Orville and Ellen adopted Mary Ellen Cato after her mother died in 1925. Mary’s father, then 57 years old, could not take care of Mary and her three brothers so he adopted them out.
Orville Chester Wakenight
Born: 30 MAR 1885 in Boelus, Howard County, Nebraska
Father: Edward Dallas Wakenight (1857 to 1927)
Mother: Susan R Koehler (1862 to 1954)
First Spouse: Anna Marie Christensen (1886 to 1909)
Married: 21 JUN 1908 in Gentry, Benton County, Arkansas
Children: None
Second Spouse: Ellen Genelia England (1885 to 1964)
Married: 2 APR 1911 in Searcy, White County, Arkansas
Children: None
Died: 11 OCT 1955 in Searcy, White County, Arkansas
Burial: Oak Grove Cemetery
Obituary:
Prominent Searcy Businessman Dies After Long Illness
“Mr. O. C. Wakenight, 70, prominent Searcy businessman, passed away at a local hospital this Tuesday, morning Oct. 11, after a long illness.
Son of the late Mr. and Mrs. E. D. Wakenight. Mr. Wakenight was born in Boelus Neb. March 20, 1885, having moved to Searcy in 1911. He was married to Miss Ellen G. England of Searcy on April 2, 1911.
Upon moving to Arkansas in 1906 he settled in Gentry. A short time after this he went into business with his brother E. D. Wakenight, in Sulphur Springs. After moving to Searcy for many years he was associated with Mrs. Wakenight who owned and operated the Wakenight Sanitarium, which is now the Rodgers Hospital, and he was in the plumbing and electrical business before taking over the Frigidaire dealer in the state of Arkansas. At one time he was an agent for General Motors cars and trucks, having built a garage and salesroom at the present location of the Searcy Bank.
Mr. Wakenight was a member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and had many sterling qualities. He was a devoted husband and father and was a sincere friend. His many friends here and across the state regret to learn of his death.
He is survived by his wife and an adopted daughter, Mrs. C. L. White, of Fort Worth Tex.; a brother, E. D. Wakenight of Searcy; two sisters, Mrs. D. M. Twiggs of Gentry and Mrs. Fred C. Osborne of Searcy; 11 nephews and 12 nieces.
Funeral arrangements under the direction of the Daniel Funeral Home were incomplete at the time of going to press. They will be announced in tomorrow’s paper.”
Obituary courtesy of Sharon Strow.
Timeline:
1890 Unknown (the 1890 Census was destroyed in a major fire)
1900 Kelso Precinct, Howard County, Nebraska
1908 Marriage to Anna
1909 Death of wife, Anna
1909 Death of sister, Carrie
1910 Gentry, Benton County, Arkansas
1911 Marriage to Ellen
1918 Searcy, White County, Arkansas
1920 Searcy, White County, Arkansas
1927 Death of father, Edward
1930 Searcy White County, Arkansas
1940 Searcy, White County, Arkansas
1942 Searcy, White County, Arkansas
1954 Death of mother, Susanna
1955 Death and burial
Occupation: farm laborer (1900), electrician (1910), garage owner (1920), hospital proprietor (1930), radio shop owner (1940)
Records:
1900 to 1940 US Census Records
Arkansas, County Marriages Index, 1837-1957
World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
The U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Variations of Surname: None
First Spouse:
Anna Marie Christensen:
Anna was born on 27 DEC 1886 in Dannebrog, Howard County, Nebraska. She died on 9 MAY 1909 in Gentry, Benton County, Arkansas. Anna was 22 years old when she died.
Her father was Rasmus Larson Christensen. He was born on 6 JUN 1859 in Denmark. He died on 4 MAR 1938 in Arcadia, Valley County, Nebraska.
Her mother was Augusta Philippa Miller. She was born on 15 JUN 1861 in Denmark. She died on 13 JAN 1948 in Arcadia, Valley County, Nebraska.
Anna’s Obituary:
“Anna Marie was known to her immediate family and friends as Annie. She was born in Dannebrog, Howard County, Nebraska. Her father was Rasmus Larsen Christensen, a Danish immigrant, and farmer, and her mother was Augusta Philippa Miller, also a Danish immigrant, housewife, and mother of six children. Annie had three brothers, William Miller, Frederick August, and Edward George. She had two other siblings who died in infancy. Annie spent her early childhood on the family farms in Nebraska near Dannebrog, Dannevirke, and Loup City.
