Raymond is my grandfather. After he divorced Ethel, he married Pauline in 1951. They joined the Adventist church and moved to Chicago for several years.
Raymond Luther Wakenight
Born: 15 MAY 1916 in Oregon, Ogle County, Illinois
Father: Harry Norman Wakenight (1873 to 1929)
Mother: Margaret Louise Hill (1880 to 1918)
First Spouse: Ethel Elnora Marion Johnson (1921 to 1996)
Married: 16 MAR 1938 in Clinton, Clinton County, Iowa
Children:
Lois May Wakenight (24 JUL 1938 to 25 JUL 1938)
Donald Eugene Wakenight (21 JAN 1940 to 16 DEC 1993)
Linda A Wakenight (1942 to Still Living)
Second Spouse: Ethel Pauline Stark (1924 to 2006)
Married: 17 Mar 1951 in Rock Falls, Whiteside County, Illinois
Children:
Robert D Wakenight (1953 to Unknown/Still Living)
Douglas Dean Wakenight (12 AUG 1959 to 19 FEB 2011)
Died: 1 OCT 2000 in Galt, Whiteside County, Illinois
Burial: Oak Knoll Memorial Park Cemetery, Sterling, Whiteside County, Illinois
Obituary:
“Raymond “Ray” Wakenight, 84, of 308 Riverside Estates, Rock Falls, died Sunday, October 1, 2000, at his home. He had been employed as a crane operator for Northwestern Steel & Wire for 25 years and at Saulk Valley Equipment Co.
Mr. Wakenight was born May 15, 1916, in Oregon, IL, the son of Harry and Margaret Wakenight. He married Pauline Schutt on March 17, 1951, in Rock Falls. He was a member of the Sunshine Singers.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Doug (Debbie) Wakenight of Newport News VA, Bob Wakenight of Waterloo, WI; three daughters, Linda (Dan) Welker of Milledgeville, Ruthanne (Jack) Pyle of Cabot, AR, Sandy Saurbaugh of Chillicothe, 22 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by two sons, Donald Wakenight and Larry Schutt.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 PM, Thursday, October 5, 2000, at Schilling Funeral Home with Major Michael Fletcher of the Salvation Army officiating. Burial will be in Oak Knoll Memorial Park.”
Timeline:
1918 Death of mother, Margaret
1920 Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois
1929 Death of father, Harry
1930 Dixon, Lee County, Illinois
1938 Marriage to Ethel
1938 Birth of daughter, Lois
1938 Death of daughter, Lois
1940 Birth of son, Donald
1940 Dixon, Lee County, Illinois
1942 Birth of daughter, Linda
1947 Divorce from wife, Ethel
1949 Dixon, Lee County, Illinois
1951 Marriage to Pauline
1951 Death of half-brother, Roland
1953 Birth of son, Robert
1959 Birth of son, Douglas
1961 Death of brother, Floyd
1978 Death of brother, Merle
1989 Death of brother, Leroy
1993 Death of son, Donald
1994 Death of sister, Edna
1996 Death of ex-wife, Ethel
2000 Death and burial
Occupation: crane operator (25 years)
Records:
1920 to 1940 US Census Records
Iowa, Marriage Records, 1923-1937
U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
Dixon Evening Telegraph (Dixon, Illinois)
The U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (Beta)
U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1
U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 2
The U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
Social Security Death Index
Web: Obituary Daily Times Index, 1995-2012
The U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Variations of Surname: None
First Spouse:
Ethel Elnora Marion Johnson:
Ethel was born on 23 OCT 1921 in Thompson, Jo Daviess County, Illinois. She died on 5 JAN 1996 in Sterling, Whiteside County, Illinois.
Ethel’s father was Emory W Johnson. He was born on 4 NOV 1897 in Lacon, Marshall County, Illinois. He died on 18 OCT 1977 in Franklin Grove, Lee County, Illinois.
Ethel’s mother was Troas Trillby Burdge. She was born on 29 MAY 1900 in Malone, Tazewell County, Illinois. She died in 1983 in Sterling, Whiteside County, Illinois.
