The sisters, Arabell and Sadie Kershner, were tied to the Wakenight family by their marriages. In 1878, Arabell married John Henry Wakenight. In 1881, Sadie married John’s brother, Jacob W Wakenight.

Jacob W Wakenight

Born: 2 JAN 1860 in Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois

Father: Daniel Wakenight (1830 to 1923)
Mother: Lydia Kerns (1836 to 1909)

Spouse: Sadie Margaret Kershner (1860 to 1936)

Married: 17 NOV 1881 in Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois

Children:

Millard Burdette Wakenight (15 AUG 1882 to 7 APR 1961)
Wanda Beryl Wakenight (18 APR 1890 to 27 SEP 1966)

Died: 6 NOV 1904 in Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois

Burial: Lightsville Cemetery

Timeline:

1860 Pine Creek, Ogle County, Illinois
1864 Death of sister, Cora
1870 Pine Creek, Ogle County, Illinois
1880 Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois
1881 Marriage to Sadie
1882 Birth of son, Millard
1890 Birth of daughter, Wanda
1890 Unknown (the 1890 Census was destroyed in a major fire)
1900 Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois
1904 Death and burial

Occupation: farmer, railroad laborer

Records:

1860 to 1880, and 1900 US Census Records
Illinois Marriages, 1851-1900
Illinois, Wills and Probate Records, 1772-1999
The U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current

Variations of Surname: none

Spouse:

Sadie Margaret Kershner:

Sadie was born on 20 MAY 1860 in Adeline, Ogle County, Illinois. She died on 9 DEC 1936 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.

Her father was John S Kershner. He was born in 1830 in Hagerstown, Washington County, Maryland. He died in 1913 in Westphalia, Anderson County, Kansas.

Her mother was Sophia A Bressler. She was born in 1834 in Pennsylvania. She died in 1903 in Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois.

Sadie had five known sisters and brothers, all born in Adeline, Ogle County, Illinois:

Arabell Kershner (1855)
Charles S Kershner (1858)
Lizzie Kershner (1863)
Martha E Kershner (1866)
Edward Kershner (1868)

The sisters, Arabell and Sadie Kershner, were tied to the Wakenight family by their marriages. In 1878, Arabell married John Henry Wakenight. In 1881, Sadie married John’s brother, Jacob W Wakenight.

Daughter:

Wanda Beryl Wakenight:

Wanda was born on 18 APR 1890 in Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois. She died on 27 SEP 1966 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.

Wanda married Peter William Milhaven in 1914 in Leaf River, Ogle County, Illinois. Three known children were born to this marriage, all in Leaf River:

Lucille Bernice Milhaven (1915)
Lila Marguerite Milhaven (1917)
Maida Rogene Milhaven (1923)

Peter William Milhaven was born on 10 SEP 1874 in New York. He died in 1967 in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.

Peter’s father was John W Milhaven. He was born in 1845 in New York. Peter’s mother was Johanna Donker. She was born in 1855 in Germany.

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!