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Irvin Alexander Whelan married Frances Roberts on July 9, 1936.
Irvin Alexander Whelan was born September 11, 1910 in Vine Grove, Kentucky. Shortly after his birth his parents, William A. and Philomena Ann moved to the ' Corbett home place' three miles north of Flaherty, Kentucky. Miss Lomie's mother needed their help on the farm, and the big, white house needed a family. It was an unusual house with three separate upstairs chambers, each with its own staircase. There was that magical place, the kitchen upstairs. There was the girls' upstairs with a fireplace. Last, there was a stark chamber with no frills, the boys' upstairs. Here Will and Miss Lomie raised four boys and two girls. Little Irvin was the third child and the third boy. He had two brothers, Pat and Ramond, older, two sisters, Mary Lottie and Bernadine and one younger brother, Wilson.
Tagging at the heels of his grandpa, Irvin's active tongue earned him the nickname, "Preacher." The epitaph stuck. Irvin became, and remained "Preacher" to all who knew him in Kentucky.
The "Great Depression" of the 20's affected the whole of the United States. Jobs and cash were scarce, especially for those young men coming of age. Irvin and his cousin formed a partnership to get their first paid employment away from their families' farms. They approached a neighbor, and after much bargaining, contracted an agreement to clear 22 acres of bushes. After several days of toil, they each received $11 for their labors.
Irvin and his brothers were avid baseball players and often played for "expense money." His brother, Pat, caught the eye of the Louisville Colonels, a Brooklyn Dodger farm team. He was scheduled to pitch a tryout game when an injury to his arm cut short his budding professional baseball career. One of those young men caught in the uncertainties of the Great Depression, Irvin was an early enrollee in the Civilian Conservation Corp. He was stationed at Hardinsburg, KY, not very far from home in miles, but it was worlds away in experience. He worked hard, and he got a regular paycheck for the first time in his life. He met people with the same anxieties about the future he did. And he realized he was master of his own destiny. He met his future wife while he was in the CCC camp. He made her a bracelet with her initials in the handicraft shop.
Irvin had numerous odd jobs in Kentucky, but nothing gave him the feeling of permanence he craved. When Irvin was in his early 20's, he and a friend, Ed Talbot, set out for the wild west, rather than head for the new auto manufacturing plants in Detroit. They heard oil companies were hiring in Kansas, and both boys preferred outdoor work to being in a factory all day. Off they went to seek their fortunes in the "Oil Patch." They were hired by Skelly Pipe Line. During his stint with Skelly, Pat Talbot, Ed's brother, told Irvin about hearing the Shell Oil Company was going to take on some roustabouts.
Irvin was one of the lucky few hired by Shell, considered to be a very good company. He said he would do anything necessary, and he did. He was never laid off, not one time, after starting his career employment with Shell. He confidence soared and he wrote his sweetheart, Frances Roberts to come from Cloverport, Kentucky. She arrived and they were wed July 9, 1936. Father David Egan officiated at the ceremony held in the rectory of Sacred Heart Church in Halstead, Kansas.
After growing up in the green hills of Kentucky, Frances found the endless Kansas prairies with dust storms and rattlesnakes hard to abide. However, becoming a mother soon took her mind off her miseries. Irvin and Frances welcomed their first daughter, Anna Doris, on March 29, 1937. Work in the oil fields required frequent moves and the young Whelans had several addresses. While in Great Bend, Kansas, they had a second daughter, Mary Christine, June 27, 1940.
When a serious accident weakened the health of his father, Irvin became aware of his parents advanced age, and he wanted to live nearer to them. Word of a new field opening in Illinois spread among the workers. Irvin applied for a transfer. On December 26, 1941 Irvin and Frances loaded their possessions on a two-trailer hitched to their 1939 Chevrolet and started their trek to the new field in Johnsonville, Illinois. Encountering a few minor incidents, below zero-degree temperatures, flat tires and a two-week layover while the children recovered from measles, they arrived in Flora, Illinois on January 13, 1942.
They found a four-room house and rented it for $12 a month. On April 9, 1942, daughter number three, Agnes Jean, was born. Irvin and Frances soon planted a garden and had a flock of chickens growing big enough for the stew pot. They settled in to raise their family.
In 1944, they took advantage of the opportunity to buy the house they lived in for $1600. Their fourth daughter, Elizabeth Louise, was born on August 15, 1944. In addition to the chickens, Irvin bought some shoats and raised hogs for butchering. On days of the great chicken killing when fryers were readied for the locker at Tigo's Market Frances always made Chicken Foot Soup. No one has ever duplicated that palatable treat. Butchering day was another day promising special delicacies. Only after a long day of back-breaking work, after the lard was rendered and after the sausage was ground when Irvin had mixed his special blend of spices, he fried up a batch of the fresh sausage. The day ended often after midnight, but nothing smelled or tasted better than those delicious patties. Irvin and Frances gained fame for their cured hams.
Irvin and Frances attended St. Stephen's Catholic Church and all the children went to the parochial school. Frances converted to the Roman Catholic faith early in her marriage. She was a long-time member of St. Stephen's Catholic Church and was an active participant in St. Ann's Altar Society while her health permitted. She was a member of the VFW Auxiliary and she belonged to the Clay County Hospital Auxiliary. When Irvin realized his family had outgrown their small home, he built additions, including three rooms upstairs. and a room off the kitchen. Known forever after as the "back porch" it was a play room,
sewing room, laundry room, bed room and, in times of really needed room, a dining room for the overflow of guests. The kitchen was modernized and the bathroom enlarged to accommodate a bathtub. Renovations were completed just in time. A tow-headed, little brute, Thomas Irvin, made Irvin's dream of a pick-up truck with "Irvin A. Whelan and Son" painted on the side a real possibility. Tom was born August 31, 1949. Frances Lynn followed closely arriving November 11, 1950. She was born to delight everyone who ever came in contact with her.
