Subject: Ferguson history

Good Morning or Afternoon whichever the case may be.  Someone (good kind
person that she is) forwarded me some information that you sent her I think.
Her name if JAHugs.  We just recently met and she has been so good now to help
me with my Family History.  So I am taking this opportunity to write and see
if you might be in the same ball park with us.  I am Helen Schunke, 81 years
old, and a Ferguson direct descendant from Elijah Ferguson.  Janie - as it
turns out is from another family line but we have the same 2nd and 3rd gr.
grandfathers, respectively.  I was very interested it the items and books you
listed toher.  I see that you also have something on the Johnston Clan or
family.  It so happens that my grandmother was a daughter of Sarah Jane
Johnson Drake.  So I am interested in that, also.  If you can give me some
ideas about what I am looking at and for I would be very appreciative.  I have
my Ferguson line complete (more or less)  all the names and most of the dates
from my generation back to Elijah and for the few that I was lacking janie
seems to have filled in for me.  I had hoped to make the Family as complete as
I could possibly make it.  Thanks in advance and hope I hear from you. As you
probably know I can be reached thru e-mail         Thanks
Helen


Hi, thanks for responding so quickly.  Janie and I met just recently.  She was
in Sonora, CA. gathering information on Elijah Ferguson's family and they gave
her my name and address (which happened to be so old so she looked in the
white pages and found my name and address there)  Was so excited when she
called me.  Then a week a two ago she was this way vacationing and came to see
me.  I gave her what I had and she and another cousin of hers are from the
same family but with different parents.  It has been so much fun and now she
ran across another bit of information and sent it on to me and I looked into
it and we think we have now come up with Elijah's parentage.  Since there is
so much duplication in names in this family it has been hard.  My line goes:
Elijah to his son Alfred P. Ferguson to John Elijah Ferguson (my grandfather)
to Alfred Putnam (my father).    I have filled out those lines as far as names
are concerned and believe I have most of the dates.   Then I discovered that
James Ferguson, Elijah's son, just older than Alfred P.  had married and lived
in Sonora and had 4 children, one of whom was an Elijah,
I began to research that because a James had married and lived in The Dalles,
Oregon, my home town, or close by.  It was the same James.  He and Amy
Sharrock divorced after the four children and he came to Oregon to join his
brother (we assume) anyway he married out here to a sister to my Grandmother
who was from the DRAKE family)  Well, I went as far as Icould with that line.
and because of the letter to the Sonora Gen. Society I found (they sent it to
me) a history that really filled out all but one of our  Ferguson lines.  You
guessed it - that was the John Ferguson that janie had come from.  So we have
really had a good time, wish everyone could have that luck.  

A few years ago I had some correspondence with a person who was researching
the ones from the South.  Don't know how it went haven't heard anymore but if
I can locate his name and address will send it to you.  Is there an Elijah in
your family line that you are looking at?  My mother's parents are from the
south (North Carolina) but mother was an orphan at about age 9.  Transplanted
to Oregon in 1900.  That is what started me into research and I haave been at
it about 20 plus years now.  Fun but frustrating.  The girl that we have
contacted who is helping us complete our .line lives in Canada.  By the way
have you been in contact with the Joe Blair who has a website?  I understand
that he is also researching the Ferguson line.  

I called the Fam. History Center here at the LDS church and they said to bring
along the information and they would try to help me find the who, what, when
and werefors of this.
Thanks again and I hope I haven't worn you out.  I will be willing to share
whatever I have if it will be helpful.  Soon Ihope to get it turned in to the
.  Family Tree Maker program. but not just sure when it will be.  I have found
that the information from the LDS is not as expensive as some might think, but
it all depends on how much one wants to put into it in time and money.  To
order a tape used to be $3.00  if out of Salt Lake, but I haven't done that
for some time now so not sure what it would be.  

If I can be of any help.  Will be happy to do so.             Thanks again.
Helen