My name is Paul Nixon and this website began as a way of sharing information about my maternal great grandfather, Charles John Whellams (1859-1942). One of his many children was my grandmother, Emily Whellams (that's me giving her a cuddle in March 1965 while my brother looks on). Her recollections, along with archive material from a variety of sources, have helped me to tell her father's story.
My grandmother always used to say that Whellams was an unusual name, a fact that has made locating ancestors a good deal easier than it would have been had they been called Smith! Nevertheless, Charles and his siblings did their best to ensure that the Whellams name would survive. Charles fathered at least 14 children and his brothers William Charles Whellams (1857-1944) and John James Whellams (1861-1907) fathered at least nine children each. Their families, and those of their other ten brothers and sisters have ensured that the Whellams name still thrives.
My research has concentrated on Charles John Whellams but I have made significant diversions and this website currently features data on Whellams (and slight surname variation) births, marriages and deaths from the late 1700s to the late 1980s as well as information about Whellams servicemen during WW1 and WW2. The data is certainly incomplete but is nevertheless published here as an aid to others researching or interested in the Whellams family. I had always thought that the Whellams family was firmly rooted in the East End of London. It was from the mid 1850s, (like many workers in Hackney, the Whellams brothers worked in the shoe and boot trade) but my great great grandfather, Charles William Whellams, was born in Langham near Colchester in Essex. He and his brother, William Charles Whellams established the dynasties that this website merely scratches the surface of.
Not published on this site are family trees that I have been building for various Whellams ancestors, as well as information about my great great grandfather and his ancestry. I am always delighted to hear from other people with Whellams connections (I still have a lot of loose threads which need tying up), and for my part am happy to help where I can in untangling Whellams ancestors. Click HERE to send me an e-mail.