Welcome

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Whaley Family Page


View our Whaley Family Personal Information Index where you will find documentation pertaining to individual family members.

There has been a lot of research done regarding the Whaley family, however, not all researchers agree with the results of that research. Nevertheless, to the best of my knowledge our family descends from Wyamarus Whaley who was born 1040 in France. I will record the findings in my Whaley Family Site, keeping in mind that some might argue that the information is incorrect. I invite arguments to support or deny the recorded research, but until there is absolute proof positive, I will not be changing it. Please use this information as a venue to debate, support, deny, or argue your own research, or to give you ideas as to where you might conduct your search. I will begin with Wyamarus Whaley on this page, just to tweak your interest, and I will record each generation on the Whaley Family Personal Information Index.

Information Pertaining to Wyamarus Whaley, born 1040 in Normandy, France.

The Mark Daly Whaley Site records: Wyamarus Whaley was born in Normandy, the first recorded person of this surname. Wyamarus came from Normandy with William the Conqueror and won land in England for his service. His brother, Stephen Whaley, was also granted land for service. It is not known if they held lands in Normandy as well. Visit Mark Daly's website where you will find the Daly Index, listing the people mentioned in the English Record of the Whaley Family and its Branches in America, by Rev. Samuel Whaley, 1901.

Descendants of Wyamarus Whaley http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~flebbe/surnames/whaley.html notes that the story of this family can be read in Rev. Samuel Whaley's book " The English Record of the Whaley Family and its Branches in America" (1801). According to the aforementioned book, Wyamarus Whaley was knighted by William of Normandy (know as William the Conqueror) in 1067 for services to the King in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. He was granted the Lordship of Whaley in Wapentake of Blackburn, Lancaster County. His brother Stephon was also knighted. It is believed that all of the Whaley lines descended from these two individuals. We find the name spelled both with one "l" and with two throughout history.

Entwistle Family History Association (Lancashire ENG), The Family Entwis(t)le Family, by Bannister Grimshaw (1924), website http://www.entwistlefamily.org.uk/section_one.htm, states there are three extracts taken from very ancient documents that are said to have been preserved in the British Museum for a very long time. From the Whalley Pedigree we learn that "Wyramarus Walley had by gift of William, Bastard Duke of Normandy in the seconde year of his reigne which was in the yeare of our Lord God Anno Domi 1067 for his servis done at the Battlel of Hastings, the Lordship of Whalley in the Wepontake of Blackburn in the County of Lancastershyre. He married and had issue Eustas who married Godytha the daughter of Sir John Antwisel."

FamilyTreeMaker Online, The Wright Family of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, to Illinois, website http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/w/r/i/Angeline-D-Wright-meyer/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-Index.html, states "Knighted by William the Conqueror in 1067 for services to the King in the Battle of Hastings. Granted the Lordship of Whaley in the Wapentake of Blackburn, Lancastershire. All the information contained herein regarding the Whaley Family was taken from the accepted source "The English Record of the Whaley Family and Its Branches" by Rev. Samuel Whaley published in 1802. However, it seems to be several generations short. There are not enough ancestors to take us from Wyamarus in 1045 to Theophilis in 1616. rev. Whaley lists 12 generations between the 2 men. Allowing 30 years per generation, we are at least 200 years short".

Given the last sentence in the above paragraph, it is no wonder this family has been such a puzzle to sort out.