Edward Whittall

Edward Whittall (see here), born 1851,
of C. Whittall and Co., Smyrna, lived Bornova,
mar 14th Apr 1875, Smyrna, to Mary Maltass,
a keen botanist, collector and cultivator of wild flowers of Asia Minor, discoverer of several new species which are named after him,
"ran a fig and currant export business from Izmir" [see this review of Chelsea flower show in London Evening Standard, 18th May 1999],
bought an old house in Bornova which is referred to in [Kalcas, 1983] as the Godfrey Giraud House, built up its magnificent garden, lived there until he died 1917,
he is the "Mr. Whittall" who entertained the Prince of Wales (later George V) at his house in Bornova in 1886, see [Kalcas, 1983],
he died 1917,
had issue:

Edgar Arthur Whittall, think Arthur, born 1877, Smyrna,
mar 1899 to Hilda Blanche La Fontaine [born 1880] and had issue.
Albert James Whittall, born 1879, Smyrna.
Elsie Whittall, born 1880, Smyrna.
Ray Whittall [Rachel], born 1881, Smyrna,
mar Emile Tissot and had issue:
1. Denise Tissot, mar Frederick Richard De Cramer [born 1904].
2. Marguerite Tissot [Margot], mar Eldon Giraud [born 1910] and had issue.
Godfrey Whittall, born 1882, Smyrna, had issue:
1. Rodney Whittall [Rodney Howard], mar his 1st cousin Edna Giraud and had issue:
  1. Anthony Whittall, had issue:
    1. James Whittall.
  2. Philip Whittall.
Ruth Whittall, born 14th June 1884, Smyrna, twin,
bought her father's house in Bornova from rest of family after his death,
mar Edmund Haydn Giraud and had issue.
Jessie Whittall [Jessica Maud], born 14th June 1884, Smyrna, twin,
mar Reginald Turrell [Reginald Edmund, born 19th Mar 1879],
she died 31st -- 1928, age 44 yrs,
he died 10th Apr 1933, age 54 yrs,
had issue:
1. Ray Frances Turrell [dau, must be Rachel, after her aunt Ray Whittall],
  mar Richard Alan Bell [born 18th Oct 1915, uncle of Don Montague, family tree researcher]
  and had issue [see BELL family tree by Don Montague at the WorldConnect project].
Edward Sidney Whittall, born 5th May 1888, Smyrna,
mar Dorothy Jane Peacock and had issue:
1. Dulcie Mary Whittall, born 1st Sept 1915, Smyrna.
Walter Whittall, born 1890, Smyrna.

Letters and Diary of Gertrude Bell

Gertrude Bell, born 1868, traveller, diplomat and archaeologist, visited the Whittall family in Smyrna.

From The Gertrude Bell archive at the University of Newcastle.

1902 - She arrives Smyrna, Wed 26th Feb 1902, staying initially with the van Lennep family at Malcajik near Smyrna.
See diary from 26th Feb 1902 to 19th Mar 1902.
See letters from 28th Feb to 19th Mar
- On 2nd Mar she met "The Van Heemstras and her brother Mr Whittall". She writes: "All these people are connected with one another. They have married each other, or married into Smyrna families of Greeks - the Smyrna women are very beautiful you know, ... Everybody in the Levant is cousin to everybody else, quite regardless of nationality. Indeed nationality doesn't exist here."
- On 10th Mar she met " Mr Herbert Whittall with his daughter Helen and his niece Rachel (Edward)", and the next day when at Bornova at Herbert's house went to see "Mr Edward Whittall .. and his 2 daughters Elsie and Rachel".
- In Bornova again on 17th Mar, dined with "Helen .. and Kathleen and Herbert". "After dinner a mass of cousins came in, the Lafontaines who stay with Mr Storr, Ed. Whittalls, Dick Whittall etc".
- On 18th Mar "Up at 5 and off to Ephesus with Mr and Mrs Edward, their 4 daughters 2 Maltas girls" (would be relations of Edward's wife or Herbert's wife), "Helen and Arthur Whittall and a daughter in law of Mrs Edward" (must be Arthur's wife Hilda Blanche La Fontaine - he was the only son married at this point). The next day "travelled to Smyrna [Izmir] with Mr Richard Whittall the head of the firm, father of Mrs Van Heemstra."
- She left Smyrna 19th Mar. "I had a very nice time at the Whittalls; they are pleasant people." "And if I wanted to stay and spend the summer with them I certainly might! But I pine a little for my own society; one is never never alone and when I go travelling, all the station masters come too!"
1907 - Arrives Smyrna 2nd Apr 1907.
See diary 2nd Apr 1907 to 8th Apr 1907.
See letters 2nd Apr to 9th Apr.
- On 2nd Apr she arrives and "Mr Whittall, a son of Mr Richard W .. came on board for me." After dinner, they are joined at Bridge by "Elsie Whittall, Mr Edward's daughter" and others. "Most queer world this. French or English they are all without any nationality or any mother tongue."
- The next day she met Elsie and "we went to the Herbert Whittalls whom I was very glad to see again. I found them both aged and looking very sad; their daughter Helen died last September."
- She writes on 4th Apr: "I spent yesterday afternoon at Burnabat [Bornova] which is the place where all the English people live, a charming little town of big houses and gardens under the hills. .. and then to call on all my Whittall friends. They all live in big delicious gardens and they have been here for generations. .. they have the bulk of the English trade in their hands, branch offices all down the southern coast, mines and shooting boxes and properties scattered up and down the SW corner of Asia Minor and yachts on the seas. They all have immense quantities of children the sons young men now in the various Whittall businesses, of a funny sort of colonial type, the daughters very charming, very gay, spending all the summer in picnicking and all the winter dancing and playing bridge. The big gardens touch one another and they walk in and out of one another's houses all day long gossiping and laughing. I should think life presents itself no where under such easy and pleasant conditions." Note [Kalcas, 1983] mis-dates this letter as 1897.
- On 7th Apr she lunches with Edward Whittall who talks of politics: "Mr E.W. said that Turkey was getting poorer and poorer. .. He thinks the end must be near. Possibly the govt. will provoke a movement against the Christians in which case Europe must intervene."
- She left on 8th Apr.
1914 - On 12th May 1914 she is in Smyrna again just for a day.
- She meets Edward Whittall: "He said that things were very bad here. They have an infamous Vali, strong Committee man. Policy of intolerable pinpricks against the Greeks, seemingly in the hope that they will be forced to leave and the Turks step into their place as merchants. .. The Vali and authorities are inciting the Mohammadan population against the Christians and Mr Whittall fears a massacre."
  The massacre began the following year (against the Armenians, 1915).
  Edward Whittall did not live to see his worst fears happen to his home town Smyrna in 1922.

Taxonomy of plants discovered by and named after Edward Whittall

Note the ending whittalli (with one "i") is sometimes used.

Magnoliophytina
- Magnoliopsida
  - Scrophulariaceae
    - Veronica
      - Species - Veronica whittallii - see here
- Liliopsida
  - Liliaceae
    - Tulipa (tulip)
      - Species - Tulipa whittallii - see here and here and here and here
    - Fritillaria
      - Species - Fritillaria whittallii - see here and here and here
  - Hyacinthaceae
    - Chionodoxa
      - "Chionodoxa gigantea Whittall" - see here and here
      - "Chionodoxa sardensis Whittall" - see here
    - Scilla
      - Variety - Scilla bifolia var whittallii - see here
  - Amaryllidaceae
    - Galanthus (snowdrop)
      - Variety - Galanthus elwesii var whittallii - see here and here

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