Celestia is the daughter of
Francis (nicknamed "Frank") Hunniker Sr.
and his wife Julia Ann Frame,
of South Bend, Portage township,
St. Joseph County Indiana, and later,
of Buchanan, Berrien County Michigan.
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Note: PLEASE, do NOT transfer this
memorial to other web sites.
Thanks, Nancy (Letcher) Heib.
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Note: Her father Francis "Frank"
Hunniker Sr. was born in Wurttemberg,
Germany and his occupation was a
butcher, in a retail meat market.
All three census' for her mother
Julia Ann (Frame) Hunniker, state
that Julia Ann was born in Ohio.
-------------------------------------
Celestia was born in St. Joseph Co.
Indiana ("possibly" in South Bend,
Indiana, where her brother was born).
-------------------------------------
Celestia's family moved from South Bend,
Portage township, St. Joseph County
Indiana to Buchanan, Berrien County
Michigan, between 1853 and 1860.
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Celestia was the third of six
known children.
--------------------------------
Celestia was married to
Liberty U. Dragoo
in August of 1864 in
Niles, Berrien County Michigan,
by Justice of the Peace Barron
(per Liberty's Civil War records).
They were married just before
Liberty left for the Civil War.
Liberty was the son of
Ewell (nicknamed "Uel") Dragoo
and his 1st wife Jane Barnhouse, of
Buchanan, Berrien County Michigan.
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Note: In Liberty's civil war pension
records, Liberty was asked to list
all of his children, both living and
dead, and their dates of birth.
---------------------------------
The 7 children of Liberty U. Dragoo and
his wife Celestia Ann Hunniker are:
--------------------------
1. Carrie Estell Dragoo.
b. Aug. 24, 1865 in Berrien Co. MI
(probably in Buchanan).
m. June 21, 1885 to Peter Ewalt Sr.
in Berrien Springs, Berrien Co. MI.
(Peter was born in 1864 and died
Sept. 11, 1931, at 67 years).
Peter and Carrie had twins,
Ethel and Peter Ewalt Jr.
d. Carrie died on Jan. 23, 1886, in
Oronoko township (North of Buchanan),
Berrien County Michigan, from
childbirth, age 21 years, 4 months,
and 29 days, the day after she gave
birth to twins.
Buried: Rose Hill Cemetery
in Berrien Springs, Michigan
(In 1st addition, South section,
Lot # 186, Space # 1).
Carrie is buried next to her
one-day-old son Peter Ewalt Jr.
who died the same day as Carrie.
Note: Buried in lot 186 are:
Carrie E. (Dragoo) Ewalt,
Peter Ewalt Jr. (son of Peter & Carrie),
Peter Ewalt Sr. (Carrie's husband).
Mary C. Ewalt (2nd wife of Peter Sr.),
Frank J. Ewalt and George H. Ewalt
(children of Peter Sr. and his
second wife Mary C.).
-------------------------------------
2. William F. Dragoo.
b. Aug. 8, 1866 in Buchanan, MI.
m. Dec. 23, 1896 to Augusta C. Tietz
in Buchanan, Berrien County Michigan.
d. Feb. 6, 1903 of pneumonia, age 36,
in Mishawaka, St. Joseph Co. Indiana.
Buried: Oak Ridge Cemetery
in Buchanan, Michigan
(Section A, lot 19).
-----------------------------------
3. Henrietta ("Nettie") Mae Dragoo.
b. June 10, 1871 in Buchanan, Michigan.
m. # 1. Simon P. Strawser,
on May 1, 1889, in
Buchanan, Berrien County Michigan.
m. # 2. Hunter Savage Dresden,
in St. Joseph, Berrien Co. Michigan,
on July 7, 1907. He was the son of
Henry Clay Dresden and his wife
Emily Adele Goodwin.
d. Nettie drowned on Oct. 19, 1909,
age 38, in Hudson Lake, N.-W. of
New Carlisle, LaPorte Co. Indiana.
Her body was found
(and the death certificate issued)
on Nov. 16, 1909.
Buried: City Cemetery (in Dresden plot),
in South Bend, St. Joseph Co. Indiana
(Two locations listed: Lot 3140 # 3,
"OR" Lot 514 3rd addition).
Note: Many articles were written in
the local newspapers, during the month
that they were searching for her body
(as many local people did not think
that her drowning was an accident).
--------------------------------------
4. Juliette ("Julia") E. Dragoo.
b. Jan. 9, 1873 in Buchanan, Michigan.
Note: The 1873 plat map of Buchanan
township, shows her Dragoo family
living in Section 15 [on or near
Miller Road, North of Buchanan].
m. April 28, 1897 in Buchanan, MI.
to Jacob ("Jake") Rhoades
(1872-1957), the son of Peter Rhoades
and his wife Eunice Swink, of Portage
Prairie, South of Buchanan, Michigan.
Note: After Julia's death, Jacob "boarded"
at the home of Alois and Alice Letcher
in Portage Prairie, S. of Buchanan, MI.
d. Jan. 9, 1942 of pneumonia, age 69,
at her home on Cleveland Ave., 4 and
1/2 miles North of Galien, in Weesaw
township, Berrien County Michigan
[West of Buchanan, Michigan].
Buried: Oak Ridge Cemetery,
in Buchanan, Berrien Co. Michigan
(Section D, lot 105).
-----------------------------------
5. Clyde W. Dragoo.
b. June 22, 1876 in Buchanan, MI.
m. Sept. 7, 1898, in
Baroda, Berrien County Michigan, to
Clara Upham (the sister of Clarence).
d. Feb. 29, 1952 of diabetes,
in St. Joseph, Berrien Co. Michigan,
age 75 years, 8 months and 7 days.