Ethel had one brother, James Francis Johnson. He was born on 21 AUG 1927 in Dixon, Lee County, Illinois. He died on 8 FEB 1985 in Sterling, Whiteside County, Illinois.
Ethel had two half-sisters, both born in Lee County, Illinois:
Jeanne Johnson (1937)
Patricia A Johnson (1939)
After Ethel divorced Raymond in 1947, she married Arthur Lynell Guinn in Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington. Two known children were born to this marriage, both born in Tacoma:
Grace L Guinn (1947)
Valerie J Guinn (1948)
Arthur Lynell Guinn was born on 28 APR 1915 in Vandalia, Fayette County, Illinois. He died on 18 JUL 1962 in Sterling, Whiteside County, Illinois.
Arthur had previously been married to Alice Cleo Watson. I do not know if they had any children.
Alice Cleo Watson was born in 1917 in Oak Grove, Montrose, Colorado.
Ethel’s Obituary:
Sunday, January 7, 1996
Ethel Guinn
“STERLING, Ill. – Services for Ethel M. Guinn, 74, will be 11 a.m. Monday at Gardner Funeral Home, Prophetstown. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery, Prophetstown. There will be no visitation.
She had worked in Sterling as a nurse’s aide for 25 years. She was a member of the Sterling Church of Christ. A memorial fund has been established.
Survivors include daughters, Valerie (Mrs. Elmer) Holloway, Rock Falls, Linda (Mrs. Dan) Welker, Milledgeville, and Grace (Mrs. Norman) Bayer, Yuma, Ariz.; 20 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by an infant daughter; a son, Donald Wakenight; and a great-grandson.”
Marriage to Arthur:
The 1940 US census record shows that Arthur and Alice were living in Sterling, Whiteside County, Illinois. He worked as a fireman at the Northwestern Steel and Wire company.
In 1942, Arthur enlisted in the US Army in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. A 1945 directory listing shows that Arthur was stationed in Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington.
Arthur and Alice must have divorce in 1946. Alice may have remarried.
The 1947 directory listing shows that Arthur and Ethel were then married and living in Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington. He was working as a laborer for the Northern Pacific Railway.
Arthur’s obituary notes that he worked for NWSW for 25 years. This may be an approximate guess on how long he worked for that company. Arthur and Ethel’s youngest daughter was born in 1948 in Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington. They may have returned to Sterling in 1949.
Arthur’s Obituary:
Rockford Morning Star, Friday, July 20, 1962 p. 7.
“STERLING – Arrangements for Arthur L. Guinn, 47, Nelson, who died Wednesday in Community General Hospital, are being made by Melvin Funeral Home, Sterling.
Mr. Guinn was born in Vandalia, son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Guinn. A resident of this area for 30 years, he had been employed by Northwestern Steel and Wire Co. for 25 years.
Survivors include two daughters, Grace Louise and Valarie, and a brother, William A. Guinn, all of Sterling.”
Second Spouse:
Ethel Pauline Stark:
Pauline was born on 14 SEP 1924 in Rock Falls, Whiteside County, Illinois. She died on 9 DEC 2006 in Galt, Whiteside County, Illinois.
Pauline never used her given name of Ethel.
Pauline’s father was Edward B Stark. He was born on 13 OCT 1896 in Harrison County, Indiana. He died in 1977 in Rock Falls, Whiteside County, Illinois.
Pauline’s mother was Effie May Girdley. She was born on 13 JAN 1897 in Kentucky. She died in 1987 in Rock Falls, Whiteside County, Illinois.
Pauline had five brothers and sisters, the first three were born in Harrison County, Indiana, the others in Whiteside County, Illinois:
Lillian B Stark (1918)
Edwin Stark (1921)
Erwin Stark (1921)
George Stark (1923)
Robert Stark (1926)
Pauline had previously married Frank Julian Schutt in 1943 in Coloma, Whiteside County, Illinois. Three children were born to this marriage:
Larry Schutt (1944)
Ruthanne Schutt (1945)
Sandra L Schutt (1949)
Frank Julian Schutt was born on 24 AUG 1924 in Whiteside County, Illinois. He died on 20 JUL 1948 in Rock Falls, Whiteside County, Illinois.
