Millard’s third daughter never met her father. She was put up for adoption. Her new parents, Thomas and Rosetta Fields, changed her name to Mary E Fields.
Millard Burdette Wakenight (1882 to 1961) had three known daughters.
Two were born to wife, Emma Ida Pahaly (1879 to 1960):
Leora was born on 3 FEB 1906 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois. She died on 26 MAR 1985 in Belvidere, Boone County, Illinois.
Leora married John Henry Gorsuch on 29 OCT 1924 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois. Three known children were born to this marriage:
Laura June Gorsuch (1926 Michigan)
John Randall Gorsuch (1937 Illinois)
Gerald O Gorsuch (1943 Illinois)
John Henry Gorsuch was born on 18 MAY 1906 in Springbrook, Washburn County, Wisconsin. He died on 22 MAY 1983 in Belvidere, Boone County, Illinois.
Dorothy was born on 21 JUN 1908 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois. She died on 15 JUN 1980 in Hurley, Iron County, Wisconsin.
Dorothy was married three times:
In 1926, Dorothy married Barney Milo Manley in Rockford, Winnebago, Illinois.
Barney Milo Manley was born on 27 APR 1896 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. He died on 1 JAN 1959 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.
On 15 JUL 1939, Dorothy married Harold Joseph Eksten in Dubuque, Dubuque County, Iowa.
Harold Joseph Eksten was born in 1905 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois. He died on 16 DEC 1961 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.
On 26 MAY 1956, Dorothy married Herbert J Boetcher in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.
Herbert J Boetcher was born on 12 JUL 1909 in Wisconsin. He died in 1986 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.
No known children were born to these marriages.
Dorothy’s Obituary:
One daughter was born to Martha Christina Peterson (1887 to 1965):
May was born on 30 OCT 1913 in Bradley, Clark County, South Dakota. She died on 22 JAN 2004 in Wolf Creek, Josephine County, Oregon.
Millard did not marry Martha, and it seemed that Martha was mentally unfit to care for a child. On 28 NOV 1913, May was sent to the Children’s Home Society and put up for adoption.
May was adopted by Theodore W Fields (1867 Michigan) and his wife, Rosetta E Paine Fields (1872 Wisconsin). Her name was then changed to Mary E Fields.
On 12 Apr 1929, Mary wed Charles William Gray in Baker County, Oregon. Two known children were born to this marriage, both born in the state of Oregon:
Dorothy A Gray (1930)
Charlton Gray (1938)
Charles William Gray was born on 7 JUL 1906 in Cardiff, Garfield County, Colorado. He died on 7 DEC 1968 in Josephine County, Oregon.
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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