GEORGE W. WAKEFIELD. 



BY C. R. MARKS. 



George Washington Wakefleld, who was an active 

 member of the Academy since its first organization as 

 the Scientific Association down to his death, deserves 

 mention in these pages. 



He was descended from sturdy New England stock. 

 His first American Wakefield ancestor was John Wake- 

 field, a shipwright and boatman, who came to Boston, 

 Mass., before 1640. The family for many generations 

 resided in Massachusetts and Eastern New York. One 

 of them, Joseph Wakefield, was a soldier in the Revolu- 

 tionary Army, and was in the battle of Bunker Hill. 



Orin Wakefield, father of our member, migrated to 

 DeWitt, DeWitt Co., 111., where he died in 1885, at a 

 good old age. His principal occupation was farming. 

 George W. Wakefield was born at DeWitt, 111., Nov. 22, 

 1839. and he spent his 3^outh upon his father's large farm, 

 pursuing the usual routine of such a life and attending 

 the public schools for his early education. 



He must have been in these 3'ears a close observer 

 of nature, as throughout his life he was always testing 

 the accuracy of his conclusions upon subjects of study 

 by what he himself had observed. When eighteen years 

 old he commenced attending school at the preparatory 

 department of Lombard University, Galesburg, 111., re- 

 maining there several terms and returning again at in- 

 tervals thereafter. 



On July 27, 1861, he enlisted in Co. F., 41st Illinois 

 Infantry, and was mustered into the United States serv- 

 ice as corporal. He was taken down with fever and went 

 to the hospital the same fall, and was not able to rejoin 

 his regiment until the latter part of Feb., 1862. He 

 thereafter served with the regiment until mustered out, 

 August 20, 1864, with the rank of first sergeant. He 