Accidental Drowning:
I find it interesting that Pauline and the children were not mentioned in this article. She was pregnant with Sandra at the time of Frank’s death. Could they have separated?
Why did Raymond and Pauline move to Chicago?
Floyd’s obituary of 1961 described his brother’s place of residence as Chicago, Illinois. I wondered why my grandfather moved so far away from his hometown. So I asked my mom these questions:
Do you remember when grandpa and Pauline moved to Chicago?
“Your father said that they (Raymond and Pauline) moved to Chicago before we got married in 1963. I think they joined a church, but I don’t remember what it was called.”
“I thought it was odd because their Sabbath was on Saturday instead of on Sunday. And, they did not celebrate holidays like Christmas or Easter.”
“I also remember your father telling me that they (Raymond and Pauline) were not allowed to live together while they were in Chicago. They lived in separate houses.”
Why was that?
“I think it had to do with your grandfather divorcing Little Grandma. Because she (Ethel) was still alive, the church seemed to think that your grandfather and Little Grandma should get back together.”
“I don’t know if the church recognized Ray’s marriage to Pauline. That’s probably why they did not live together.”
When did they move back?
“I think when you were about six or seven (about 1970). When you were born (1964), your grandpa came to the house grumbling about wanting to leave the church and moving back to Sterling. He said it was hard to leave the church.”
Do you remember anything else about that time?
“Yes. And, I think it’s a shame! Your grandpa (Raymond) quit his job at the wire mill one year before he would have received his pension. Instead, when they moved back to Sterling, he had to work until he retired. Just because of that church!”
Did Raymond and Pauline join The Seventh Day Adventist Church?
When I searched the internet for a church that recognized Saturday as the Sabbath and did not celebrate holidays, the first name to appear in the search results was the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
I then found a website that discussed the church’s opinion on divorce and remarriage. In 1932, the Seventh Day Adventists developed a Church Manual. In it was a provision for divorce and remarriage that included the following statements:
“The 1932 statement called for efforts to effect reconciliation when marriages were under threat.” (Is that why the church thought Grandpa should go back to his ex-wife?)
“The policy stated that members should not be permitted to continue in church fellowship if they remarried while their former spouses, whom they divorced without biblical reasons, were still alive.” (Little Grandma was still alive.)
‘However, the innocent party to divorce did have the right to remarry. It was the responsibility of the officiating minister to determine whether or not a person had the right to remarry, based on satisfactory evidence of the facts of the case.” (Is this why Grandpa and Pauline lived in separate quarters? Because the minister had not determined if Grandpa was the innocent party?)
To me, this coincides with what my mother told me about Grandpa and Pauline’s move to Chicago. And, for most people, religion plays a big part in their lives, whether in their early years or later in life.
I remember attending the Advent Christian Church in Prophetstown, Whiteside County, Illinois. I was about ten years old at the time and loved Sunday School. I still have the bible they gave me.
Memories of my Grandparents:
I have few, very distant memories of grandpa and Pauline. When I was a pre-teen, my parents would take us over to visit them in Galt, Whiteside County, Illinois. When I was in my twenties, Grandpa and Pauline would stop by around Christmas time to visit and pass out presents We did not see them very often.
I have more memories of Little Grandma, Uncle James, and Big Grandma. We would visit Big Grandma’s house every month or so. Dad and Uncle James would watch the Chicago Cubs. Mom and Little Grandma would help Big Grandma with dinner. Sometimes, I would spend the night and help Big Grandma with chores or work in her garden.
It could be said that when Grandpa and Pauline left the area to start a new life in Chicago, they distanced themselves from my father. Dad would have been 20 years old at that time.
And, after they returned? My father still felt that family connection.
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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