"Uncle Ike"-- the writer of a somewhat dubious Wakeland family history in a letter from 1936.

Clair Wakeland and Nancy Cooper, were his nephew and niece. Said to have four sons, Charley (in both the Spanish American War and WWI), John, Harry, and Clara (all in WWI).

My grandmother had a copy of the "Uncle Ike" letter which she got from her Uncle John Wakeland. This is a transcribed copy of that letter:

[Sender:] Isaac T. Wakeland

528 Second St.

Rock Island, Illinois

[Addressee:] Fred R. Wakeland

Farmersville, Illinois

Copy of letter to Fred R. Wakeland from Isaac T. Wakeland.

Rock Island, Illinois,

Nov. 3, 1936 Mr. Fred R. Wakeland, Farmersville, Illinois.

Dear Sir:

One year ago last April my nephew, Clair Wakeland, received a letter from you and he gave it to his sister, Mrs. Nancy Cooper, of Aledo Illinois. I, at that time, was visiting at my niece's home and was going to answer it but in some way she mislaid it and just a short time ago in cleaning house she found it. By this letter you will see that I, too, am a Wakeland, and, I like you, I have often wondered where all the Wakelands are located for there is a good many of them scattered all over the United States. I will give you a history of the family as I had it from work[sic] of mouth and from the old family Bibles.

The earliest known of the Wakeland clan or family was of my great great grandfather, William Bolis Wakeland. He was in Surey[sic] County, England, in the year 1706. In 1727 he came to America, landing at Baltimore, Maryland. He lived for a short time in Fairfax, Virginia, and in 1731 he settled in Hanover County, Virginia, where he married and had three children of whom my great grandfather was the eldest, and he was born in Hanover County Birginia[sic], in the year 1737. My great great grandfather died in 1768.

My great grandfather served in two wars, the French and Indian, and the Revolution. On General Green's retreat from the Carolinas with the British in pursuit, he with many more Americans lost their lives by drowning at the fording of the Yadkin River that was at the flood stage.

My grandfather was born in Hanover County, Virginia, in 1777 and at his father's death was four years old. In 1795 my great grandmother, with her three children, John, Precilla, and Charles, emigrated to Western Kentucky and took up land in the Green River Country, now known as Ohio County, and the town of McHenry, the county seat in 1797. Grandfather was married to a Miss Permealia[sic] Ducket. She, too, was a native of Virginia. In 1806 he sold his possessions and moved over in Ohio in Clermont County. At one time he was in very good circumstances, financially, but the Panic of 1837 bankrupted him. He died at my father's home in the town of New Madison, Darke County, Ohio, in the year 1852.

My father, Charles C. Wakeland, was born in Clermont County, Ohio, in 1806. At sixteen years of age he apprenticed himself to a cabinet maker and served five years. In 1828 he enlisted in the regular army, joining the 7th. United States Infantry and he served five years. While in service he was stationed at Jefferson Barracks, Rock Island, Fort Snelling and Prairie de Chien. He received his army discharge from Rock Island in 1833. In 1841 he was married to a Miss Nancy Stone in the town of New Madison, Ohio, and in 1854 they came to Willersburg, Mercer County, Illinois, where he died in the year 1872.

My full name is Isaac Thomas Wakeland. I was born in New Madison, Ohio, in 1852 and on November 17 will be 84 years old. The following are my grandparents and their children.

Charles Wakeland - born - 1777 Permealia[sic], his wife - born - 1776

their Children

Polly Ann Wakeland born 1798

Turner Wakeland " 1800

Caleb Wakeland " 1802

William Wakeland " 1804

Charles, my father " 1806

Isaac T. Wakeland " 1808

Nancy Wakeland " 1810

Eliza Wakeland " 1813

My parents and their children

Charles C. Wakeland born 1806

Nancy Jan, his wife " 1820

Their children

Permealia[sic] A. Wakeland " 1842

Charles B. Wakeland " 1844

Walter Wakeland " 1846

Mary E. Wakeland " 1848

Eliza J. Wakeland " 1851

Isaac T. Wakeland " 1852

Marilla J. Wakeland " 1855

Frank E. Wakeland " 1858

Harmon M. Wakeland " 1861

Nettie A. Wakeland " 1863

John P. Wakeland " 1866

Just two of us are living, I and my sister, Marilla Morgan and she lives in Montpelier, Indiana.

I shall be very glad to hear from you for we are closely related and from your letter to Clair Wakeland. I think your father was a son of Turner Wakeland.

