It is speculated that Philip Weidknecht was Daniel’s father. When Philip died most of his estate was bought by Daniel and his Widow Wakenight.
Daniel Wakenight
Born: 16 DEC 1792 in Maryland (verified on headstone)
Parents: No information (speculation is Philip Weidknecht)
Spouse: Isabell Powell (13 FEB 1798 to 1 MAR 1881)
Married: 16 JUL 1816 in Washington County, Maryland
Children:
Mary M Wakenight (22 APR 1817 to 9 MAY 1875)
John Upton Wakenight (28 FEB 1821 to 1858)
Robert Chesney Wakenight (20 AUG 1824 to 9 JAN 1895)
Susanna Wakenight (16 JUN 1826 to 11 DEC 1919)
Isabell Wakenight (2 JUL 1829 to 1915)
Daniel Wakenight (24 SEP 1830 to 6 MAR 1923)
Samuel Wakenight (16 DEC 1834 to 10 OCT 1908)
Died: 17 AUG 1866 in Pine Creek, Ogle County, Illinois
Burial: Cedar Hill Cemetary, Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois
Timeline:
Daniel was a devout Lutheran. He was elected deacon of the church in 1845.
From Isabell’s obituary, we know the family moved from Maryland to Clark County, Ohio in late 1850. Then, in 1856, the family moved from Ohio to Ogle County, Illinois.
Mt. Morris Newspaper 3-17-1881
In Pine Creek Twp. Wednesday, March 9th, 1881, Mrs. Isabel P. Wakenight, died. The deceased was a native of Washington County, Maryland. She was married to Daniel Wakenight in 1816. They came from Maryland to Clark County, Ohio in 1850 where they resided about six years. From there they moved to Ogle County, Illinois.
Mrs. Wakenight was the mother of seven children, thirty grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. She united with the Lutheran Church in 1829.
Her funeral service was held in the Salem Dunkard Church on last Friday in the presence of a large congregation of friends and relatives, Elders Henderson and Price officiating.
Occupation: laborer (1850), farmer (1860)
Records:
1820 to 1860 US Census Records
Maryland Marriages, 1655-1850
The U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
U.S. Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Variations of Surname:
Wachsnicht
Waicknight
Wechnecht
Weightreight
Wetwight
Notes:
Sharon Strow is my second cousin. Her mother was Margaret Susann Dusing. Her grandmother was Edna Margaret Wakenight. My grandfather, Raymond Luther Wakenight, was Edna’s brother.
Sharon created a family tree called Descendants of Daniel Wakenight. Her site contains a lot of information on this side of the Wakenight family.
Sharon spent hours, weeks, and months growing her family tree. She took the time to write letters and make phone calls to other Wakenight relatives. She ordered birth, marriage, and death records. She obtained copies of obituary notices and other articles that appeared in local newspapers. Thank you, Sharon, for all the work you did in growing your family tree!
On her website, Sharon mentioned that there is a family bible:
There is a Wakenight Family Bible. Sylvester had the Bible brought back from Nebraska. His son Lloyd then had it- now his son James has it- he lives near White Pines Park.
Lloyd’s son was James William Wakenight (1942 to 2015). James’ wife is still living. After a little searching on Facebook, I found their daughter. She confirmed that her mother has the bible but the entries are written in German.
I am not sure if these pages can be translated. Yet, wouldn’t it be nice if someone could? We might find more information to add to our Wakenight family history.
Creating Your Family Tree
Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:
Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also excellent sources for births, marriages, and deaths.
Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory that is passed down from generation to generation.
Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.
When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. The records can include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.
If you have a unique surname, like Wakenight, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are many others on the internet for other countries like Ireland, Italy, and Germany.
Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would typically start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on. There are also family trees that go “forward into time.” Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty, and move forward into the present time. The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline to that famous person.
There is no limit on how big your family tree can grow. The blank canvas is there for you to use. Cherish your family history, and it will be there for generations to come!
Leave a Reply