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Lillias Park Ferguson Letter to Jeanette Wood Ward July 28, 1869
Background Lillias Park was orphaned when her parents, William and Frances Park died in Leon County on the journey to Ft. Graham. Lillias and her brother, Archibald, raised by the Woods and their other siblings, William and David were raised by the Ridgeway family. Lillias married R. A. Ferguson‘s nephew, John Ferguson. When Lillie speaks of Aunt Isabella, she is referring to her adoptive sister Isabella who married John Ferguson’s uncle R.A. Sorry if this is confusing, I didn’t do the matchmaking. The Letter July 28, 1869 Dear Jeannette or Jennette, I will commence an answer to your letter which I received on the 18th of this month. We…
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Connecting the Old House to the New Addition
Connecting the Old House to the New Addition When we purchased the old house, we knew that we were going to need to put an addition on it. It was a tiny house (1100 sq ft) even with the porches enclosed. And enclosing the porches didn’t really help us much as they basically added hallways and not rooms to the house. Once we started the renovation project, we realized that the house was in need of a rest. We planned to use the old house as gently as possible and made plans to add rooms that would be used daily (kitchen, laundry, bathrooms, etc.) in the addition. How many times…
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Archibald Park (adopted son of James and Isabella Wood) to Isabella Wood 22 Jan 1864
Background Archibald Park emigrated to Texas with his parents, William and Frances Park and his two brothers: David and William, and sister, Lillias. Unfortunately, his parents became ill in Leon County at the same time that the Wood family became ill. William and Frances Park died along with three of the Wood’s children. Mrs. Isabella Wood wrote a letter back to Mrs. Frances Park’s parents in Scotland letting them know what had happened and asking for direction on what should be done with the children. Ultimately, David and William Park were adopted by the Ridgeway family. The Woods raised Archie and Lillias. Archie died in the Civil War. Lillias married…
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Finishing the New Floors in the Old House
Background Work The floors in the original house. I wanted to keep them, but they were damaged. We knew that wasn’t an option. The original floors were nothing more than boards nailed to the floor joists. There were gaps between them so you could see the dirt under the house. As much as I wanted to restore the house, even I knew that we were going to have to do something different than what there originally. The first flooring job was to work on the structural parts. We installed plywood under the joists so we could insulate the floors. We then installed the floor decking material. That was a lot…
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James “Squire Jim” Ferguson’s Account of Their Trip to California
Background We’ve all heard about Robert Andrew Ferguson’s exploits as a cowboy. He helped tame the wild West, had more horses under brand than any man in the world, and was one of the wealthiest men in Hill County. Before all of that, he was a young man in Gaston County, North Carolina when opportunity in the way of a gold rush in California came knocking. Gold was discovered on January 24, 1848 at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California. The news of the discovery of gold was first announced in San Francisco by a newspaper publisher in March of 1848. Evidently, he walked through the streets with a vial of gold…
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Ferguson Men and the California Gold Rush – George P. Ferguson Account
Background Four Ferguson men left Gaston County, NC for the California gold fields in 1849. They were James “Squire Jim” Ferguson, his son William; Squire Jim’s nephew, Robert Andrew Ferguson, and Alfred Hall Ferguson, son of George W. Ferguson. The following was written by Alfred H. Ferguson’s brother George Porter Ferguson. He lived in Hillsboro, Hill County, Texas for a number of years and certainly knew R.A. Ferguson as they did not live far apart. It is interesting that George P. Ferguson states that his brother, Alfred, died in California. This is not true. Alfred remained in California until his death in January of 1909. A quick search for our…
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Ferguson Land Records in Hill County, Texas in 1890
Background R.A. Ferguson bought a lot of land in Hill County, Texas and elsewhere. He needed it as he was a stockman and also providing for a large family. In 1887, he purchase 13 acres near his home (deed recorded in 1890). This was abandoned land. Notice that the chain carriers were JW Ferguson and RM Ferguson, his sons. I attached the link to the pdf of these documents below. In the field notes, they use the word “vacancy” a lot. I haven’t seen that word used in other surveys. Was this land scraps between other parcels of land that belonged to no one? The Documents 13 acres land RA…
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Robert Andrew Ferguson’s Buried Gold in Hill County, Texas
Background I am thrilled that the Gaston Gazette published these stories about R.A. Ferguson. However, I am not certain about the dates and all the details. For example, in one of their articles, they have him heading to the gold fields of California before gold was discovered. In another, they say he went with one companion when we know that he went with his uncle, Squire Jim Ferguson, Squire Jim’s son, and another cousin. Still, the articles provide insight into what happened. We need to piece all the facts and details together from all the articles if we are to have a clear picture of R.A.’s adventures. The Article Excerpt…
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Robert Andrew Ferguson: Not a Common Man
Background Following his death in March 1910, an article illustrating Robert Andrew Ferguson’s life appeared in the Gaston Gazette. Some of the dates and timeline are incorrect, I believe, if you compare them to other documents we have. Over all it is an amazing tribute fitting for an amazing life. The Article Published in the Gaston Gazette, Gaston, NC on Tuesday, April 12, 1910 NOT A COMMON MAN. Late R.A. Ferguson, Gaston County Man Who Recently Died in Texas, Was a Hero from His Youth – Caught Monkeys in South America and Mined Gold in California- Sketch of an Interesting Career. Some weeks ago the Gazette published an account of…
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Robert Andrew Ferguson Dies In Texas: Gaston, NC Obituary
Background R.A. Ferguson is kind of a big deal in our family. I suppose that this is because he lived a larger-than-life sort of life. Robert Andrew Ferguson was a cowboy in Texas before and after the Civil War. He went on horse and cattle drives and is reported to have had more horses under brand than any man in the world. His was the C-5 brand and we are all just a little bit proud of him for his accomplishments. Lately, I have found documents that paint a clearer picture of him. R.A. (Uncle Bob to many) had beautiful penmanship. He was a good friend. Grandpa Ferguson liked to…