#95 THE WHELAN FAMILY IMMIGRATED IN 1847

                                                                THOMAS WHELAN

The name Whelan is of Irish origin and is derived from the Gaelic surname "Ó Faoláin," which means "descendant of Faolán." Faolán is a given name that comes from the word "faol," meaning "wolf." In Irish culture, the wolf is often seen as a symbol of strength, independence, and loyalty. As a surname, Whelan is associated with qualities such as courage, tenacity, and leadership. The surname Whelan is one of the two most common anglicisations – the other being Phelan. It was the name of the ruling dynasty of the Déisi, a population group inhabiting the area of the modern counties of Waterford and  Kilkenny in the early medieval period (10th to the 11th century). They were defeated by the Anglo-Normans in the twelfth century and most of their territory was lost.

Our branch of the Whelan family came from near Clonegal, Co.Carlow, Ireland. Thomas Whelan (1796-1888) and mother Mary Kinsella (1801-1876) were tenant famers on townland/property called Farnamotha.

                                                        Farnamotha, Co.Carlow

St.Brigid’s in Clonegal was the Catholic church where at least some of their children were baptized but the records only date back to about 1820 because Catholicism was heavily suppressed in Ireland before that time.

                                                        St.Brigid's, Clonegal, Co.Carlow

In 1823, a law was passed that required tenants pay money, not in kind, to the Established Church of Ireland  Thomas Whelan is on record as refusing, in 1831, to pay tithes to the Church of Ireland; as there was a general resistance to the tithe in County Carlow, authorities  did not enforce this law and it seems that Thomas did not pay nor was he fined.

The Whelans left Ireland in 1847 during the Potato Famine,  a devastating period of mass starvation and disease in Ireland, caused by a potato blight that destroyed the staple crop. Since a large portion of the Irish population depended on potatoes for food, the failure led to widespread hunger. The worst year of the famine was 1847. Roughly one million Irish died, and another one million fled the country.

                                                                        potato blight

 It’s possible that the Whelan family was "sponsored" by a local landlord named Fitzwilliam. Fitzwilliam contributed 2 000 pounds sterling to send 45 families from Clonegal to Canada. (This may sound altruistic, but it also meant the landlord did not have to look after the impoverished on his estate.) Families would have left Clonegal a few days before they sailed, since the 50 mile walk to New Ross took 4 or 5 days. There is a bridge at the edge of town nick-named "The Bridge of Tears" since it was the last look any of the people would have of their home. 

                                                          Bridge of Tears, Clonegal

 Thomas, his wife, Mary Kinsella, and their nine children emigrated together on the John Bell, a 3-masted, Quebec-built 455 ton sailing vessel. Irish coffin ships were overcrowded and poorly maintained vessels; they earned their grim nickname because of the high mortality rates on board due to disease, malnutrition, and unsanitary conditions. Many passengers, weakened by famine, succumbed to typhus, dysentery, and other illnesses during the perilous journey. While some ships were well-run, others were operated by exploitative companies that prioritized profit over passenger safety, leading to horrific conditions and tragic losses. To most of us today, a dangerous 6 week voyage to a new, mostly backward land would be daunting-- to the Irish in 1847, it was salvation. 

 The Whelan family left Ireland from New Ross on May 10, 1847  and docked at Grosse Isle, Quebec on June 27, 1847. Almost all the 254 passengers were in steerage, not cabins.  Their journey lasted 37 days, and, remarkably, only 4 passengers died en route and none died in hospital quarantine on Grosse Isle. Like all new immigrants, the Irish should have been quarantined for a brief period to ensure they were not bringing deadly diseases into Canada-but the John Bell was not. That was probably a matter of good luck- over 20 000 Irish are buried at Grosse Isle. The ship then went on to Quebec City June 29, 1847.

                                                                    Grosse Ile, Quebec

 The Whelans travelled up the Ottawa River and disembarked at Farrell's Landing (near Renfrew, now called Castleford) and near the Bonnechere River.  The Whelan family probably settled in Bonnechere (Horton Township) for a couple of years before moving inland following the Opeongo Road, a colonization road that led southwest into the forested hinterland of Renfrew County; the Opeonga was used to transport immigrants, supplies and equipment to the logging camps.

                                       Whelans settled in Admaston Township, Renfrew County

 Lot 6, concession 9 in the Shamrock section was close to the Opeonga Road and along the trail leading into the village of Mount St.Patrick. The family likely squatted on their farm for a few years before Thomas bought it in 1854 for a price of 20 pounds. He and his elder sons felled trees for their first home, cleared the rocky, wooded land and planted. Over the next twenty years (1851-1871), his hard work slowly started to pay off.

                            Thomas Whelan's agricultural output--from 1851& 1871 Canada census

 Admaston Township in Renfrew County was established in 1843 and Thomas Whelan served as a township councillor for many years and Reeve in 1863 and 1865-66. The 1849 Baldwin Act created Ontario’s municipal system and required townships to elect a reeve and council to manage local affairs independently. In the 1860s, a Reeve was voted in by the township electors. (i.e. male landowner) and served for a set term of usually one year, but could be re-elected. His duties were to preside over council meetings, to pass local by-laws and oversee local services such as roads and bridges. He oversaw local tax collection and municipal finances. He acted as a justice of the peace in minor legal disputes and administrative matters and helped coordinate law enforcement at the township level

 The Whelans attended church in Mount Saint Patrick. The Catholic Church played a key role in the Mount Saint Patrick community. In the early years, there was no church but  people were served by visiting missionary priests; these men would move between the many far-flung Catholic communities in the days when there were no real roads and often only rivers and creeks provided a means of travel. In 1869 a stone church was built in the village; the stone came from a local quarry and was hauled by sleigh during the winter; money came from the lumber camps and even from the USA. A Holy Well, an ancient Celtic tradition,  was constructed and blessed in 1876. Throughout the years, pilgrims would come to seek intercession from Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The spring waters are blessed yearly and the spot is considered “Holy Ground." The Whelan name is listed on the Pioneer Marker in the Church graveyard.

