There is a Wakenight Family Bible. Sylvester had the Bible brought back from Nebraska. It was passed down to son, Lloyd, then to his grandson, James.

Sylvester McCosh Wakenight

Born: 1 AUG 1884 in Mount Morris, Ogle County, Illinois

Father: John William Wakenight (1852 to 1923)
Mother: Susan Rebecca Strock (1853 to 1931)

First Spouse: Vernie Mae Barnhart (8 APR 1879 to 8 OCT 1954)

Married: 12 SEP 1917 in Mount Morris, Ogle County, Illinois

Children:

Lloyd Wakenight (29 MAY 1918 to 9 JUL 1968)
Nellie Mae Wakenight (12 MAY 1920 to 4 FEB 2010)
June Marie Wakenight (6 FEB 1922 to 28 NOV 1997)

Second Spouse: Goldie May McLaughlin (18 DEC 1888 to 3 JUL 1975)

Married: 1956 in Anderson, McDonald County, Missouri

Child: None

Died: 24 DEC 1979 in Oregon, Ogle County, Illinois

Burial: Oakwood Cemetery, Mount Morris, Ogle County, Illinois.

Obituary:

MT. MORRIS TIMES 1-2-1980

Funeral services were held on Friday, Dec. 28th at 1:30 p.m. at the Finch funeral home Mt. Morris, for Sylvester M. Wakenight, 95, who resided at the Franklin Grove Nursing Center Franklin Grove IL. Mr. Wakenight died Monday, Dec. 24th at the health care center, following a short illness.

He was born on Aug 1st, 1884 in Mt. Morris, the son of John and Susan (Strock) Wakenight. He was married to Vernie Barnhart, Sept. 12th, 1917 in Mt. Morris. She preceded him in death In 1954. He was united in marriage with Goldie Christensen in 1956. She also preceded him In death in 1975. He was also preceded in death by two stepsons, Glen and Clarence Barnhart, and a son Lloyd Wakenight.

Survivors include two daughters, Mrs. Elmer (June) Cullen of Oregon and Mrs. John (Nellie) Karr of Ashton: a step-son Alvin Christensen of California: two stepdaughters, Mrs. Marie Noll of Missouri, and Mrs. Dorothy Daniel of AZ, four grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

Mr. Wakenight retired in 1954 after working at Kable Printing in the mailing Dept for 28 years. He Was a charter member of the Mt. Morris Moose Lodge 1551, a member of the Odd Fellows, and also the GAIU 95B Union. He was a member of the former Disciples Christian Church.

The Rev. Bruce Spencer, a pastor of the First Baptist Church, Oregon, officiated the services. Burial was in Oakwood Cemetery. A memorial was established for the Franklin Grove Health Care Center.

Obituary courtesy of Sharon Strow.

Timeline:

1890 Unknown (the 1890 Census was destroyed in a major fire)
1900 Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois
1910 Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois
1917 Marriage to Vernie
1918 Birth of son, Lloyd
1918 Death of sister, Ida
1920 Pine Creek, Ogle County, Illinois
1920 Birth of daughter, Nellie
1922 Birth of daughter, June
1923 Death of father, John
1929 Death of brother, Harry
1930 Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois
1931 Death of mother, Susan
1939 Death of sister, Goldie
1940 Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois
1954 Death of wife, Vernie
1956 Marriage to Goldie
1964 Death of sister, Sadie
1968 Death of son, Lloyd
1975 Death of wife, Goldie
1979 Death and burial

Occupation: farm laborer, printer’s laborer

Records:

1900 to 1940 US Census Records
Illinois, County Marriage Records, 1800-1940
World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
Social Security Death Index
The U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current

Variations of Surname: none

First Spouse:

Vernie Mae Barnhart:

Vernie was born on 8 APR 1879 in Pine Creek, Ogle County, Illinois. She died on 8 OCT 1954 in Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois.

Vernie’s father was Peter William Barnhart. He was born in1848 in Maryland. He died on 9 MAY 1927 in Pine Creek, Ogle County, Illinois.

Vernie’s mother was Laura V Muck. She was born on 21 JULY 1860 in Maryland. She died on13 APR 1921 in Pine Creek, Ogle County, Illinois.

Vernie had three siblings, all born in Pine Creek, Ogle County, Illinois:

Roy C Barnhart (1881)
Mary C Barnhart (1883)
William H Barnhart (1893)

Vernie had previously been married to Charles Barnhart. Two known children were born to this marriage, both in Pine Creek, Ogle County, Illinois.

Glen D Barnhart (1904)
Clarence Edgar Barnhart (1908)

Is This Man Vernie’s Husband?

The 1910 US census shows that Vernie and the children were living with her parents in Pine Creek, Ogle County, Illinois. Her marital status was listed as widowed.

