From: Helen Austin If some of you have the Ferguson families in SC for the 1860 Census, could you please look and see in what county a William J. M. Ferguson, b 1834 SC, is living ? He had a wife Mary E. b 1834 SC who he married abt 1855 He left SC in 1870 before June for Lawrence Co, AL He had these children: J. D. b 1854 SC, male S. John b 1857 SC, male S. M. b 1862 SC Male, probably not on the 1860 census. Sarah E. b 1866 SC T. S. b 1868 SC, male S. L. b 1870 SC , male A. B. b 1873 Lawrence Co, AL , male M. E. b 1877 Lawrence Co, AL, female Also notice if there is a female head of a household, M. E. Ferguson b 1821 SC who had a G. W. GERGUSON, b 1852 SC, male, living with her in the 1870 census of Lawrence Co, AL. I have information to share about this William Ferguson family of Lawrence Co, AL. Searching for county location in SC in 1860 for William J. M. Ferguson b 1834 SC. His was was Mary E. b 1834 SC. The family removed to Lawrence Co, AL in 1870. Census of 1870, 1880 shows the following children: J. D. Ferguson (male) b 1854-1856 SC S. John Ferguson b 19 Sep 1857 SC, m 27 Apr 1881 Lucinda Jane WOODARD, Lawrence Co, AL, d 21 Feb 1924 Lawrence Co, AL bur Bogar Cem. W. A. Ferguson (male) b 1860 SC S. W. Ferguson b 1862 SC, spouse Annie JOHNSON m 22 Nov 1885, LC,AL Sarah E. Ferguson b 1866 SC, m Thomas Benton WOODARD 1881, LC, AL F. S. Ferguson (male) b 1868 AL S. L. Ferguson (male) b 1870 Lawrence Co, AL A. B. Ferguson (male) b 1873 LC, AL M. E. Ferguson (female) b 1877 LC, AL I am looking for possible links to the families in Chester, York or Greenville Counties, SC. I have information on some descendants of Wm. J. M. Ferguson. *****
Subject: [Ferguson-L] Lawrence&Morgan Co,ALFergusonS >From Helen Austin of Decatur, AL AustinART@aol.com Searching in SC for the ancestry of AL FergusonS: as follows: William J. M. Ferguson b 1834 SC, m 1855 SC to Mary E.(unk) b 1834 Children are: i J. D. Ferguson (Male) b 1854/1856 SC ii S. John b 19 Sep 1857 SC, mar 1881 Lawrence Co, AL to Lucinda Jane Woodard, 2nd to her sister Louella Woodard. iii S. W. (male) b 1862 m Annie Johnson 1885 see 1900 Census Lawrence Co,AL iii Sarah E. b 1866 SC m Thomas Benton WOODARD, bro of Lucinda and Louella iv F. S. (male) b 1868 SC v S. L. (male) b 1870 SC vi A. B. (male) b 1873 AL vii M. E. (F. ) b 1877 Lawrence Co, AL I have thought that my Wm. is connected because he lived very near to the descendants of Adam Ferguson who lived in Morgan Co, AL much earlier. The first census for Lawrence Co, AL in which Wm. appears is 1870. On the 1870 and 1880 Census his children are named by initials only.. Also, this may be important since she could be the mother of William (b 1837); on the same 1870 Lawrence Co, AL census, Twp 8, R 6 W, Danville P.O., near the Morgan Co, line; just after the listing for W.FERGERSON, age 33 Farmer, $76 RE, b SC; is another household 76/78 for a M. E. FERGERSON age 49 , F, keeps house b SC and a G. W. , male, age 18, farm hand. ****
I received this message today that I cannot confirm: Quoting the book, Ferguson FAMILY OF CHESTER CO< SC: "This is just a shot in the dark, but would your William J. M. Ferguson possibly be William Joseph Ferguson, son of Frederick Guthrie Ferguson who was b 4 April, 1809, in Spartanberg Co., SC., married Lucinda Hale, died 4 Sept., 1863, at Tuskegee, Ala. Frederick was a Methodist minister and college president. Lucinda was born in Huntsville, Ala., daughter of William Hale and Katherine Stone. Children: William Joseph Ferguson and 10 siblings, one being Frederick Summerfield Ferguson b 2 May 1841 in Huntsville, Ala. I don't have a dob for William J. but it would be about right for him to be born in 1834, as he is the first listed child of this couple. I suggest this because of the proximity of Huntsville, where they were evidently living in 1841 upon the birth of Frederick Summerfield Ferguson, to Lawrence Co., Ala. Frederick Guthrie Ferguson's father was James Ferguson, b 25 Aug 1782 in Chester Dist., SC, m. Rebecca Guthrie, d 18 April, 1874, is buried at Macon, Miss. The book lists 12 children. To reiterate: James Ferguson was (according to this book) born in Chester Dist. SC, but his second child (Frederick Guthrie Ferguson) was born in Spartanberg Co., SC. in 1809. Frederick married a lady from Huntsville, Ala. One of his children was William Joseph Ferguson, but it gives no further information on him. However, another of his children, Frederick Summerfield Ferguson, was born in 1841 in Huntsville, Ala. If you are certain that your William J. M. Ferguson's son, S. John Ferguson was born in SC, then this is possibly not the same William, unless he moved his family back to SC before moving to Lawrence, Ala." >From Helen again: I am certain that S. John was b in SC because he is so listed on the 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910 Census. as are his parents and siblings up to and including, 1870. However, I have never been able to locate this William and family on the 1860 SC census. Does anyone out there have any thoughts about this possibility ? Do any of you belong to the MADISON or MORGAN CO. AL FergusonS who were desc of Adams Ferguson ?