Her first language at home was Danish. She learned English when she started attending elementary school. In 1906, at age 19, Annie moved with her parents from Loup City, Sherman County, Nebraska to a farm near Gentry, Benton County, Arkansas. In Gentry, she met Orville Chester Wakenight (b 1885, d 1955). The Wakenights were a large well-known family in Benton County. In a double wedding ceremony, which included Annie’s oldest brother, William, and his bride, Goldie Mae McLaughlin, Annie married Orville at Gentry on Jun 21, 1908. She was 21. They had no children.
After only 8 months of married life, Annie contracted scarlet fever and died on May 9, 1909, at the age of 22, in Gentry. She was greatly mourned by her husband and extended family, and many of them perpetuated her memory by naming their children Ann, Anna, or Anna Marie. Her remains were buried in the Gentry cemetery.”
Information provided by Find A Grave contributor James Christensen 48589072.
Second Spouse:
Ellen Genelia England:
Ellen was born on 15 OCT 1885 in Catawba County, North Carolina. She died on 25 MAR 1964 in Siloam Springs, Benton County, Arkansas.
Her father was Napoleon Bonaparte England. He was born on 20 FEB 1851 in North Carolina. He died on 10 JAN 1923 in Searcy, White County, Arkansas.
Her mother was Sarah Ann Robinson. She was born on 1 NOV 1846 in Catawba County, North Carolina. She died on 5 JAN 1938 in Searcy, White County, Arkansas.
As noted above in Orville’s obituary, Ellen operated the Wakenight Sanitarium. Sharon Strow shares this information on the business:
“Before 1920 there was no hospital in White County. Mrs. O.C. Wakenight (who was Searcy’s only graduate nurse at the time), Dr. A.G. Harrison, and Dr. S.T. Tapscott established the Wakenight Sanitarium in 1920 and the two physicians asked her if she would start taking patients into her home. It struggled and was never very successful, although in 1927 they recorded more than 300 surgeries in the facility. It was sold to Dr. Porter Rodgers in 1943.
The Wakenight Sanitarium was described as a five-room house. They built on to it. This was described in a note about Mrs. Ethel Bailey Shumpourd who worked there as a cook until Mrs. Wakenight offered her a housekeeping position when they expanded. After Dr. Rogers bought it she continued to work there.”
Adopted Daughter:
Mary Ellen Cato:
Mary was born on 19 JUL 1915 in Searcy, White County, Arkansas. She died in 1986 in Whitney, Hill County, Texas.
Mary’s father was Andrew Jackson Cato. He was born in 1868 in Kentucky. He died on 28 MAY 1931 in Searcy, White County, Arkansas.
Mary’s mother was Ola Smith. She was born in 1891 in Arkansas. She died in 1925 in Searcy, White County, Arkansas. Ola was 34 years old when she died.
After the death of her mother in 1925, Mary’s father could not take care of her and her three brothers. He was much older than Ola, being 57 years old in 1925. At that time, AJ decided to adopt out all four children.
Mary’s Brothers:
Jack King was born on 14 OCT 1914* in Searcy, White County, Arkansas. He died on 11 MAR 2001 in El Campo, Wharton County, Texas.
(*) The birth year might be 1912, as Ola married AJ Cato in 1913.
Jack was the son of Ola and her first husband, Thomas Franklin King. Ola and Thomas married in 1909 in Searcy. I have no information on Thomas except that he was born around 1888.
The 1930 US census record shows that Mary’s half-brother went to live with Charles L and Florence Pickens in Monticello, Drew County, Arkansas.
Andrew Jackson Cato was born on 17 FEB 1919 in Searcy, White County, Arkansas.
Wesley Ellsworth Cato was born on 25 DEC 1921 in Searcy, White County, Arkansas.
The 1930 US census record shows that Mary’s brothers were orphans of the Vera Lloyd Home Presbyterian Orphanage in Marion, Drew County, Arkansas.
The 1940 US census record shows that AJ was living with James A and Willy May Byrd in Marion, Sebastian County, Arkansas.
The 1940 US census record shows that Wesley rented a room from Mr. J Henry and Ruby C Connerly. His 1942 WWII draft registration shows that J H Connerly was his closest contact.
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!
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