The family of Irvin and Frances Whelan was now complete: five daughter and one son.
They added to their property holdings when they purchased two lots adjoining their home. Irvin planted an even larger garden and he started a vineyard. Frances preserved fruits and vegetables from the garden and they fed their family. As Irvin's grape vines grew he developed a new hobby, wine making. He enjoyed this activity and developed his expertise in wine-making to include plum, cherry, rhubarb, blackberry, and, best of all, grape. One year he and his grandsons took advantage of a bumper crop of dandelions to and harvested a mound of blooms to ferment a crock of very good dandelion wine. Even Irvin admitted he wasn't as successful with his experiment with corn cob wine. Friends relished sampling the not-so-great along with the triumphs.
In the summer of 1955 Shell transferred Irvin to McLeansboro, Illinois. His family was firmly entrenched in Flora. It was a dilemma that had to be dealt with. He expected to retire within ten years. Being under some duress, he looked for a room to rent. Through the parish priest he found just such quarters with a congenial family. For the next seven years he commuted weekly between Flora and McLeansboro. One anecdote he enjoyed remembering was his friendship with a troubled teenager, Jerry Sloan. Sloan was to become a feared NBA player with the Chicago Bulls. When Irvin knew him, he was a confused teenager who worried about choices he needed to make. He was about to graduate from high school and had been offered a scholarship to play basketball at Evansville University. But his family needed the income he could generate with immediate employment. Irvin encouraged Sloan to opt for education, never dreaming Sloan would climb the mountains he has.
Irvin was happily returned to Flora to be reunited with his family. Irvin's strong body had begun to slow. He had suffered a number of serious illnesses during his sojourn in McLeansboro. When the company again required his transfer to far away Oklahoma, he called a halt. He retired from Shell Oil Company in 1968 with 33 years of service.
He and Frances embarked on a new phase in their lives, and a new renovation began. Frances had long dreamed of a large living room with a fireplace. Irvin made that dream come true. The front porch was enclosed and the living room, with a fireplace was reality. Irvin and Frances also gained a private bedroom. The bathroom was rearranged and Irvin, with the help of a friend, Joe Hendy, added a built in china closet between the kitchen and the dining room. Frances was weary of wallpapering 10-foot walls. Irvin paneled the walls and Frances chose her dreamed-of wall-to-wall carpeting.
With two children still at home, Irvin faced the need to supplement his pension. He worked for a time with Fletcher Oil Company. With friend, Earl Labertew, he found a new career in finish work of newly constructed houses. He did enjoy taking his visiting daughters through the latest project and showing off his creativity and skill. In 1969 a unique opportunity presented itself. Newly elected sheriff, James Sulsberger, asked Irvin to join his staff at the county courthouse in Louisville, Illinois. Being in the midst of the hub of county hustle and bustle, along with the political activities fitted Irvin's congenial personality. He soon knew everyone, judges as well as prisoners, and enjoyed talking to all the new friends he made.
Frances and Irvin developed other interests. Refurbishing antiques allowed Irvin's love of woodworking to evolve, as well as his enjoyment of attending local auctions to discover a treasure. Frances started collecting bottles. They tromped through trash dumps, checked out abandoned home sites and watched for bargains at auction sales and yard sales. They accumulated well over a thousand bottles Frances displayed on shelves Irvin built.
The most fulfilling endeavor of these retirement years came after Frances surprised Irvin by taking dancing lessons. He had always love to dance. Having her finally join him to the rhythmic sounds of Gerald Klein's Black Knights at the Moose Lodge was the ultimate triumph. They became quite expert in tripping to the light fantastic along with their friends.
Irvin and Frances continued one of their most pleasurable activities, playing pinochle with friends. Bernard and Mary Dunnigan, Vincent and Bertha Dunnigan, John and Fern Thompson, Tom and Grace Thompson, Joe and Corinne Hendy, and Clarence and Dorothy Davis are just a few of their opponents. Boys usually played against the girls and everyone loved the conflict and competition. In his younger days, Irvin was tempted to engage in less innocent games of chance. Back in the 'oil patch' days a craps game could usually be found around payday. On one occasion Irvin bowed to that temptation and lost $18. His punishment was dire. He had to come home and explain a short paycheck to Frances. She didn't have much to say, "That's shoes for the kids." Irvin avoided having to come home with such news.
With their children scattered throughout the United States, Irvin and Frances were able to do a lot of traveling; Washington D.C, Ohio, Wisconsin, points north to Dixon, Illinois. Irvin visited Las Vegas, Nevada as well. They traveled to Florida and enjoyed the sights with friends, Kenneth and Clara McDannel. They roots in Kentucky never ceased their grasp. Irvin and Frances made numerous trips "back home," especially for that greatest of homecomings, the Flaherty Picnic.
In her sixties Frances realized a life-long dream to be associated with health care. She was employed as a county home health aide. She had dreamed of becoming a registered nurse and was proud of the opportunity to make a contribution in the field.
An avid fisherman, Irvin got a bargain when he and Frances bought one of Johnny Bob Harrel's cabins when his cult in Louisville was disbanded after invasion by federal forces. They put it on one of the most desirable lots just above the big lake and with the small lake just behind. What a wonderful place the Trago Lake site was! He was ready to go fishing at dawn and ready to eat the fish at sundown. His children and grandchildren loved Mom's and Granddaddy's cabin.
Irvin saw all his children grown and on the road to success. He was so proud that all of his children had finished high school, a feat denied Irvin by a short-sighted culture.
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