Years ago I attempted to create a family newsletter. I sent it to all the addresses I had and asked the recipients to forward me addresses of anyone they thought might like to be included. It was a double-sided letter sized paper with research stories, pictures and family recipes. I asked for readers to submit stories or areas of interest, even their favorite recipes. I got absolutely no response. Not one return letter, so the extent of my family newsletter lasted exactly that one issue.
The reason I even bring it up was in the top corner of that first (and only) newsletter was a blurb about what was coming in my next issue; “the search for George Russell Ferguson.” Well, 15 years later I’m finally writing that article and this time it’s actually a few generations deeper.
In my Ferguson research I had tracked and purchased a certified copy of George Russell’s wedding certificate. On it were two new names that I never had; his father George W. Ferguson and his mother, Harriet Jeffries. My mind raced and new possibilities opened. I found Harriet (widow of George W.) living with her son George Russell in an 1891 Peoria City directory. I started back tracking from there, using census records to try and find George W.
Also listed in this city directory were Ferguson’s that I assumed were George Russell’s older brothers, Ira, Elias, Warren. My assumptions came from a photo album of George Bee Ferguson’s (my Great-grandpa and George Russell’s son) that called them Uncle. Stuff like, “here we are out at Uncle Ira’s place” or “cool comfort with Uncle Elias.” So backwards (and sometimes sideways) I went in search of GW. And since most of the 1890 US census was lost in a great fire, the 1880 US census was my next destination.
To this day I have not yet found George Russell who would’ve been 10 at the time, nor brother Elias or mother Harriet. I did find Ira though, living with another brother, Levi, in Richwoods, Peoria, IL. Brother Warren was in the Peoria city jail. Now, the interesting thing about Great-great-uncle Levi was his listed state of birth, Kentucky. I had North Carolina as George W.’s state of birth and Indiana as mother Harriet’s (from the wedding certificate), so Kentucky to have a child kind of was like a step backwards in the normal migration pattern of NC-IN-IL.
Next stop, the 1870 Federal census and I found our little family in Richwoods, IL (where Levi would stay for 20+ years) in a surprising location. At first glance it appeared mother Harriet was living with her children in a brothel. When I mentioned this to my wife she observed (maybe a little too quickly), “well your Ferguson side has always been entrepreneurs’ and your Marshall’s always worked for others.” While I pondered her keen observation I noticed that the address changed when the census taker enumerated mother Harriet, so they didn’t live in the brothel, but on the adjoining farm. Whew!
Made me think though, how would you like to be looking up your ancestor’s and find that great-great-granny was “Boss Hoar” at age 16? Or great-great-grandpa was listed as a “fancy cuss.” What’s a “fancy cuss” anyway? I can come to a couple of conclusions and none of them I’d want for my relatives. Well, more on this later I think, but for now, back to that funny 1870 census.
A couple of things struck me odd about that census. Another family name is there, a girl named Lana aged 2, and both George W. and George R. are missing. I found George W. in the Mortality schedule as passing in September of 1870 and George R.’s records had him born in Peoria, in June of that year. The census was enumerated on the 15th of July 1870 so both would be alive at that point, George R. only a month old. Where are they? Could both of them be in the hospital? Did they even have a Peoria County Hospital in 1870? Just another turn for the elusive George Russell Ferguson!
So since I couldn’t find either George in 1870 rather than stop I decided to tackle the 1860 US census. Since the 1870 showed Elias, Julia and Warren born in Indiana that’s where I headed. I quickly found George W. and his family in Harrison, Clay Co., Indiana. Harriet, Levi, Elias, Julia and Warren are all there and everyone of the kids are listed as born in Indiana, with the exception of Levi who has Kentucky listed. Not a lot there other than confirmations on brothers and sisters so I turned my attention to the 1850 Federal census.
For the longest time I couldn’t find George W. no matter how I searched. I couldn’t find Levi (although I wasn’t sure of his birth date and it was possible he wasn’t born yet) and I couldn’t find Harriet. Then I stumbled onto something completely by blind luck that opened the flood gates as far as my Ferguson research was concerned. There in a little unincorporated part of Bullitt Co., Kentucky was George W. Furgurson. That’s right, “FURGURSON.” Wife Harriet and son Levi, 5 months old were right beside him. While this was a huge find the best part was who were living with them. Mother Catherine, brothers Hamilton and Samuel, sister Elizabeth and a young boy named James M. Rictor who I’ve since found will be related to the family as a step son to one of George’s cousins. But that’s not for a couple more years so why he is living with them at this time is unknown.
So Bullitt County Kentucky has turned out to be a treasure trove of Ferguson family data. Two large families, one led by a Richard (b. 1774 VA) the other F.S. (b. abt 1790). Catherine is the widow of F.S. so our GW has a father now. And while there is no concrete proof that Richard and F.S. are related, that little James M. Rictor that was living with our GW in 1850? He is related to Richard through his step-mother Airy who is Richards daughter. So, I will continue to research this elusive line. I need to find F.S. and his place of birth. I would also like to officially tie Richard and F.S. together. Lots of work still to do, but lots has been found and I’m a new fan of Kentucky state and the amount of genealogy they have online.
We’ll keep you posted as I find more and hopefully it won’t take me another 15 years between searches!
