Daniel’s daughter, Esther, married a man named Simon DuSavage. In 1905, his parents emigrated from Lithuania. Yet, his father, Jonas or John Dusevičius remains a mystery.

Daniel Scott Wakenight

Born: 12 OCT 1879 in Holt, Gage County, Nebraska

Father: Jonas Theodore Wakenight (1853 to 1931)
Mother: Frances Jane Nicewonger (1858 to 1950)

Spouse: Frances Folsom French ( 1889 to 1964)

Married: 31 JAN 1906 in Scott County, Iowa

Children:

Arthur Freeman Wakenight (25 JUN 1915 to 8 OCT 1982)
Esther Marie Wakenight (8 JUL 1917 to 11 FEB 2008)

Died: 6 JUL 1922 in Grand Detour, Ogle County, Illinois

Burial: Grand Detour Cemetery, Grand Detour, Ogle County, Illinois

Obituary:

Dixon Telegraph on 7-7-1922 page 1 col. 3

Daniel Wakenight for 16 years a resident of Grand Detour IL in Ogle Co. passed away at his home last night at 11:15. He had been seriously ill for a period of one year, his death being caused by a complication of ailments.

The deceased was born in Arcola IL* on 10-12-1880. Besides his wife, one son, and one daughter at home he is survived by his parents, four sisters, and two brothers.

The funeral arrangements have not been completed and will be announced later.

Obituary courtesy of Sharon Strow.

* The birthplace of Arcola IL may be incorrect. Without the actual obituary, I cannot verify that it was a mistake by the newspaper, the person submitting the obit, or if Sharon incorrectly transcribed the words. Jonas and Frances had already moved to Nebraska before the birth of their children. Daniel’s death record states that he was born in Gage County, Nebraska. All but one census record lists his birthplace as Nebraska.

Timeline:

1880 Holt, Gage County, Nebraska
1885 Hanover, Gage County, Nebraska
1888 Death of sister, Pearl
1890 Unknown (the 1890 Census was destroyed in a major fire)
1900 Holt, Gage County, Nebraska
1906 Marriage to Frances
1910 Dixon, Lee County, Illinois
1915 Birth of son, Arthur
1917 Birth of daughter, Esther
1920 Grand Detour, Ogle County, Illinois
1922 Death and burial

Occupation: day laborer (1900), farm laborer (1910), highway commissioner (1920)

Records:

1880, 1900 to 1920 US Census Records
Nebraska, State Census Collection, 1860-1885
Iowa, Marriage Records, 1923-1937
World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947
The U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current

Variations of Surname: Wakenicht

Spouse:

Frances Folsom French:

Frances was born on 7 APR 1889 in Ogle County, Illinois. She died in 1964 in Grand Detour, Ogle County, Illinois.

Her father was Zachariah Taylor French. He was born on 10 SEP 1850 in Hagerstown, Washington County, Maryland. He died on 8 JAN 1916 in Polo, Ogle County, Illinois.

Her mother was Mary Ann Nicewonger. She was born on 10 JAN 1852 in Cherryhill, Indiana County, Pennsylvania. She died on 12 JUN 1945 in Grand Detour, Ogle County, Illinois.

Zachariah and Mary Ann were married in 1969 in Ogle County, Illinois. The 1900 and 1910 US census records for Mary Ann lists a total of eight children born to this marriage. Four of the children died before 1900.

Frances’ three surviving siblings were all born in Ogle County, Illinois:

Ida M French (1872)
James Arthur French (1880)
Hazel Omelia French (1893)

Daughter:

Esther Marie Wakenight:

Esther was born on 8 JUL 1917 in Grand Detour, Ogle County, Illinois. She died on 11 FEB 2008 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.

Esther married Simon DuSavage around 1936 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois. One known child was born to this marriage.

Gerald A DuSavage (1942)

Simon DuSavage was born on 5 FEB 1907 in Pittsburg, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. He died on 5 JAN 1993 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.

Simon’s parents were Jonas Dusevičius and Frances (1880). Both individuals were born in Lithuania.

Jonas or John remains a mystery. I could not find this family in the 1910 or 1920 US census records. The surname was probably very hard to translate into the written American language.

Simon had four known sisters and brothers, all born in Pennsylvania:

Joseph DuSavage (1912)
Marion DuSavage (1914)
Edward DuSavage (1918)
Nellie DuSavage (1923)

Gerald A DuSavage:

Gerald was born on11 SEP 1942 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois. He died on 23 MAR 2005, probably in Winnebago County, Illinois.

Gerald married a woman named Karen Neff.

Gerald’s Descendants:

From the United States Obituary Collection on Ancestry.com, I was able to get a list of surviving relatives:

Children:

The children were probably born in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.

Amber (DuSavage) Creviston
Jeff DuSavage
Valerie (DuSavage) Campbell
Darci (DuSavage) Nelson

Siblings:

Gary Lee DuSavage:

Gary was born on 2 JUL 1946 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois. He died on 27 MAR 2010 in Gray Court, Laurens County, South Carolina. He is buried in the Stillman Valley Cemetery, Stillman Valley, Ogle County, Illinois.

The obituary did not list a wife. She may have died before he did.

The children listed in the obituary were:

Terry DuSavage (1965)
Duane DuSavage (1967)
Heath DuSavage (1970)
Brandon DuSavage (1971)
Shawn DuSavage (1972)

I did find, through public records, that the children were born in Ogle County, Illinois.

Beverly DuSavage:

Beverly was born around 1941 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois. She married a man with the surname of Heeren.

I am hopeful that one of these DuSavage descendants may read this article. They could share some family stories. They may even be able to answer the question of what happened to Jonas Dusevičius.

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!