Robert was the twin brother of Jacob William Wakenight. They were born on 20 JUN 1890 in Pickrell, Nebraska. Jacob moved 100 miles away and lived in Omaha, Nebraska. Robert remained in Beatrice, Nebraska.
Robert Edward Wakenight
Born: 20 JUN 1890 in Pickrell, Gage County, Nebraska
Father: Jonas Theodore Wakenight (1853 to 1931)
Mother: Frances Jane Nicewonger (1858 to 1950)
Spouse: Cecelia Viola King (1892 to 1980)
Married: 27 MAR 1912 in Beatrice, Gage County, Nebraska
Children:
Elvera Viola Wakenight (16 FEB 1914 to 5 APR 1996)
Myrtle Jane Wakenight (12 SEP 1917 to 11 MAR 1998)
Died: 31 DEC 1972 in Beatrice, Gage County, Nebraska
Burial: Evergreen Home Cemetery
Obituary:
Robert Edward Wakenight, 82, of 415 S. 5th St., passed away at a local hospital on Sunday. He was born in Pickrell, and had lived in this community his entire life, and had been employed at Dempster Mill Mfg. Co., until his retirement in 1962. He was a member of The First Christian Church and Eagles Lodge of Beatrice.
Survivors include his wife, Cecilia; two daughters, Mrs. Clarence (Elvera) Wunnenberg and Mrs. Myrtle Schultze, both of Beatrice; two sisters, Mrs. Alta King Beatrice and Mrs. Lyman (Edith)Thornton, Omaha; six grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by two brothers and two sisters.
Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Wednesday, at Harman Mortuary Chapel, with the Rev. George Warren Campbell officiating. Interment will be in Evergreen Home Cemetery. The body will lie in state one hour preceding the services.
A memorial has been established with Harman Mortuary in charge.
Obituary courtesy of Sharon Strow.
Timeline:
1890 Unknown (the 1890 Census was destroyed in a major fire)
1900 Holt, Gage County, Nebraska
1910 Holt, Gage County, Nebraska
1912 Marriage to Cecelia
1914 Birth of daughter, Elvera
1917 Birth of daughter, Myrtle
1920 Beatrice, Gage County, Nebraska
1922 Death of brother, Daniel
1930 Beatrice, Gage County, Nebraska
1931 Death of father, Jonas
1935 Beatrice, Gage County, Nebraska
1950 Death of mother, Frances
1962 Death of sister, Anna
1969 Death of sister, Lillian
1972 Death of brother, Jacob
1972 Death and burial
Occupation: farm laborer (1910), plant nursery laborer (1920 and 1930)
Records:
1900 to 1930 US Census Records
World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (Beta)
U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
The U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Variations of Surname: None
Spouse:
Cecelia Viola King:
Cecelia was born on 7 NOV 1892 in Vinton, Benton County, Iowa. She died on 11 JAN 1980 in Beatrice, Gage County, Nebraska.
Her father was John A King. He was born in 1858 in New Lisbon, Columbiana County, Ohio. He died on 13 MAY 1926 in Gage County, Nebraska.
Her mother was Nettie S Hasty. She was born in 1869 in English River, Washington County, Iowa. She died on 17 AUG 1937 in Wymore, Gage County, Nebraska.
Cecelia had 4 brothers and sisters, all born in Nebraska:
Earl King (1888)
Guy S King (1890)
Bertha King (1896)
Esther King (1904)
Daughters:
Elvera Viola Wakenight:
Elvera was born on 16 FEB 1914 in Beatrice, Gage County, Nebraska. She died on 5 APR 1996 in Beatrice, Gage County, Nebraska.
