Let's start with the Whelan's!

Let's start!

Since it is my surname, the Whelan branch of the family seems like an apt place to start. Whelan is a fairly common name in Ireland which makes my genealogical hunt even more of a challenge. Especially when you consider miss-spelling, illiteracy, and variants of names which appear in records and through a family tree. It's frequently pointed out that people with the surname such as O'Brien ought to be aware that the prefix O' can easily be dropped and added throughout the records. And don't even get me started on the different variations of a christian name - Catherine, Cath, Kate, etc. I went searching for a woman called Cissy - turns out her name was Mary Ann. So an open mind and a willingness to put in extra effort at the archives is essential. When it comes to the name Whelan is variants are superfluous:

• Phelan
• Whalen (frequently Whelan changed to Whalen when emmigrants moved to America)
• O' Faolain
• Felan, etc.

My father's name is Brendan Whelan, and his father is Harry (Henry) Whelan. Harry married Catherine Walsh in Dublin in 1949.


I love this picture. Harry looks especially dashing, almost reminiscent of 40's movie star (indeed, he 'met' Clark Gable once!) For this post I'm going to stick to Harry's side of the family. My nana's side of the family is proving really interesting so I'm going to keep digging there for a while before posting my findings.

Harry's father was Christopher Whelan, born c.1882. Christopher married Elizabeth Gavin in 1908. According to their marriage certificate Elizabeth was a minor at the time of their wedding. She was born c.1889 and therefore 19 when she married Christopher who was 26 at the time. Christoper's profession on the marriage certificate is labourer, while Elizabeth was a house-keeper. They were both resident at 22 Chancery St. at the time of the marriage, which is right beside the Church of St. Michan (Roman Catholic - on Halston St) where the service took place.
From the marriage certificate I can also glean both father's names and also their professions. Christopher Whelan's father was Thomas Whelan who was a salesman. Elizabeth Gavin's father is called Henry Gavin, a labourer. Since they were married in 1908, they turn up on the 1911 census records. Here we find Christopher and Elizabeth living in house 10.2 in Greek St. (Inns Quay) with their first child, also called Christopher! He would be my grandfather's eldest brother.

I'll leave it there for the moment. Next post re. the Whelan's will hopefully contain more about Thomas Whelan, my great-great-grandfather!