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![Show Contents]() Whelens History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Many variations of the name Whelens have evolved since the time of its initial creation. In Gaelic it appeared as Ó Faoilain, which is derived from the word faol, which means wolf. 1 Early Origins of the Whelens familyThe surname Whelens was first found in County Waterford (Irish: Port Láirge), anciently the Deise region, on the South coast of Ireland in the Province of Munster. Saint Fillan, Foilan or Felan (d. 777?), was an Irish missionary in Scotland in the middle of the eighth century. "His commemoration day in the Scottish calendar is 9 Jan. He was the son of Feredach, a prince in Munster, and Kentigerna, daughter of Kellach Cualann, king of Leinster, and sister to St. Congan. Being thrown into a river on his birth on account of deformity, he was rescued by St. Ibar. He became a monk at first in one of the monasteries of St. Munnu Fintan, and subsequently went from Ireland to the part of Argyll afterwards called Ross, where two churches, Kilkoan and Killellan, derive their names respectively from his uncle Congan and himself. A cave and a church were also named from him in Fife." 2 Early History of the Whelens familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whelens research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1658 and 1680 are included under the topic Early Whelens History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Whelens Spelling VariationsMany spelling variations of the surname Whelens can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include Phelan, O'Phelan, Whelan, O'Failin, Phalen, Phalon, Phaelan and many more. Early Notables of the Whelens familyAnother 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whelens Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Whelens familyA great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the Whelens name: James Phalen settled in South Carolina in 1822; Phillip Phalen settled in Barstable in 1822; Daniel, George, James, John, Michael, Patrick, Thomas, Timothy and William Phelan all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860..
- MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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Ireland
Scotland
