E. H. FERGUSON, b. 1857?
E. H. Ferguson, who has spent his entire
life in Mahaska county, is living on section 23,
Cedar township, and gives his time and energies
to general agricultural pursuits and
stock-raising. He owns and cultivates three hundred
and twenty acres of well improved land and in
all of his work is practical and enterprising.
He is a son of the Rev. John Ferguson, a
native of Indiana, who was born in Union county
in 1813. He is well known as "Uncle John,"
a term indicative of the love and esteem in
which he is uniformly held. He was a pioneer
minister of the Baptist church of Iowa, and
settled in Cedar township, Mahaska county, about
1846 or 1847. Here he opened up a new
farm and reared his family, spending his
remaining days upon this place, his death
occurring on the 7th of November, 1900. He was
a most active worker in the Baptist church,
devoted to its welfare and upbuilding and he
taught both by precept and example the
principles of righteous living. He was three times
married, first in Indiana to Margaret
McCewen, who died in Mahaska county. There
were eight children by that marriage, of whom
four are yet living. In Jefferson township,
Davis county, Iowa, Rev. Ferguson wedded
Miss Rebecca Hughes, a native of
Pennsylvania, where she was reared and educated, and
E. H. Ferguson of this review is the only child
of that marriage. The mother died here in
Cedar township in 1872, and Mr. Ferguson
afterward wedded Amanda Knott, who survives
her husband. There is one son of that marriage.
E. H. Ferguson was reared upon the old
farm homestead and acquired his education in
the common schools. He remained with
his father and assisted in carrying on the work of the
farm until twenty-six years of age, when he
went to Cass county, where he followed
farming for two or three years. He then returned
to the old homestead and his entire life has been
devoted to general agricultural pursuits.
Mr. Ferguson was married in Monroe
township, this county, on the 3d of April, 1884, to
Miss Martha Roberts, who was reared and
educated here, her father being H. F. Roberts, one
of the early settlers, who came to Iowa from
Kentucky, and is now living in Oskaloosa.
Following their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson
located about two and a half miles west of Fremont,
where he owned one hundred and
eighteen acres of land. He there engaged in
farming and further improving the property,
developing a good place, upon which he lived until
1889, when he sold that and bought two
hundred and seven acres, where he now resides on
section 23, Cedar township. He at once began
the further development of this farm, has
rebuilt and remodeled the house, has also built
outbuildings, has placed two thousand rods of
tiling on the farm, has fenced the fields and
otherwise carried on the work of development
and improvement. He has made a business of
raising and feeding stock for the market and
fattens hogs, sheep and cattle, making quite
extensive annual shipments. He has purchased
more land from time to time until he now owns
three hundred and twenty acres. He is a stockholder in the Farmers National Bank of
Oskaloosa. His farming interests are carefully
conducted and his practical efforts in all his
business affairs have won for him gratifying
measures of success. Unto him and his wife have been born four children: Earl E., Henry Curtis and John Carl, twins, and Mary R. The daughter is teaching in the country schools.
Politically Mr. Ferguson was always a democrat until 1904, when he cast his presidential ballot for Roosevelt. He has never been an office seeker, preferring to give his attention to his business affairs. He and his wife and daughter are members of the Baptist church, of Fremont, and Mr. Ferguson is a Master Mason, belonging to Fremont lodge, A. F. & A. M. His entire life has been spent in this county, and thus for almost a half century he has witnessed the changes which have occurred, the development that has been achieved and the progress that has been made. He has seen the virgin soil transformed into the very productive farms and has helped to make two of the good farms of the county. He has a wide and favorable acquaintance, the circle of his friends being almost coextensive with the number of people who knew him.
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from Past and Present of Mahaska County, Iowa by Manoah Hedge
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1906
Past and Present of Mahaska County, Iowa
Mahaska County, Iowa Genealogy
Iowa Genealogy
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