It has been some time since I sent my message about the William J. M. Ferguson of SC who came to the Bankhead Forest/Pinhook area of Lawrence Co, AL in 1870. I have not had any replies about this family. Part of my problem is with the names of the children being only written with initials, not full names on the 1870 and 1880 census. I now have have some NEW INFORMATION The eldest son of my William J. M. Ferguson (1834SC-ca1885) and Mary E. (b 1834 SC) now has a name. He is James C. Ferguson b 1854-1856 in SC and he is on the 1880 census of Lawrence Co, AL as a head of household, age 24 in the Pine Torch Area of Bankhead Forest, Twp 8, R 8. His young wife, Trudy E. age 20 is with him. brother, S. John Ferguson was b 19 Sep 1857 SC, mar 27 Apr 1881 in LC, AL to Lucinda Jane Woodard. brother W. A. Ferguson b 1860 SC, brother S. W. Ferguson b 1862SC married Annie Johnson 22 Nov 1885, LC,AL sister, Sarah E. Ferguson b 1866 SC married Thomas Benton WOODARD 1881, LC brother, T. S., or F. S. or Y. S. Ferguson b 1868 SC brother S. L. Ferguson b 1870 SC or AL brother, A. B. Ferguson b 1874 Lawrence Co, AL sister M. E. Ferguson b 1877 LC,AL. If you have any clues about the first names of these FergusonS, or what happened to them between 1880 and 1900, please write.
To Southern Ferguson researchers, especially those with SC, AL roots From: Helen Austin of Decatur, AL I have not sent a query for some time. I am still looking for more information about some of the children of this William J. M. Ferguson b 1834 SC, county unknown. My most needed information is the CENSUS of 1860 in SC and the CENSUS of 1850 in SC, counties unknown for this man. In 1869-1870 he came to the Pinhook, Oakville, Speake area of Lawrence Co, AL not far from Danville, Morgan Co, AL where Samuel Yancey and Henry Ferguson (of John) lived. I have this data: Census of 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 of Lawrence Co, AL for William and his son S. John and dau Sarah E. who married Thomas Benton Woodard. There were many other children who I do not find in 1900. William may have died or moved away by 1900. I am still looking at the Morgan and Franklin Co, FergusonS because of possible links to our William. To Paul Scales, and Ferguson researchers >From Helen Austin of Decatur, AL We did write to each other about a year ago. However I am not a desc of Joanna that I know of. My husband's grandmother was Annie Emaline Ferguson b 14 Aug 1886 at Pinhook, Lawrence Co, AL d Feb 1952 and bur at Morris Chapel Cem, LC, AL. She married David Richard BROOKS 21 Sep 1902 LC, AL Annie was the dau of S. John Ferguson b 19 Sep 1857 SC (county unk.), d abt 21 Feb 1924, bur Bogar Cem, Lawrence Co, AL. S. John mar Lucinda Jame WOODARD 1881 and her sister Leotta WOODARD later in LC, AL. S. John was one of many children of William J. M. Ferguson 1834 SC- d probably abt 1881-1800 LC, AL. His wife was Mary E. b 1834 SC, county unk. That is as far as I get. I know Wm. and Mary came to Lawrence Co, AL in 1869 and lived about 10 miles from the descendants of Samuel Yancey and Henry Ferguson formerly of Chester Co, SC. Wm. also lived about 20 miles from the descendants of Clement Ferguson who came to LC, AL about 1830 from Greenville, SC. Still searching for clues. Helen in North Alabama, researching some SC and AL FergusonS from before 1869. Ferguson researchers and To Chris Reeder >From Helen Austin Thanks for your reply about my William J. M. Ferguson b abt 1834 in SC, possibly a desc of Adam Ferguson. I have already been looking at the CHESTER Co, SC census and records. But have not finished all possible FergusonS named William. I started in the counties in the upcountry. I have looked at the descendants of ADAM Ferguson and still believe it is likely that our William Ferguson may be connected to that line as some of the William Yancey and Henry Adams Fergusons desc. lived very near in Lawrence and Morgan Co, AL. I have the census index for SC for 1860, and have looked at many reels of census, but have not yet found a family meeting the description of William J. M. with sons S. John b 11859 SC and his elder brother J. C. b 1857, and W. A. b 1860 SC who m Sallie Aldridge 1887 in Lawrence Co, AL. son F. S. was b 1867-1868 SC. dau Sarah E. b 1866 SC. son S. L. b 1870 SC. The family appears in the 1870 census of Lawrence Co, AL Twp 8, R 6W, p 10, Dwelling 75, Family 77. William's wife had the initials M. E. b 1834 SC. What a shame that the census takers in both 1870 and 1880 recorded all names with initials not full names for this family. I looked at the COM index and the Draper manuscripts and Andrea Manuscripts of SC families and at several published Marriage lists. Of course, I would appreciate any help or advice that you might offer. If you ever see a marriage about 1855 in SC for a William Ferguson and a Miss M. E. last name unknown, please let me know. Thanks, Helen