John William Wakenight (1852 to 1923) and Susan Rebecca Strock (1853 to 1931) had ten known children. Five of these children survived to adulthood.
I discovered a free e-book entitled “Mount Morris Past and Present“. The book mentions five people with the surname of Wakenight.
Page 316 John and his son, Harry Norman Wakenight
Page 279 John’s daughters, Ida and Sadie
Page 292 John’s cousin, Anna (or Annie V) Wakenight Mayer
The excerpt for John notes “nine children, four dead”. Yet, there was one who did not survive the birthing process.
Nora was the twin sister of Harry Norman Wakenight. She was born on 5 NOV 1873 in Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois. Sharon Strow notes the following:
“(Nora) is not included in father’s obituary, but grandson Raymond included her in his notes. She was in the information passed down from his son Sylvester and came up in Kathy Wilson’s research. Twins with Harry probably wasn’t mentioned because she didn’t make the birth.”
Sharon created a memorial on Find A Grave for an Infant Wakenight. She notes that the baby was buried with John and Susan.
The other four children who did not survive were Mary (1882), Florence (1889), Virgil (1891), and Dela (1893).
These four children were born between 1880 and 1900. Had any of these children lived for a period of time, they may have appeared on the 1890 US census. Yet, in 1921 this census was destroyed in a major fire.
Ida was born on 5 OCT 1876 in Polo, Ogle County, Illinois. She died on 17 OCT 1918 in Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois.
Ida married William Franklin Drumheller on 22 DEC 1897 in Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois. Five known children were born from this marriage:
Eva Marie Drumheller (1902 to 1918)
Hughling Sylvester Drumheller (1905 to 1950)
Dorothy June Drumheller (1908 to 1964)
Viola Wanda Drumheller (1912 to 1995)
Florence Drumheller (1915 to Unknown)
William Franklin Drumheller was born on 3 APR 1870 in Adeline, Ogle County, Illinois. He died on 1 AUG 1952 in Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois.
William’s father was Senarius Drumheller. He was born around 1833 in Upper Mahanoy, Northumberland, Pennsylvania. He died sometime between 1880 and 1900. The 1900 US census shows his wife as a widow.
William’s mother was Caroline Schreiber. She was born on 12 NOV 1842 in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. She died on 4 NOV 1919 in Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois.
William had eight brothers and sisters, the oldest born in Pennsylvania, the rest born in Ogle County, Illinois:
Henry Oscar Drumheller (1861)
Charles Francis Drumheller (1866)
James A Drumheller (1867)
Minnie Drumheller (1870)
Burton Drumheller (1873)
Albert Drumheller (1876)
Laura Drumheller (1878)
Ernest Drumheller (1880)
How did Ida die?
I am always interested when I come across someone who died in 1918:
That was the year of the Flu Epidemic (Spanish Flu)that killed 50 to 100 million people worldwide. The second wave, which was more deadly, occurred in October. An excerpt from Wikipedia explains:
“The second wave of the 1918 pandemic was much deadlier than the first. The first wave had resembled typical flu epidemics; those most at risk were the sick and elderly, while younger, healthier people recovered easily. But by August, when the second wave began in France, Sierra Leone, and the United States, the virus had mutated to a much deadlier form. As the PBS American Experience: Influenza 1918 episode says, October 1918 was the deadliest month of the whole pandemic.”
I do not have Ida’s death record, but here is another interesting fact:
Ida died on 17 OCT 1918
Her daughter, Eva Marie, died on 22 OCT 1918, age 16 years old.
If there is anyone in the Drumheller family that could help answer this question, please contact me at dlwakenight@yahoo.com.
Sadie was born on 27 JAN 1879 in Rockvale, Ogle County, Illinois. She died on 5 MAY 1964 in Oregon, Ogle County, Illinois.
