When Sharon talked to Dan Hutton, he gave his “best guess” on John Osborn’s vitals. In family history, this is not a bad thing. It helps guide us in the right direction.

Three known daughters were born to Edward Dallas Wakenight (1857 to 1927) and Susan R Koehler (1862 to 1954).

Alice May Wakenight:

Alice was born on 4 JUL 1886 in Boelus, Howard County, Nebraska. She died on 29 MAY 1976 in Loma Linda, San Bernardino County, California.

Alice married David Marcus Twiggs on 30 SEP 1913 in Pitkin Corner, Washington County, Arkansas. Two children were born to this marriage:

Frances Lorean Twiggs (1914)
Barbara Aileen Twiggs (1927)

David Marcus Twiggs was born on 4 NOV 1885 in Springtown, Benton County, Arkansas. He died on 8 FEB 1965 in Loma Linda, San Bernardino County, California.

David’s father was David Marion Twiggs. He was born on 14 FEB 1851 in Union County, Georgia. He died on 3 JUL 1925 in Benton County, Arkansas.

David’s mother was Ellen Catherine Hall. She was born on 20 NOV 1843 in Cherokee County, North Carolina. She died on 22 JUN 1913 in Gentry, Benton County, Arkansas.

Alice’s husband began his career as a minister for the Seventh Day Adventist Church. This profession is noted in two documents:

World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
1920 US Census Record

The 1930 US census shows that David and Alice moved to Fullerton, Orange County, California. David worked as a tree pruner for a local business.

The 1940 US census shows that David and Alice moved to National City, San Diego County, California. David must have not been able to work. No occupation is listed for the years 1939 and 1940. Alice was employed as a nurse at a private hospital.

The U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942, notes that David worked for the Paradise Valley Sanitarium. A 1944 directory listing shows that he worked as a laundry worker at the PVS.

Alice and David’s Children:

Frances Lorean Twiggs:

Frances was born on 23 JUL 1914 in Gentry, Benton County, Arkansas. She died on 2 NOV 1969 in San Bernardino County, California.

Frances married Roland Isaac Kincaid in 1937 in San Bernardino County, California. One known child was born to this marriage:

Roger Douglas Kincaid (1943)

Roland Isaac Kincaid was born on 30 DEC 1907 in Grayson County, Texas. He died on 30 NOV 1998 in Redlands, San Bernardino County, California.

Roland had previously married Bernice Addie Walden in 1932 in San Bernardino County, California. Four known children were born to this marriage:

John B Kincaid (1933)
David R Kincaid (1934)
Kay E Kincaid (1936)
Norman W Kincaid (1937)

Bernice Addie Walden was born on 9 OCT 1912 in East Highlands, San Bernardino County, California. She died on 16 SEP 1937 in San Bernardino County, California. Bernice died four days after the birth of her fourth child.

Barbara Aileen Twiggs:

Barbara was born on 21 AUG 1927 in Gentry, Benton County, Arkansas. She died on 9 DEC 2009 in Grants Pass, Josephine County, Oregon.

Barbara married Ward Henry Hutton in 1953 in San Diego, San Diego County, California. From Barbara’s obituary, four known children were born to this marriage:

Sharon L Hutton (1955)
David W Hutton (1956)
Daniel R Hutton (1958)
Elizabeth A Hutton (1960)

Ward Henry Hutton was born on 13 NOV 1912 near Grenora*, Williams County, North Dakota. He died on 29 SEP 1987 in Grants Pass, Josephine County, Oregon.

(*) From Ward’s WWII draft registration, he stated that his place of birth was “Gladys”. From an aerial view on Google Maps, I discovered that “Gladys” is a farm. It is about 16 miles southeast of Grenora.

Barbara’s Obituary:

“Barbara Aileen Twiggs Hutton, 82, of Grants Pass died at home Wednesday, December 9, 2009.

A memorial service will be held at 11 am, Sunday, December 20, 2009, at the Grants Pass Seventh-day Adventist Church, with Pastor Edward Nelson officiating. Private interment will be at Hawthorne Memorial Gardens. Chapel of the Valley – L.B. Hall Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Memorial contributions may be sent to the Seventh-day Adventist School, 2250 NW Heidi Lane, Grants Pass, OR 97526.