Buried: Oak Grove Cemetery, West of
Berrien Springs, Berrien Co. Michigan
(Lot 187, grave # 1).
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6. Harry W. Dragoo (3-day-old infant).
b. March 12, 1878 in Buchanan, MI.
d. March 15, 1878 in Buchanan, MI.
Harry's death certificate states that
he died of "unknown reason" and that
he was buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery,
in Buchanan, Berrien County Michigan.
There is no headstone for Harry,
and the cemetery has no record
of his burial location.
Harry is listed in his father's
Civil War pension records.
Note: (Since he was the first of
their children to pass away, could
he "possibly" be buried in the
"Potters Field" area of this cemetery,
which is 64% burials of infants
2 years old or less, possibly before
his parents had purchased any lots
in this cemetery)??
"OR" was he possibly buried in the
same lot as Celestia's parents?
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7. Cleta (nicknamed "Cleo") Dragoo
(also nicknamed "Cleatie").
b. July 7, 1879 in Buchanan, Michigan,
as "Cleta".
m. As "Cleatie" Dragoo, on
Nov. 6, 1898, in her parents home on
Hobert Street, in Buchanan, Michigan,
to Clarence Upham, the son of
Theodore Albert Upham and his
wife Isadora N. Kizer.
d. Oct. 31, 1948 in Buchanan, Michigan
(as "Cleo"), from diabetes,
age 69 years, 3 months, and 24 days.
Buried: Oak Ridge Cemetery,
in Buchanan, Berrien County Michigan
(Section D, lot 211).
Note: She was born as "Cleta", married
as "Cleatie", and died as "Cleo".
("Cleatie" and "Cleo" were nicknames,
because she did not like her given name).
________________________________

Celestia and Liberty U. Dragoo lived
in the village of Buchanan, and in
Buchanan Township, Berrien County
Michigan, all of their married lives.
-------------------------------------
Their children "possibly" attended the
old brick Buchanan High School
built in 1871, which stood directly
behind the "present" high school.
The first "graduating class" in the
"old" Buchanan High School was in 1877.
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Celestia's granddaughter Cecile, named
her eldest child Thelma "Celestia"
Bliss, after her.
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Celestia died of pneumonia in
Buchanan, Michigan, at the age of
72 years, 11 months and 18 days.
(Death certificate obtained from the
"State of Michigan" in Lansing).
-------------------------------------
(The "death index" in Berrien County MI
had her listed under the wrong spelling).
(Someone apparently thought that her
middle initial of "A" was part of her
last name, and listed her surname
incorrectly as "Adragoo").
---------------------------
Note: This memorial was
researched and written,
by Nancy (Letcher) Heib.
---------------------------------
Celestia's parents are also buried
in this cemetery (in Section 20,
lot # 19). Celestia's sister
Henrietta (Hunniker) Evans,
four of Celestia's children, and
numerous grandchildren, and
Great grandchildren, are
also buried in this cemetery.
Members of five CONSECUTIVE generations
of Celestia's family are buried
in this cemetery!
------------------------------------
Celestia is buried next to
her husband Liberty U. Dragoo,
in "Section A, Lot 64".
---------------------------------
Celestia's headstone reads:
-------------
MOTHER
CELESTIA A.
DRAGOO
1843 - 1916
-----------------------------------
Note: Celestia's brother Frank Jr.,
switched from the spelling of
"Hunniker" to the spelling of
"Honniker", and is buried in the
Oak Grove Cemetery in Coldwater, MI.
(Some of his sisters have the "Honniker"
spelling on their marriage or death
certificates. Could the sisters also have
swiched to the "Honniker" spelling, or
were they possibly mispellings?)
-------------------------------------
Note: See the memorials for one line
of Celestia's family on this web site:
--------------
Father, Francis "Frank" Hunniker Sr.
Mother, Julia Ann (Frame) Hunniker.
Sister, Henrietta (Hunniker) Evans.
Brother, Frank B. "Honniker" Jr.
Husband, Liberty U. Dragoo.
Daughter, Cleta "Cleo" (Dragoo) Upham.
Granddaughter, Cecile (Upham) Bliss.
Great, granddaughter,
Thelma Celestia (Bliss) Letcher.
(ALL have lived in Buchanan, Michigan).
----
Note: Liberty and Celestia Dragoo
are my Great, Great, Grandparents.
Nancy (Letcher) Heib.
----------------------------------
Note: Members of FIVE "consecutive"
generations of this family are buried
in this Oak Ridge cemetery! They are:
1. Francis "Frank" & Julia (Frame) Hunniker.
2. Liberty and Celestia (Hunniker) Dragoo.
3. Clarence & Cleta "Cleo" (Dragoo) Upham.
4. Lloyd and Cecile (Upham) Bliss.
5. Paul and Thelma (Bliss) Letcher.
----
(Six generations, counting Paul and
Thelma's daughter Mary Pauline Letcher).
---------------------------------
Note: For additional information on
"this branch" of the Dragoo family, see:
"The Virginian's Burying Ground,
Buchanan, Berrien County Michigan
and The family of
Jacob and Isabella Dragoo",
compiled by Nancy (Letcher) Heib.
Located in the "Local History Room",
of the Buchanan District Library,
Buchanan, Michigan, and
in the "Library of Michigan",
in Lansing, Michigan.
(www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan)
A copy is also located in the
Allen County Public Library
in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
(www.acpl.lib.in.us)
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Click on photos to see enlargements,
captions, and additional photos.
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