Daniel spent most of his boyhood out in Washington County, Maryland. When he reached young manhood, he gained a desire to move out to the Western frontier, so he, with others moved as far West as Clark County, Ohio.

Daniel Wakenight

Born: 24 SEP 1830 in Boonsboro, Washington County, Maryland

Father: Daniel Wakenight (1792 to 1866)
Mother: Isabell Powell (1798 to 1881)

Spouse: Lydia Kerns (FEB 1836 to 1909)

Married: 8 MAR 1855 in Clark County, Ohio

Children:

John Henry Wakenight (1 FEB 1856 to4 DEC 1936)
Jacob W Wakenight (2 JAN 1860 to 6 NOV 1904)
Cora May Wakenight (10 JAN 1864 to 10 JUN 1864)
Anna Virginia Wakenight (15 JUL 1866 to 13 OCT 1938)

Died: 6 MAR 1923 in Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois

Burial:

North Grove Evangelical Cemetery, Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois

Obituary:

Mt. Morris Times March 15, 1923:

Died on a Tuesday morning, March 6, 1923, reaching the age of 92 years, 5 months, and 18 days, Mr. Wakenight being of a family of seven. He spent most of his boyhood out in Washington County, Maryland. When he reached young manhood, he gained a desire to move out to the Western frontier, so he, with others moved as far West as Clark County, Ohio.

Here he met Lydia Kerns, with whom in 1855 he was united in marriage. After their marriage, they decided to move farther west. Together with others, they started with horses and wagons, coming to Ogle County, Illinois, settling in what is now called Pine Creek Township, Illinois.

In the year 1865, both Mr. and Mrs. Wakenight joined the United Brethren Church, where he held his membership until the time of his death. After having lived near Pine Creek for a period of time they then moved to the old homestead, where he and Mrs. Wakenight shared the joys and sorrows of life together. In moving to this community, Mr. and Mrs. Wakenight made the Church their place of worship, attending very faithfully.

Their happy union was blessed with four children, John, Jacob, Cora, and Anna of whom Jacob and Cora have preceded their father in death. Mrs. Wakenight departed this life on January 29, 1909.

His funeral was held on Thursday, March 8, 1923, at the North Grove Evangelical Church, the Reverend Sienvisen of Forreston, preaching the funeral sermon.

Thus we find that neighbor Wakenight leaves to mourn his loss, his son John, his daughter Mrs. Anna Mayer, seven grandchildren, fourteen great-grandchildren, and a host of friends. His pallbearers were his six nephews: George A Gaffin, John D Croft, Edward Potter, Ernest Wolf, Elmer Wolf, and Frederick Gaffin, who peacefully laid him to rest beside his wife in the cemetery adjoining the church.

Timeline:

1850 Hagerstown, Washington County, Maryland
1855 Marriage to Lydia
1856 Birth of son, John
1858 Death of brother, John
1860 Birth of son, Jacob
1860 Pine Creek, Ogle County, Illinois
1863 Enlisted in the Civil War
1864 Birth of daughter, Cora
1864 Death of daughter, Cora
1866 Birth of daughter, Anna
1866 Death of father, Daniel
1870 Pine Creek, Ogle County, Illinois
1875 Death of sister, Mary
1880 Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois
1881 Death of mother, Isabell
1890 Unknown (the 1890 Census was destroyed in a major fire)
1895 Death of brother, Robert
1900 Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois
1904 Death of son, Jacob
1908 Death of brother, Samuel
1909 Death of wife, Lydia
1910 Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois
1915 Death of sister, Isabell
1919 Death of sister, Susanna
1920 Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois
1923 Death and burial

Occupation: laborer (1850), farm laborer (1860), farmer (1863 to 1900)

Records:

1840 to 1880, 1900 to 1920 US Census Records
Ohio, County Marriage Records, 1774-1993
U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865
Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947
The U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current

Variations of Surname: none

Spouse:

Lydia Kerns was born on 26 FEB 1836 in Donnelsville, Clark County, Ohio. She died on 29 JAN 1909 in Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois.

Her father was John Kerns. He was born in 1806 in Pennsylvania. He died on 12 MAY 1877 in Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois.

Her mother was Elizabeth Baker. She was born in 1807 in Pennsylvania. She died on 31 MAY 1883 in Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois.

Lydia’s siblings were Henry Kerns (1834), Amanda Kerns (1839), Caroline Kerns (1840), Levi Kerns (1844), Mary E Kerns (1845), William Kerns (1846), John Kerns (1848), and Samuel Kerns (1850). Henry was born in Pennsylvania. All the other children were born in Ohio.

Obituary:

Mt. Morris Times February 4, 1909:

Mrs. Lydia Kerns Wakenight was born in Clark County, Ohio on February 26, 1836, and died in her home in Leaf River Township, Ogle County, Illinois on January 29, 1909, aged 72 years, 11 months, and 3 days.

She was married to Daniel Wakenight in March 1855, she and her husband came to Ogle County in 1856, which since that time has been her home.

To this union was born four children: John, Jacob, Cora, and Anna died. Cora and Jacob having preceded her to that other world.

The funeral will be held on Sunday, January 31st at the North Grove Evangelical Church. She leaves a husband and two children, three sisters and two brothers besides a host of friends to mourn her loss.

She was a kind and loving mother, always ready to extend a helping hand to those in need. In the year 1865, she was converted and joined the United Brethren Church, and remained a faithful member till the end.

Her remains were peacefully laid to rest in the cemetery adjoining the church, by kind hands, who with their many friends sympathize with those who mourn the loss of their departed one.

Daughters:

Cora May Wakenight:

Cora was born on 10 JAN 1864 in Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois, and died six months later. The sole memorial to commemorate her birth and death is etched on her parent’s headstone.

Anna Virginia Wakenight:

Anna was born on 15 JUL 1866 in Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois. She died on 13 OCT 1938 in Freeport, Stephenson County, Illinois.

Anna married Joseph William Mayer on 27 Aug 1885 in Forreston, Ogle County, Illinois. Four known children were born to this marriage:

Clinton Earl Mayer (1886 to 1962)
Merrit Clyde Mayer (1890 to 1968)
Gladys Mayer (1892 to 1972)
Guy Gottlieb Mayer (1895 to 1967)

Joseph William Mayer was born on 1 FEB 1859 in Ridott, Stephenson County, Illinois. He died on 25 APR 1924 in Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois.

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 excellent sources 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!