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James, second son of Thomas Whelan and Mary Murphy, was married at St Brigid’s Church, North Fitzroy on 24 February 1897 to Frances Catherine Sheil, daughter of Martin Sheil and Catherine Broderick. James was a 23 year old grocer.
James chose his brother Thomas William as his best man, and Catherine chose her sister, Mary Kate Sheil, as chief bridesmaid. The wedding brought Mary Kate and James’ brother Joseph Michael together; as four years later these two were also to be married.
Two years after the wedding, in 1899, James must have left the grocer shop, as the family had moved to 211 Brunswick Street and James earned his living as a carter. Five years after the couple wed, when they were already the proud parents of two little boys, James passed away. The year was 1902 and the place Brunswick, Melbourne. In the midst of her grief Frances had to cope with three-year-old toddler James, and new baby Frank. Tragedy struck this Whelan family again the following year when little Frank died.
In 1923 Frances (known as Fanny) was living at Preston Victoria, when she married Joseph John Cooper, a 55 year old widower with four children, who lived at Yerong Creek near Wagga Wagga, NSW. He was the son of Jack Cooper and Margaret Sullivan. Joseph, together with Frances' son James and niece Maisie became licensees of the Milbrulong Boundry Inn Hotel until 1937. Frances died at a hospital in Wagga Wagga in 1937.
The children of James and Frances were:-
James Whelan, born c 1899
Frank Whelan, born c 1901/1902 died 1903 aged 15 months
From 1922 to 1937 James was co-licensee of the Milbrulong Boundry Inn Hotel in NSW, together with his cousin Maisie Whelan and his stepfather Joseph John Cooper. He moved back to Melbourne after his mother died, remained single and was living alone at his home, 210 Drummond Street Carlton, when he passed away on 22 April 1959, aged 60.