In 1913, Martha gave birth to Millard’s daughter, yet she could not care for the child. May Mary Wakenight was adopted out and her name changed to Mary E Fields.
Millard Burdette Wakenight
Born: 15 AUG 1882 in Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois
Father: Jacob W Wakenight (1860 to 1904)
Mother: Sadie Margaret Kershner (1860 to 1936)
First Spouse: Emma Ida Pahaly (1879 to 1960)
Married: 11 Nov 1903 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois
Children:
Laurin Wesley Wakenight (6 NOV 1904 to 2 APR 1991)
Leora Ilene Wakenight (3 FEB 1906 to 26 MAR 1985)
Dorothy Beatrice Wakenight (21 JUN 1908 to APR 1980)
Second Spouse: Martha Christina Peterson (1887 to 1965)
Married: Relationship/Unconfirmed Marriage
Child: May Mary Wakenight (30 OCT 1913 to 22 JAN 2004)
Third Spouse: Bessie Gertrude Rowe (1885 to 1958)
Married: 18 Jan 1928 in Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois
Children: None
Died: 7 APR 1961 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois
Burial: Lightsville Cemetery, Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois
Obituary:
Timeline:
1890 Unknown (the 1890 Census was destroyed in a major fire)
1900 Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois
1903 Marriage to Emma
1904 Birth of son, Laurin
1906 Birth of daughter, Leora
1906 Death of father, Jacob
1908 Birth of daughter, Dorothy
1908 Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois
1910 Divorced from Emma
1911 South Dakota
1915 South Dakota
1918 Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois
1920 Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois
1928 Marriage to Bessie
1930 Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois
1936 Death of mother, Sadie
1940 Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois
1945 Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois
1952 Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois
1958 Death of wife, Bessie
1959 Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois
1960 Death of ex-wife, Emma
1961 Death and burial
Occupation: railroad conductor (1908), general store clerk (1918), grocery store salesman (1920), factory laborer (1930), truck driver (1940, 1945, 1952)
Records:
1900, 1920 to 1940 US Census Records
South Dakota, State Census, 1915
World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
The U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (Beta)
Winnebago County, Illinois, Deaths, 1844-1992
The U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Variations of Surname: None
Spouses:
Emma Ida Pahaly:
Emma was born on 18 MAR 1879 in Lindenwood, Ogle County, Illinois. She died on 7 JAN 1960 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.
Emma’s father was Charles Pahaly. He was born in 1848 in Germany. He died on 7 MAR 1936 in De Kalb, De Kalb County, Illinois.
Emma’s mother was Augusta P Beuzer. She was born on 15 JUL 1852 in Germany. She died on 31 DEC 1916 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.
Emma had ten brothers and sisters, the two oldest were born in Germany, the others born in Ogle County, Illinois:
Henry Pahaly (1874)
Charles Pahaly (1876)
Fred G Pahaly (1878)
Clara Pahaly (1880)
Bertha Pahaly (1882)
John Pahaly (1884)
George Albert Pahaly (1886)
Herbert Pahaly (1889)
Gertrude Pahaly (1891)
Walter Pahaly (1893)
Divorce:
A 1908 directory listing described Millard as a conductor for the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad.
The 1910 US census record shows that Emma and the three children were living in Rockford, Winnebago, Illinois. Her marital status was listed as divorced.
I could not find Millard in 1910, but I did track him down on a 1915 South Dakota census. The record notes that he arrived in the state in 1911.
One of the places that the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad traveled to was South Dakota. One of the stops on their route must have been Sioux Falls, Minnehaha County, South Dakota.
It was in Sioux Falls that Millard met Martha Christina Peterson. This was also where Martha gave birth to their child, May Mary Wakenight.
By 1918, Millard had returned to Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois. His ex-wife continued to live in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.
And, even though Millard went on to marry Bessie Gertrude Rowe in 1928, Emma listed her marital status as widowed on the 1920, 1930, and 1940 US censuses.
Emma’s Obituary:
Martha Christina Peterson:
Martha was born on 9 DEC 1887 in South Dakota. She died in 1965 in Hartford, Minnehaha County, South Dakota.
Martha’s father was Peter Morterson Peterson. He was born in 1845 in Germany. He died on 15 SEP 1914 in Hartford, Minnehaha County, South Dakota.
Martha’s mother was Mattie Mary Byg. She was born in 1846 in Germany. She died on 7 JAN 1930 in Hartford, Minnehaha County, South Dakota.
Martha had four brothers and sisters, all born in South Dakota:
Anna Margaret Peterson (1877)
Nels Castan Peterson (1880)
Peter Clever Peterson (1882)
George Hans Peterson (1884)
Why Martha Never Married:
After reviewing the US census records from 1920 to 1940, I came to the conclusion that Martha may have had a mental disability. At ages 33 and 43, Martha continued to live with her mother and brother, respectively. By 1940, at age 53, she had been placed in the State School and Home For The Feeble-Minded in Redfield, Spink County, South Dakota.
The Fate of the Child:
May Mary Wakenight was born on 30 OCT 1913 in Bradley, Clark County, South Dakota. Bradley is 150 miles northwest of Sioux Falls. She died on 22 JAN 2004 in Wolf Creek, Josephine County, Oregon.
On 28 NOV 1913, May was placed in an orphanage. Sharon Strow notes:
“This information is according to the mother and father listed on The South Dakota Children’s Home Society papers giving up rights to the minor child dated Nov. 28th, 1913. Has father listed but does not have his signature only mothers. Have copy of the paper, and this information was given to me by May Mary’s daughter.”
May was then adopted by Theodore W Fields (1867 Michigan) and his wife, Rosetta E Paine Fields (1872 Wisconsin). Her name was also changed to Mary E Fields. As you can see on the 1920 US census record, I believe Theodore named May after his mother.
On 12 APR 1929, May married Charles William Gray in Baker County, Oregon. Two known children were born to this marriage:
Dorothy A Gray (1930)
Charlton Gray (1938)
Charles William Gray was born on 7 JUL 1906 in Cardiff, Garfield County, Colorado. He died on 7 DEC 1968 in Josephine County, Oregon.
Bessie Gertrude Rowe:
Bessie was born in 1885 in Illinois. She died on 14 NOV 1958 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.
Bessie’s father was Daniel Rowe (1859 Maryland). Bessie’s mother was Annie E Palmer (1863 Illinois).
Bessie had two sisters, both born in Illinois:
Eva M Rowe (1883)
Cora Rowe (1889)
Bessie had previously married John Aaron Pals in 1904 in Leaf River, Ogle Couny, Illinois. Four known children were born to this marriage, all in Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois:
Clarence J Pals (1905)
Gladys E Pals (1908)
Mildred E Pals (1911)
Laverne M Pals (1919)
John Aaron Pals was born on 21 JUL 1882 in Seward, Winnebago County, Illinois. He died on 12 OCT 1918 in Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois.
Bessie’s Obituary:
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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