both show as being born in the Country in the 1841 census. In respect of the origins of the name, hard to say where the line originated from without more info - could have been North of England or Irish. You have been relatively lucky that your line were relatively consistent with the spelling of the surname  :) I think the further back you go the more erratic the spelling may become...and there are many many variants on this surname!

Monica
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Offline MonicaL

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Re: WHELLANS family - Morebattle
« Reply #5 on: Saturday 07 February 09 21:30 GMT (UK) »
You might find this old post interesting on 'a brief history of the Whillans name'. There may be other opinions, but an interesting read nevertheless  :)

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/WHILLANS/1998-09/0905083658

Monica
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Offline brina

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Re: WHELLANS family - Morebattle
« Reply #6 on: Saturday 07 February 09 23:11 GMT (UK) »
Hi Monica, :D

I enjoyed reading the link you supplied.    Yes I guess I have been lucky tracing the Whellans family back as far as I have with the names changing little so far.   I think I am definitely on the correct track and that William Whellans is as far back as I can go in the meantime.  You are correct in assuming that I have copies of death certificates etc. of most of the direct family that I have been trying to trace.   I find it is so easy to go off at a tangent without definite evidence.   Of course this all takes time but I think it is worthwhile in the long run and the information I have discovered along the way has been fascinating.    So many coincidences have arisen that it can be a little disconcerting at times.

It is interesting that a number of the Andrew's have Douglas as a middle name and I am curious as to where this has hailed from.    Hopefully I will be able to find out in due course.

I will be visiting the Heritage Hub in Hawick in the next few weeks too so hopefully will  find out more information then.   I will post anything I find out just in case anyone else is interested.   If I discover anything interesting in the will of Andrew Whellans who died in Edinburgh I will also post that.

Once again - many thanks.

Brina

Offline Whillans

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Re: WHELLANS family - Morebattle
« Reply #7 on: Wednesday 11 February 09 01:27 GMT (UK) »
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.


Offline MonicaL

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Re: WHELLANS family - Morebattle
« Reply #8 on: Wednesday 11 February 09 09:22 GMT (UK) »
Hi Frank

I did come across one of your posts when I was doing general google searches....and then could I find it not later when I was trying to provide Brina with some links to the name origins  :P

This is great news for Brina  :)

To email off the main forum, perhaps Brina could use the 'Private Message' (PMs) system to send you her email (not great to include emails on the main forum as you're at risk of spamming etc.). You need to have done at least 3 PMs to be able to send messages this way which is how many Brina has now done!

Brina, if you click on the small green scroll under Frank 'Whillans' name on the l/h side, it will take you straight through to the PM service.

Frank, you should get a message box on the screen to let you know that you have a PM (also an alert in your email account, although this does not always come through there). If you go to the very top of the page here, you will see in the centre: welcome back..., you have xx messages, x are new. Click on that to take you to the PM service, which operates very much like an email account.

Good luck both of you with your research  :)

Monica
Census information Crown Copyright, www.nationalarchives.gov.uk