                                                    St,Patrick's Roman Catholic Church

                                                         stone memorials inside Holy Well

 Thomas and Mary Kinsella were married about 1820 in County Carlow. Mary, aged 75, died Oct 7, 1876. Thomas, aged 92, died January 16, 1888. His obituary in the Renfrew Mercury noted: There died in Admaston last week, one of the oldest and most respected citizens, Thos Whelan, father of the present reeve, Stephen Whelan, Esq. The deceased gentleman had reached the ripe old age of 90 years or so having been two or three years when the nineteenth century began its career. He was for many years one of the leading municipal legislators of the township of Admaston, serving both as councillor and reeve for many years. He has been a resident of the township nearly forty years remaining on the homestead he first settled. Nearly all his sons settled on farms around it. Mary and Thomas are buried together in the Mount St. Patrick Roman Catholic Cemetery.

                                                            Holy Well R.C.Cemetery

 Thomas Whelan                                                                                                                                               b. 1796 in Co.Carlow, Ireland                                                                                                                       m. Mary Kinsella (1801-1876) abt. 1820 in Co.Carlow, Ireland                                                                   d. Jan. 16 1888 in Admaston Twp,, Renfrew Co., Ontario

Mary and Thomas were survived by their nine children. Four of their children married Gorman/O’Gormans. Only Daniel Gorman and Ellen Gorman were siblings, children of John Gorman and Johanna Keating. Hannah was the daughter of Patrick Gorman* and Catherine Bennett (who are also our family’s 2x great grandparents.) Thomas and Mary had 60 grandchildren (and always a Thomas, Stephen, Patrick, James, John, Ellen, Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine in each family!)

 1.Patrick Whelan (1821-1904) married Anne Culhane and had 8 children. They lived across the road from his father’s farm. Anne accidently died when her clothes caught fire. (It was unfortunately quite common for pioneer women to suffer severe burns or even die from their clothes catching fire. Long skirts, open hearths, wood-burning stoves, and candles made fire a constant household hazard.Women, especially those working in kitchens, often wore cotton or wool dresses, which could easily ignite if they got too close to an open flame. The lack of immediate medical care, combined with the risk of infection, meant that even non-fatal burns could become deadly.)

  2.Stephen Whelan (1825-1906) (our direct ancestor) married Hannah O’Gorman and had 13 children  They farmed in Admaston.

 3.Thomas Kinsella Whelan (1828-1909) married Sarah Findlan and had 8 children. He farmed in the Shamrock area of Admaston until they emigrated to North Dakota in 1881. They celebrated their Golden Anniversary in 1905. Their grandson, Thomas E.Whelan served as US ambassador to Nicaragua.

 4.Elizabeth Whelan (1831-1887) married Thomas O’Gorman and had 5 children. A son, Patrick,  died when teaching a friend’s daughter to drive; he lost control of the car, it “turned turtle” and he was instantly killed.

 5.John Whelan (1835-1868) married Catherine Cardiff , had 2 children and farmed near Shamrock. He died after he accidentally fell on ice at home.

 6.James Whelan (1836-1920) married Ellen O’Gorman and had 10 children. He lived on the farm next to his father.

 7.Julia Whelan (1837-1889) married Daniel O’Gorman and had 6 children. They farmed in the Shamrock area.

 8.Michael Whelan (1840-1909) married Ellen Lynch and had 8 children. He was willed his father’s homestead, all furniture, ready money, goods, chattels and personal items. (Michael was the youngest son and lived on the family farm his whole life. Quite possibly his older brothers had already received financial help from their father which is why they were not mentioned in his will.)  Michael died when thrown from a buggy. He left the Whelan homestead to his son, James, who was unmarried. After James’ death, the farm was sold.

9.Ellen Whelan (1840-1913)  received $500 in her father's will. On August 6, 1876, at age 20, she entered the novitiate of Grey Nun’s Congregation in Ottawa; she pronounced her religious vows two years later and took the name Sister St.Jerome. For twenty-four years, she worked in the laundry of the Hospital, then at the Aylmer Convent for another nine years. It was said that: Her work was done in silence and perseverance. Her life of great faith and prayer and her total submission to her superiors serve as a fine example to all. Kind and devoted in every way and and always extremely polite, she put so much willingness to oblige her sisters...Faithful to all her pious exercises, it was noticed that she would wake up earlier in order to meditate before her day's work. She would comment that "It seems that my day would be lost if I didn't start it with prayer." A few days before her death, she more or less stayed in her room. But on March 16,1913, Palm Sunday, she had to leave her work and could hardly climb the stairs with her hands to return to her bed. Her heart was weakening. She received the last rites in the evening. Sister Jerome was 62 years old and had completed 34 years, 6 months, 5 days of religious life.