Robert started his career as a shoemaker in Maryland. As he and his family moved west, his profession turned to that of farming.

Robert Chesney Wakenight

Born: 20 AUG 1824 in Boonsboro, Washington County, Maryland

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

Spouse: Mary Ann Elizabeth Lorentz (5 MAY 1828 to 27 SEP 1884)

Married: 21 JAN 1850 in Frederick County, Maryland

Children:

John William Wakenight (2 MAY 1852 to 10 FEB 1923 )
Jonas Theodore Wakenight (22 JUN 1853 to 2 AUG 1931)
Edward Dallas Wakenight (11 AUG 1857 to 11 AUG 1927)
Martin Luther Wakenight (22 DEC 1859 to 4 JUN 1863)
James Oscar Wakenight (25 MAY 1863 to 7 MAY 1939)

Died: 9 JAN 1895 in Boelus, Howard County, Nebraska

Burial:  Ebenezer Cemetery, Howard County, Nebraska

Timeline:

1850 Marriage to Mary
1850 Hagerstown, Washington County, Maryland
1852 Birth of son, John
1853 Birth of son, Jonas
1857 Birth of son, Edward
1858 Death of brother, John
1859 Birth of son, Martin
1860 Buffalo Grove, Ogle County, Illinois
1863 Birth of son, James
1863 Death of son, Martin
1863 Enlisted in the Civil War
1866 Death of father, Daniel
1870 Buffalo Grove, Ogle County, Illinois
1875 Death of sister, Mary
1880 Beatrice, Gage County, Nebraska
1881 Death of mother, Isabell
1884 Death of wife, Mary
1890 Unknown (the 1890 Census was destroyed in a major fire)
1895 Death and burial

Occupation: laborer (1850), shoemaker (1860 and 1863), farmer (1870 and 1880)

Records:

1840 to 1880 US Census Records
Maryland Marriages, 1655-1850
U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865

Variations of Surname: none

Spouse:

Mary Ann Elizabeth Lorentz was born on 5 MAY 1828 in Hagerstown, Washington County, Maryland. She died on 27 SEP 1884 in Boelus, Howard County, Nebraska. Mary’s parents are unknown.

Notes:

The US census records supplied me with Robert’s occupations. He started his career as a shoemaker in Maryland. As he and his family moved west, his profession turned to that of farming. Both Illinois and Nebraska are located in the Midwest region of the United States. This area is described as the “corn belt“.

1860 US Census Record for Buffalo Grove, Ogle County, Illinois.

 

1870 US Census Record for Buffalo Grove, Ogle County, Illinois.

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!