The only information that I had on Charles Barnhart was his name. To add him to my family tree, I needed more details like his birth date and birthplace. Another Ancestry.com member suggested that he was born in 1878 in Dixon, Lee County, Illinois.

I decided to search the US census records using these criteria. Here is what I discovered:

In 1910, a man named Charles E Barnhart was living with his parents in Dixon, Lee County, Illinois. He was 32 years old (1878) and born in Maryland. That was close to what the other member had suggested.

But, what really caught my attention was his marital status. The record shows that he had been married for five years. No wife was included on this census record.

Could this man be Vernie’s husband? I could not answer that question with a definite “yes”. If her husband died before 1910, he would have been buried in either Dixon where his parents lived, or in Pine Creek where Vernie lived. And, if her husband was the person on the 1910 US census?

Here is what I think happened:

Vernie and Charles separated after the birth of their second child in 1908. Charles’ 1918 World War I draft registration shows that he married a woman named Eleanor. They were living in Norfolk, Virginia.

The 1920 US census shows that Charles and Eleanor were living in El Paso, Texas. No children were listed on this census. I do not know if Eleanor died or if they got divorced.

By 1930, Charles had married a woman named Margaret. They lived in El Paso, Texas.

You will notice the numbers 21 and 22 in the last column. The question was “Age At First Marriage”. This means that Charles was 21 years old when he first got married. That would place the marriage year as 1899. Yet, Charles was still listed as single on the 1900 US census. Of course, as it was 31 years later, he may have taken a rough guess.

This fact leads me to believe that this man is the one that married Vernie. Their oldest child was born in April of 1904, which would place their marriage year around 1902 or 1903.

From Margaret’s death record, I discovered her full name to be Margaret Smith Woodside. She was born in 1897 in Juarez, Mexico City, Mexico. Her parents were Thomas J Woodside and Estelle Smith.

Charles and Margaret had five children, all born in El Paso, Texas:

Margaret Louise Barnhart (1921)
Katherine Estelle Barnhart (1928)
Lena Pearl Barnhart (1929)
Alice E Barnhart (1931)
June Charlene Barnhart (1934)

I believe the man that married Vernie is Charles Emery Barnhart. He was born on 11 APR 1878 in Boonsboro, Washington County, Maryland. He died on 19 MAY 1962 in Anaheim, Orange County, California.

As I noted above, this is an assumption on my part. I am just trying to tie these two people together. If you are a Barnhart family member and can either prove or disprove this theory, please contact me. You can use the Comments Section on this page or contact me at my email address is dlwakenight@yahoo.com.

Second Spouse:

Goldie May McLaughlin:

Goldie was born on 18 DEC 1888 in Rawlins County, Kansas. She died on 3 JUL 1975 in Anderson, McDonald County, Missouri.

Goldie’s father was William Doolan McLaughlin. He was born on 19 OCT 1846 in Pennsylvania. He died on 3 MAY 1924 in Kansas.

Goldie’s mother was Risby Jane Creger. She was born on 30 APR 1851 in Ohio. She died on 3 OCT 1932 in Nebraska.

Goldie had six brothers and sisters, the first five were born in Iowa, the youngest was born in Nebraska:

Albert F McLaughlin (1870)
Amos Elmer McLaughlin (1872)
Melvin Orlando McLaughlin (1875)
Roscoe Lloyd McLaughlin (1880)
Alden Ladley McLaughlin (1885)
Pearl McLaughlin (1893)

Goldie had previously been married to William M Christensen on 21 JUN 1908 in Gentry, Benton County, Arkansas. Two known children were born to this marriage:

Alvin F Christensen (1910 Arkansas)
Dorothy Mae Christensen (1920 Missouri)

William M Christensen was born on 26 OCT 1883 in Saint Paul, Howard County, Nebraska. He died on 19 OCT 1948 in Anderson, McDonald County, Missouri.

William’s parents were Rasmusen L Christensen (1859 Denmark) and Augusta Miller (1860 Denmark). They immigrated to the United States in 1881.

How Sylvester met Goldie:

An excerpt from Sharon Strow’s website, written by Dan Hutton, explains how they met:

“After my grandparents and my mother moved back to Arkansas from CA. in the mid-1940s, they looked up the brother to Anna Christensen who was then living in MO. with his wife Goldie. Shortly after that Mr. Christensen died and his wife met Sylvester Wakenight and they were married for a time, but apparently, they didn’t get along the best and he went back to Illinois and she stayed in MO.”

Sylvester married Goldie in 1956. He was 72 years old and she was 68 years old. They may have been set in their ways and found that they could not cohabitate together.

Daughters:

Nellie Mae Wakenight:

Nellie was born on 12 MAY 1920 in Pine Creek, Ogle County, Illinois. She died on 4 FEB 2010 in Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois.