Trusting to hear from you soon and with best of wishes and regards, I am,

Sincerely yours,

Isaac T. Wakeland

528 Second St. Rock Island, Illinois

I found another version of this letter in the Daughters of American Revolution Library in Washington D. C. in 1998, in the publication, Illinois DAR Misc. Bible, family and Birth Records, Volume 146, pp. 7-10:

This is a copy of a short history of the WAKELAND family written by Isaac T. Wakeland for his niece, Mrs. Nan Cooper of Millersburg, Illinois. It is now in the possession of Harry Wakeland of Aledo, Illinois.

The earliest known of the WAKELAND family was my Great-great grandfather - William Boles Wakeland. He was born near London in Surrey County, England in the year 1707. He owned a farm which he cultivated and on which he raised and trained race-horses. He was a small man in stature and weight, never weighing more than one hundred and thirty (130) pounds and being a lightweight, he was also a horse jockey. In the year 1727 he sold his farm in England and came to America. he landed at Baltimore, Maryland, but settled in Fairfax, Virginia. Three years later he bought a farm in Hanover County, Virginia. In 1735 he married and to them was born four children. My great-grandfather being the oldest. In Hanover County he followed farming and breeding race-horses and at his death he had accumulated enough land to give each of his four children a small farm. He died in 1769. His death was caused by being thrown from a horse he was training.

My Great-grandfather was Charles Wakeland. He was born in Hanover County, Virginia in the year 1737. His occupation was farming. In 1775 he joined the Virginia Colonials commanded by Colonel George Washington. England and France were at war and that war was known as the French and Indian War. Great-grandfather was in that battle of Fort Duqusne<sic> where the British army was routed and the British General was killed. Washington's Colonials alone saving a remant<sic> of the British army from utter destruction. Great-grandfather was in numerous engagements and served over three (3) years in colonial army. After the war he took up farming again and raised corn and tobacco. In 1762 he was married to a young lady from Fairfax, Virginia. I do not remember her name. They had three children -- two boys and one girl. Their names were John, Precilla and Charles. The last named is my grandfather. In 17778 he joined the American army and served under Generals Gates and Greene in their campaigns in the North and South Carolina's. In 1781 the American Army under Greene was defeated -- the army retreated and with the British in pursuit -- and at the crossing of the Yadkin river Great-grandfather and many other Americans lost their lives by drowning.

At that time my grandfather was four years old. My great-grandmother having some means, managed to give her children, for that time, a good education. My grandfather, being the youngest, got two years at high school. In 1795 Great-grandmother sold her possessions in Hanover County and with numerous other families from Hanover County, Virginia, emigrated into western Kentucky and settled in what was then called the Green River Country. It is now Ohio County, Kentucky and the Town of McHenry is the county seat. The most of the emigrants took up farming and a few depended on hunting for a living. In 1797 Grandfather was married to Miss Permelia Ducket. She too was a native of Virginia. She was born in the year 1776 and was one year older than grandfather. There were four children born to them in Ohio County, Kentucky. Their names are Polly Ann -- born 1798, Turner - born 1800, Caleb - born 1802, William - born 1804. The names of those born in Ohio (the state) are my father -- Charles - born in Clermont County, Ohio in 1806, Isaac T. - born 1808, Nancy - born 1810, Eliza - born 1812. In the spring of 1806 Grandfather sold his property and emigrated over into Clermont, Ohio. He was a preacher of the Universalist faith and was said to be very good in debating either religion or politics. Grandfather and Henry Clay of Kentucky were cousins -- their mothers being sisters. They were both born in Hanover County, Virginia in the year 1777 and both died in 1852. My father had a Bible that his father had given him and which had belonged to Great-grandfather, in that Bible were sermons written by Grandfather. I have wished many times that I could write like him. In that Bible there were also three letters written by Henry Clay to Grandfather. One was written from Washington, D. C. One was written in 1807 and one in 1820 and the third one in 1843. I do not remember much of the contents of those letters but they were mostly political. I have read these sermons and letters scores of times when I was a boy and even after I had grown up. My grandfather had accumulated a great deal of property and was considered well off. When the panic of 1837 ruined him, he saved a small remant of it and moved from Clermont County, Ohio to Oxford, Ohio. Grandmother died in 1835 and in 1839 Grandfather marries Mrs. Winifred Arthur. She was a widow and a full sister of Grandmother. She died in 1868 aged 92 years. In 1843 Grandfather moved to New Madison, Darke County, Ohio. He died at my father's home in New Madison in the month of May 1852. My father, Charles Christian Wakeland was born on a farm in Clermont County, Ohio December 9, 1806. At eighteen years of age, he apprenticed himself to a cabinet maker and carpenter. He served his term of five years as an apprentice, then enlisted in the United States Army -- joining the 7th Regulars commanded by a Colonel Plympton. While in the service he was stationed at Jefferson Barracks in Missouri, Fort Armstrong, now Rock Island, Ill., Fort Snelling, Fort Dearborn in Chicago and Niagra. After his discharged from the army he settled in New Madison, Darke County, Ohio. He there took up the trade of cabinet maker and carpenter. In 1841 he married Miss Nancy Stone of New Madison, Ohio and there were six children born to them in Ohio. Permealia, Boles, Walter, Mary, Eliza and Isaac. In 1854 father sold his property in New Madison and also property he owned in Union City, Ohio and came to Millersburg, Mercer County, Illinois and there he took up his trade again and worked at it nearly as long as he lived. In 1861 he traded his town property in Millersburg for sixteen acres of land on mile west of Millersburg. When the civil war broke out, he drilled the Millersburg Homeguards. He used General Scott's Manual, but that manaul<sic> was out of date and as he knew nothing of Hardees Tactics which were used by the regular army he gave way and O. A. Bridgford then drilled and organized the Homegaurds<sic> into Company I of the 45th Illinois Volunteers. He offered his services and tried to enlist, but was rejected because of his age and being crippled in his left hand. Politically he was a prosecution of the War Democrat. In 1864 he voted for Abe Lincoln because of the platform of the Democratic party which he was not in accord with. Neither father nor mother had much formal education, but both could read and write. Father had a wonderful memory and in figures he was good. He could not take a pencil and figure problems but mentally he was a wizzard<sic>. The way he could work problems mentally was a mystery to me. On February 18 he became ill of double pneumonia and died on 26th of February 1872 - aged 65 years, three months and 17 days. My mother was born Feb. 8, 1824 and died January 8, 1895 - aged 70 and eleven months. There is one item of my Grandfathers life that slipped my mind and I will correct it and that it was of Grandfather's army life. In the War of 1812 he enlisted in the American Army and served one year. He was with General Scott's army on its invasion of Canada and was in the Battle of Chippewa and Lundy Lane, besides several skirmishes with the indians.