She was born August 21, 1927, in Gentry, Arkansas to David and Alice Twiggs. When she was very young, the family moved to Southern California, where she grew up. She took nursing training in San Diego and received her BS in Nursing from Washington Missionary College, now called Atlantic Union College. In 1953 in San Diego, she married Ward Hutton, who died September 29, 1987. For 21 years, they lived in Borrego Springs, Calif. , where she was the sole medical provider for a number of years. Later, when ambulance service was developed there, she was one of the main ambulance attendants, taking patients to either San Diego or Brawley, Calif.

Ward and Barbara had four children while they lived in Borrego Springs. In 1978 she went to Hong Kong as the director of nurses for two mission hospitals, as well as the coordinator for the nursing school associated with the hospitals. She and Ward spent six years there and enjoyed it very much. After completing her term in Hong Kong, she and Ward moved to Albuquerque, N.M., where she completed her Masters in Nursing at the University of New Mexico.

She then had a call to go to Pakistan as Director of Nurses for the Adventist Hospital in Karachi. After Ward’s death, she moved to Grants Pass in 1989 to be near her daughter Sharon. She worked for the Rogue Community College, for the accreditation of the nursing program.

Barbara was always very involved in the work of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and she had many friends all over the world. She enjoyed traveling, nursing, gardening, poetry, and talking to people. She strove to be a Godly woman her whole life; studying the Bible was a very important part of her life.

Survivors include two daughters, Sharon Hutton Coupland of Grants Pass and Elizabeth “Betty” Poublan of France; two sons, David Hutton of Puyallup, Wash. and Daniel Hutton of San Andreas, Calif.; and nine grandchildren.”

Carrie E Wakenight:

Carrie was born on 18 DEC 1889 in Boelus, Howard County, Nebraska. She died on 20 OCT 1909 in Gentry, Benton County, Arkansas. She was 19 years old when she died.

Blanche D Wakenight:

Blanche was born on 5 JAN 1893 in Boelus, Howard County, Nebraska. She died on 19 DEC 1985 in Searcy, White County, Arkansas.

Blanche married Fred Castle Osborn on 15 JUL 1913 in Benton County, Arkansas. One known child was born to this marriage:

John Elmer Osborn (1914)

Fred Castle Osborn was born on 20 MAR 1893 in Sewell, Wayne County, Iowa. He died in 1967 in Searcy, White County, Arkansas.

Fred’s father was Charles Castle Osborn. He was born on 15 APR 1856 in Pennsylvania. He died on 27 NOV 1929 in Pawhuska, Osage County, Oklahoma.

Fred’s mother was Lyda Drusilla Sinclair. She was born on 4 OCT 1860 in Pennsylvania. She died on 6 DEC 1938 in Pawhuska, Osage County, Oklahoma.

Blanche and Fred’s Child:

John Elmer Osborn:

John was born on 26 NOV 1914 in Oklahoma. He died on 18 MAY 1990 in Searcy, White County, Arkansas.

John married Geneva M Hardin on 13 MAY 1939 in Saline County, Arkansas. One known child was born to this marriage:

Joneva Dianne Osborn (1945 to 2003)

Geneva M Hardin was born on 21 AUG 1918 in Searcy, White County, Arkansas. She died on 21 MAR 2005 in Plano, Collin County, Texas.

Notes on John Elmer Osborn:

Sometimes family genealogists get their facts wrong. Sharon Strow’s website, shown below, listed John’s vitals as:

“. . . born about 1915 in Pro Searcy. AR and died in 1988 in Searcy, White Co., AR about age 73.”

Sharon cited her source for this information as Dan Hutton. This person is probably Barbara’s son, Daniel R Hutton.

Yet, as I went through the US census records for the years 1920, 1930, and 1940, I discovered that John’s birthplace was listed as Oklahoma. The 1920 and 1930 documents also included the middle initial as “E”.

The U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 confirmed John’s birthplace as Oklahoma. This document also supplied his enlistment date of 23 DEC 1940.

The next record that I discovered on Ancestry.com was from the database entitled U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010.

This document contained the enlistment date of 23 DEC 1940. It also listed John’s full birth date and full death date.

With this data, I was able to find John’s memorial on Find A Grave. He was buried in White County Memorial Gardens in Searcy, White County, Arkansas.

I can assume that when Sharon talked to Dan Hutton, he gave his “best guess” on John Osborn’s vitals. John and Geneva did live in Searcy in the 1940s. And, 1988 is only two years short of 1990.

In family history, giving a “best guess” is not a bad thing. Dan Hutton should be thanked for guiding me and other family genealogists in the right direction.

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!