I would like to extend my thanks and gratitude to Robert Welton. He provided the photos of Ted, Molly, Dave for this post. Robert is a great family history researcher.

Theodore David Wakenight

Born: 27 OCT 1913 in Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska

Father: Jacob William Wakenight (1890 to 1972)
Mother: Margaret Ida Weaver (1895 to 1985)

Molly and Ted in 1939 on their wedding day.

Spouse: Myrtle Beulah White (1916 to 1990)

Married: 8 DEC 1939 in Coeur d’Alene, Kootenai County, Idaho

Children:

David George Wakenight (2 AUG 1942 to 21 JAN 2005)
Donald James Wakenight (1948 to Unknown/Still Living)
Debra Lynda Wakenight ( 6 APR 1953 to 13 OCT 2005)
DeeAnn Kitty Wakenight (1954 to Unknown/Still Living)

Died: 5 JAN 2004 in Spokane, Spokane County, Washington

Burial: Greenwood Memorial Terrace

Timeline:

1920 Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska
1930 Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska
1939 Marriage to Myrtle
1940 Spokane, Spokane County, Washington
1942 Birth of son, David
1945 Spokane, Spokane County, Washington
1948 Birth of son, Donald
1950 Spokane, Spokane County, Washington
1953 Birth of daughter, Debra
1954 Birth of daughter, DeeAnn
1954 Spokane, Spokane County, Washington
1958 Spokane, Spokane County, Washington
1962 Death of half-brother, William
1972 Death of father, Jacob
1981 Death of sister, Nettie
1985 Death of mother, Margaret
1990 Death of wife, Myrtle
2004 Death and burial

Ted and Dave in 1943. Photo courtesy of Robert Welton.

Occupation: taxi cab manager (1950), driver (1954), oil company attendant (1958)

Records:

1920 to 1940 US Census Records
U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (Beta)
Social Security Death Index
The U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current

Variations of Surname: None

Spouse:

Myrtle Beulah White:

Molly was born on 2 NOV 1916 in Sixteen, Meagher County, Montana. She died on 20 MAR 1990 in Spokane, Spokane County, Washington.

Her father was Hosie K White. He was born on 13 MAR 1891 in Bozeman, Gallatin County, Montana. He died on 3 MAY 1933 in Spokane, Spokane County, Washington.

Her mother was Mary Bessie Harris. She was born on 4 SEP 1891 in Slater, Saline County, Missouri. She died in 1970 in Spokane, Spokane County, Washington.

Information and photo courtesy of Robert Welton.

Daughters:

Debra Lynda Wakenight:

Debra was born on 6 APR 1953 in Spokane, Spokane County, Washington. She died on 13 OCT 2005 in Spokane, Spokane County, Washington.

Debra had married and divorced three times. I discovered that she used the surnames of Sternburg, Samsel, and Cronin. The snippet, below, came from The U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, on Ancestry.com.

There are also two public records that connect the surnames of Sternburg and Samsel to Debra. You will notice that the address is the same on both records. She lived at 2723 W Broadway Ave, Spokane, Washington.

The one for Debra L Sternburg is not dated.

The one for Debra L Samsel is dated 1982.

The Social Security Application, above, shows that Debra used the name Debra Lynda Sternberg in December of 1968. The Social Security Death Index, below, shows that she received her social security number in 1968-1969 in the state of Ohio.

In 1968, Debra would have been 15 years old. Could she have eloped and the young couple separated? Did her parents help her get the marriage annulled?

I ask these questions because her marriage record to Samsel lists her name as Debra L Wakenight. That would mean that, if the marriage to Sternburg was annulled, she would have been free to use her maiden name.

Marriages and Divorces:

Debra first married a man with the surname of Sternberg before December 1968. The marriage may have been annulled.

Debra’s then married John Lawrence Samsel on 17 FEB 1973 in King County, Washington. John was born in 1950 in Washington.

Their marriage ended three and a half years later on 19 Nov 1976. The divorce index notes that Debra filed for divorce and that one child was born to this marriage:

Lisa A Samsel (1971)

Debra then married Dennis C Cronin on 15 JUL 1988 in Spokane County, Washington. Dennis was born in 1960.

There is a public record that shows Dennis lived at the same address noted above, 2723 W Broadway Ave, Spokane, Washington. This record was dated for the year 1993.

Their marriage ended almost 14 years later on 30 Apr 2002. The divorce index notes that the divorce was mutual and no children were born to this marriage.

DeeAnn Kitty Wakenight:

DeeAnn was born in 1954 in Spokane County, Washington.

Marriages and Divorces:

DeeAnn had married and divorced two times.

She first married Wayne Alan Wick on 2 SEP 1970 in Whitman County, Washington.

Wayne Alan Wick was born on 1 MAR 1951 in Spokane, Spokane County, Washington. He died on 25 DEC 2007 in Spokane, Spokane County, Washington.

DeeAnn divorced Wayne almost three years later on 18 JUN 1973. The divorce index notes that DeeAnn filed for divorce and that one child was born to this marriage:

Christopher W Wick (1971)

DeeAnn then married Richard Lester Cummings on 31 Jul 1980 in Reno, Washoe County, Nevada. I have no information on Richard.

Their marriage lasted a little over four years. The divorce index does not show who filed for divorce. It does note that one child was born to this marriage:

Samuel Delbert Cummings was born on 19 FEB 1981 in Lincoln City, Lincoln County, Oregon. He died on 25 AUG 1983 in Seattle, King County, Washington. He was 2 1/2 years old.

One public record for 1993 shows that DeeAnn had changed her surname back to Wakenight.

Notes:

For more information on this part of the Wakenight family, please visit Sharon Strow’s website, “Descendants of Daniel Wakenight.”

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 an excellent source 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!