When the civil war was started I was nine years old and I remember a good many events that took place during that war. My brother Boles in August 1862 enlisted in Company G of the 102 Illinois Volunteers and in February 1864 Brother Walter enlisted in the same company and regiment. They served through to the end of the war. After their discharge from the army they took up where they left off farming and coal mining. On July 3, 1873, Brother Walt was married to Miss Letitia Garner and on the 7th of September 1874 Brother Boles was married to Miss Sarah Garner.

Now as I have got near to the end of the string, I will tell some things that took place during the Spanish American and World Wars. As you already know my oldest son, Charley enlisted in an Iowa regiment. He served nearly one year and in the World War I. You<sic> had three brothers, John, Harry, and Clara. They all served in that war and all were over seas.

There are a good many events that took place in the civil war time that I will write or tell you of at some future time.

MY GRAND PARENTS BORN DIED

Charles Wakeland 1777 1852

Permealia Wakeland 1776 1835

THEIR CHILDREN

Polly Ann 1798*

Turner 1800*

Caleb 1802*

William 1804 1877

Charles C. 1806 1872

Isaac T. 1808*

Nancy 1810 1906

Eliza 1812*

Note: Those marked with stars -- date of death unknown to me.

MY PARENTS

Charles C. Wakeland Dec. 9, 1806 1872

Nancy Stone Feb 8, 1824 1895

THEIR CHILDREN

Permealia A. April 14, 1842 Feb. 27, 1927

C. B. Feb. 17, 1844 Jan. 19, 1917

W. W. April 25, 1846 Mar. 31, 1931

Mary E. Oct. 27, 1848 Nov. 8, 1852

Eliza J. Feb. 5, 1851 Nov. 18, 1921

Isaac T. Nov. 1852 ----------------------------

Rilla J. Oct. 2, 1855 ----------------------------

Frank E. July 2, 1858 Sept. 26, 1929

Harmon M. April 1, 1861 Sept. 30, 1862

Nettie Aug. 5, 1863 ---------------------------

John P. Mar. 3, 1866 Dec. 11, 1916

You will further note that I am the middle one of the children, five older than me and five younger. I have one sister buried in Ohio and two in Kansas - Permealia and Eliza and five brothers Hamon, John, Boles, Frank and Walter - all buried in the Millersburg, Illinois Cemetery.

Isaac T. Wakeland