Elvera married Clarence Conrad Wunnenberg on 19 DEC 1931 in Hiawatha, Brown County, Kansas. Five children were born to this marriage, all in Nebraska:
Shirley May Wunnenberg (1932)
Richard A Wunnenberg (1935)
Delores Anne Wunnenberg (1937)
Vyerl Jean Wunnenberg (1941)
Robert Leroy Wunnenberg (1944)
Clarence Conrad Wunnenberg was born on 10 JUN 1908 in Plymouth, Jefferson County, Nebraska. He died on 7 MAR 1991 in Beatrice, Gage County, Nebraska.
His father was George Wunnenberg. He was born on 4 MAR 1872 in Canada. He died on 14 OCT 1954 in Plymouth, Jefferson County, Nebraska.
His mother was Ernestine Strube. She was born on 24 MAR 1872 in Wisconsin. She died on 24 JUL 1949 in Beatrice, Gage County, Nebraska.
Elvera’s Obituary:
Elvera Wunnenberg, daughter of Robert and Celecia (King) Wakenight, was born February 16, 1914, at Beatrice, Nebraska. She was baptized in 1926 and confirmed at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Plymouth, Nebraska in 1932. She fell asleep in Jesus on Friday, April 5, 1996, at the age of 82 years, 1 month, 18 days.
She was a graduate of Beatrice High School. She married Clarence Wunnenberg on December 19, 1931, at Hiawatha, Kansas. She was a foster grandparent for 15 years at Beatrice State Developmental Center and a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Beatrice.
She is survived by daughters, Shirley Fenn, and husband, Jack, of El Dorado, Kansas, Jean Hohbein, and husband, Ron, of Lincoln, and Delores Wunnenburg of Lincoln; son Richard Wunnenberg, and wife, Alice, of Wichita, Kansas; daughter-in-law, Millie Wunnenberg of Ocean Springs, Mississippi; sister, Myrtle Schultz of Beatrice; brother-in-law, Harlan Wunnenberg, and wife, Ruth, of Beatrice; sisters-in-law, Virginia Wunnenberg of Florida and Viola Spilker, and husband, Ernest, of Fairbury; nine grandchildren; great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Cecelia (King) Wakenight; husband, Clarence; and son, Robert.
Interment was in Evergreen Home Cemetery, Beatrice, Nebraska.
Obituary courtesy of Sharon Strow.
Myrtle Jane Wakenight:
Myrtle was born on 12 SEP 1917 in Beatrice, Gage County, Nebraska. She died on 11 MAR 1998 in Beatrice, Gage County, Nebraska.
Myrtle married Willard Schultze before 1945. One child was born to this marriage:
James W Schultze (1945 Gage County, Nebraska)
Willard Schultze was born on 24 JAN 1918 in Burr, Otoe County, Nebraska. He died on 19 JUN 1977 in Beatrice, Gage County, Nebraska.
His father was Frederick H Schultze. He was born in 1882 in Nebraska. He died in 1968 in De Witt, Saline County, Nebraska.
His mother was Margaret A Neumann. She was born in 1882 in Nebraska. She died in 1949 in De Witt, Saline County, Nebraska.
Willard had seven brothers and sisters, all born in Nebraska:
Fred Schultze (1907)
Margaret Schultze (1909)
Alfred Schultze (1911)
Wilma Schultze (1914)
Lenora Schultze (1916)
Otis Edwin Schultze (1921)
Marie LSchultze (1924)
Notes:
Robert was the twin brother of Jacob William Wakenight. They were born on 20 JUN 1890 in Pickrell, Nebraska. Jacob moved 100 miles away and lived in Omaha, Nebraska. Robert remained in Beatrice, Nebraska.
The intriguing part of this story is that they died 10 days apart. Jacob died on 21 DEC 1972 and Robert on 31 DEC 1972. Could this have been simple genetics or was there a “twin connection”?
Here is a family photograph of Robert and his brothers and sisters. I believe the photo was taken on or before 1962. That was the year Anna died.
Front Row: Lillian “Mae” Johnson, Anna Gerdes, Alta King.
Back Row: Robert Wakenight, Edith Thornton, Jacob Wakenight.
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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