Nellie married Harold S Sigler on 13 FEB 1937 in Oregon, Ogle County, Illinois. Two children were born to this marriage, both in Oregon, Ogle County, Illinois:

Nancy M Sigler (1937)
Evelyn Sigler (1939)

Harold S Sigler was born on 8 AUG 1914 in Oregon, Ogle County, Illinois. He died on 15 MAY 1992 in Oregon, Ogle County, Illinois.

Harold’s father was George Andrew Sigler. He was born on 20 NOV 1885 in Rockvale, Ogle County, Illinois. He died on 13 AUG 1969 in Rochelle, Ogle County, Illinois

Harold’s mother was Mary Marie Buse. She was born in 1891 in Adeline, Ogle, Illinois. She died on 30 NOV 1959 in Rochelle, Ogle County, Illinois.

Harold came from a big family. He had nine brothers and sisters, all born in Ogle County, Illinois:

Ruth M Sigler (1909)
Leo A Sigler (1911)
George E Sigler (1913)
Gerald L Sigler (1915)
Charles A Sigler (1919)
Helen Sigler (1922)
Mary Sigler (1925)
Arthur Sigler (1926)
Robert Sigler (1929)

Nellie divorced Harold in 1946. The announcement was published on 11 FEB 1946 in the Dixon Evening Telegraph.

On 4 SEP 1948, Nellie married John Martin Karr in Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio. No known children were born to this marriage.

John Martin Karr was born on 8 MAR 1918 in Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio. He died on 25 APR 1990 in Oregon, Ogle County, Illinois.

John’s father was Fred J Karr. He was born on 29 NOV 1895 in Meigs County, Ohio. He died on 2 MARCH 1980 in Dixon, Lee County, Illinois.

John’s mother was Mildred Black. She was born on 27 MAY 1898 in Meigs County, Ohio. She died on 28 FEB 1994 in Ashton, Lee County, Illinois.

The Family Connection:

After Nellie divorced Harold, he married Mary Rozella Wragg on 23 FEB 1946 in Oregon, Ogle County, Illinois. Mary’s obituary lists four children:

“OREGON – Mary R. Sigler, 88, lifelong Oregon area resident, died Thursday, July 12, 2007, in Oregon Health Care Center. Born May 27, 1919, in Oregon the daughter of Richard and Gladys Sell Wragg. Married to Harold Sigler Feb. 23, 1946, in Oregon; he died May 15, 1992. Survived by: sons, James (Shirley) Wakenight of Oregon and Harold (Connie) Sigler of Waxahachie, Texas; daughters, Vicki Anderson of Oregon, Nancy (Michael) Plemons of Egan and Evelyn Plasters of Rockford; 11 grandchildren; many great-grandchildren; several great-great-grandchildren; and sister, Shirley Mason of Newport, Tenn. Also preceded by a sister, Berniece Bellows and 2 grandsons. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 am Saturday, July 14 in Farrell-Holland-Gale Funeral Home, Oregon with Rev. Michael Hoffman, pastor Oregon Church of God, officiating. Burial in Daysville Cemetery. No visitation.”

Mary Rozella Wragg was born on 27 MAY 1919 in Oregon Ogle County, Illinois. She died on 12 JUL 2007 in Oregon, Ogle County, Illinois.

Mary Rozella Wragg had previously been married to Lloyd William Wakenight on 27 MAR 1940 in Clinton, Clinton County, Iowa. One known child was born to this marriage:

James W Wakenight (1942 Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois)

Mary and Lloyd divorced before 1946.

To explain the family connection, you need to know that Nellie and Lloyd are Sylvester’s children. That means Nellie’s ex-husband married Lloyd’s ex-wife.

June Marie Wakenight:

June was born on 6 FEB 1922 in Pine Creek, Ogle County, Illinois. She died on 28 NOV 1997 in Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois.

June married Elmer Vincent Cullen on 6 APR 1941 in Clinton, Clinton Couty, Iowa. Two known children were born to this marriage, although one died in infancy:

Patricia Cullen (1942 Mt Morris, Ogle County, Illinois)
Infant Daughter (1948 to 1948)

Elmer Vincent Cullen was born on 16 MAR 1919 in Oregon, Ogle County, Illinois. He died on 25 FEB 2001 in Cape Cod, Barnstable County, Massachusetts.

To explain the death place:

Patricia married a man named William Lundholm. A public record listed their address in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. I am sure that after June’s death, Elmer went to live with their daughter.

Elmer’s father was LeRay Cullen. He was born on 5 SEP 1891 in Aurora, Kane County, Illinois. He died on 6 AUG 1927 in Dixon, Lee County, Illinois.

Elmer’s mother was Elsie Ida Krause. She was born in 1892 in Aurora, Kane County, Illinois. She died in 1952 in Dekalb, Dekalb County, Illinois.

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!