Sadie married Charles Francis Drumheller on 22 DEC 1897 in Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois. Four known children were born to this marriage, all in Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois:
Ruth Faye Drumheller (1900 to 1942)
Lillian E Drumheller (1905 to 1969)
Gladys Pearl Drumheller (1910 to 1983)
Kenneth Gardner Drumheller (1914 to 1993)
Charles Francis Drumheller was born on 6 JUN 1866 in Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois. He died in 1943 in Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois.
Sadie’s Obituary:
Mt. Morris Times 5-7-1964
Mrs. Sadie B. Drumheller, 414 W. Brayton Rd., died early Tuesday morning, May 5th at Warmolts Clinic, Oregon, following a short illness.
Born in Rockvale township on Jan. 27, 1879, she was the daughter of John Wakenight. At the time of her death, she was 85 years, three months, and eight days old. She was united in marriage with Charles Drumheller Dec. 22, 1897 in Mt. Morris and lived most of her life in this community. Her husband preceded her in death in 1943.
She is survived by two daughters, Lillian Drumheller of Mt. Morris and Mrs. Gladys Smice of Oregon; two sons, Kenneth Drumheller of Mt. Morris and Floyd Drumheller of Oregon; 23 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren; and one brother, Dexter Wakenight of Mt. Morris.
Services are being held today, Thursday, at 2 p.m. in the Finch funeral home with the Rev. Warren Hoover, pastor of the church of the Brethren, officiating. Burial will be held in the Plainview Cemetery.
Notes for Ida and Sadie:
Sisters, Ida and Sadie, married brothers, William and Charles, on the same day, 22 DEC 1897. The marriages made them both sisters and sisters-in-law.
Goldie was born on 9 AUG 1887 in Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois. She died on 25 FEB 1939 in Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois.
Goldie married Alfred Chauncey Paul in 1904 in Ogle County, Illinois. Four known children were born to this marriage, all in Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois:
Ralph Victor Paul (1904 to 1950)
Pearl Viola Paul (1910 to 2005)
Alice Jeanette Paul (1912 to 1991)
Bessie Garner Paul (1915 to 1981)
Alfred Chauncey Paul was born on 6 FEB 1879 in Pine Creek, Ogle County, Illinois. He died on 11 SEP 1925 in East Moline, Rock Island County, Illinois.
Alfred’s father was John Wesley Paul (1834 Vermont). His mother was Emma L Putman (1857 Illinois).
Alfred came from a big family. He had nine brothers and sisters:
Kiles Paul (1878)
William Paul (1881)
David Paul (1883)
Susan Paul (1885)
Benjamin H Paul (1888)
Joseph Paul (1889)
Nora Paul (1891)
Mammie Paul (1895)
Earl Paul (1896)
After Alfred’s death, Goldie married William “Bill” Dever Reed between the years 1926 and 1930. No known children were born to this marriage.
William Dever Reed was born on 24 FEB 1878 in Ottawa, Franklin County, Kansas. He died in 1963 in Oregon, Ogle County, Illinois.
William had previously married Minnie Elizabeth Coy in 1905 in Ogle County, Illinois. Three known children were born to this marriage, all in Ogle County, Illinois:
Myrtle P Reed (1905)
Clarence L Reed (1906)
Virgie M Reed (1912)
Minnie Elizabeth Coy was born on 11 APR 1887 in Pine Creek, Ogle County, Illinois. She died on 12 DEC 1922 in Grand Detour, Ogle County, Illinois.
Notes for Goldie:
Even though I could not find a marriage record for Goldie and William, I did have the 1930 US census record:
This document shows them living on Brayton Road in Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois. As you can see, Goldie is living next door to her brother, Sylvester. He, in turn, is living next door to their sister, Sadie.
The 1940 US census record shows these three families still living on Brayton Road. Goldie’s daughter, Alice Jeanette Paul, and granddaughter, Shirley Mae Reed, are living with William Reed.
Alice Jeanette Paul went on to marry step-brother, Clarence Reed on 20 SEP 1940 in Clinton, Clinton County, Iowa.
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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