“My Ferguson Line” that I know of starts back about September 4, 1822. That is when Elias Ferguson was born someplace in North Carolina. Sometime between then and 1846 he moved to Mississippi. The reason I know this is because on March 22, 1846 he married Missouri Ann Boren who was born on November 18, 1826 in Holly Springs, MS.
This is when they started a family and the first one born I can talk about is William Thomas Ferguson on May 25, 1848. Now William was born in MS along with at least three others. Their names are a female named Alpha, another son named John and then another daughter named Nancy. I have a hunch there may be more but I don’t have anything to show that. Now Elias and Missouri Ann both died on
dates I don’t have. I guess if I was to push hard enough and do enough research I might be able to find out more about them.I do know that Mississippi was a large settlement for the Ferguson Clan in the States. They moved there and settle a large part of the country and making their homes there for many years before some moved on. As did my great grandfather
William Thomas.William Thomas moved to Pangburn, Arkansas in White County sometime between 1892 and 1895. I am getting a little ahead of myself here. Before moving to Pangburn, he meets a lady named Martha Elizabeth Reeves, born someplace in Alabama on February 5, 1855. They got married on December 3, 1871 in Holly Springs, Mississippi (Marshall Co). They got busy and had 9 children. All but the last one was born in Mississippi and she was born in Arkansas. This is how I know about the time he moved to Arkansas.
I will list the names of the children. Remember the first 8 were all born in Mississippi.
1.) Alva Retta Ferguson, daughter b. Jul 03, 1873 Jan 05, d. 1952, Fort Cobb, Oklahoma (Caddo Co.)
2.) Mary Etta Ferguson, daughter b. Jul 28, 1876, d. Jun 15, 1955, Anadarko, Oklahoma (Caddo Co)
3.) Clarice Annie Ferguson, daughter b. Jul 25, 1877, d. Nov 20, 1958, Flint, Michigan (Genesee Co.) – This is the one we all knew as “Aunt Annie.”
4.) Minnie Bell Ferguson, daughter b. Oct 15, 1880, d. Jul 28, 1942, I don’t know where she died at.
5.) William Romer Ferguson, son b. Apr 07, 1883, (It only took William Thomas 10 years to figure out how to make a son.) d. Feb 05, 1929, Pangburn, Arkansas (White Co.)
6.) Iris Lena Ferguson, daughter b. Feb 25, 1886, d. Oct 28, 1963, Pontiac, Michigan (Oakland Co.) – This is “Aunt Lena.”
7.) Lula Florence Ferguson, daughter b. Jul 19, 1889, d. May 19, 1970, Flint, Michigan (Genesee Co.) – This is the greatest Gramma there was.
8.) Homer Lee Ferguson, son b. Feb 15, 1892, d. Oct 06, 1956, Pangburn, Arkansas (White Co.) – This is “Uncle Lee” and he was the last child born in Mississippi.
9.) Ruby Elizabeth Ferguson, daughter b. Sep 20, 1895, d. May 18, 1897. Ruby was born and died in Pangburn, Arkansas (White Co.) and only lived to the age of 19 months 28 days.
Some time in the late 1920's or early 1930's the family split. Some of them went to Oklahoma and some of them went to Michigan. After that they didn’t see much of each other. That did cause a bid divide in the family and that is why we only got to meet and know just a few of Gramma’s siblings. I have talked to Evelyn Skelton Sell who is Mary Etta’s Ferguson Skelton's grand daughter. She has given me some information on the “Oklahoma Side” of the family. I also know that Aunt Louise has told me about a trip they took to OK once to see the family there and I do have a couple of pictures of this event. I will add some of them to this “Blog” but I’m not sure who everyone is that are in the photos.
The “Woodell/Ferguson Clan,” is part of the group that came to Michigan. My grandfather moved his family here in the late 1920’s. Also to move here were some of Uncle Lee’s, Aunt Annie’s and Aunt Lena’s families. After they got to Michigan they were not necessarily all in one location. Some of them were in Flint area and some were in Pontiac, Michigan. But never the less they were here and the rest were in Oklahoma, someplace.
The person I will talk the most about here will be Lula Ferguson, my Grandmother. Lula was born in Mississippi as were most of her siblings and still living there meet and married an Andrew Dial, ca.1908. They had one child they named Ira lee Dial b. ca. 1910 in Myrtle, Mississippi (Union Co.) and d. March 11, 1933, in Flint, Michigan (Genesee Co.). Lula and Andrew divorced and a little while later her and Ira moved to Arkansas where she meet and then eventually married Edward Austin Woodell on November 9, 1912 in Heber Springs, Arkansas (Cleburne Co.). They had 8 children themselves. So with Ira (1.) there were a total of 9 children for Lula.
2.) Carroll Woodell, b. Oct 16, 1913, Pangburn, Arkansas (White Co.) d. ca. 1921, Pangburn, Arkansas (White Co.).
3.) Edna Louise Woodell, b. July 27, 1916, Heber Springs, Arkansas (Cleburne Co.), d. September 23, 2007, Port Charlotte, Florida (Port Charlotte Co.).
4.) Hubert Wesley Woodell, b. July 30, 1919, Cleburne, Arkansas (Cleburne Co.), d. March 23, 1990, Flint, Michigan (Genesee Co.).
5.) Elizabeth Woodell, b. ca.1921, in Arkansas, d. ca.1922, in Arkansas
6. Geneva Alice Woodell, b. February 26, 1923 Lonoke, Arkansas (Lonoke Co.), d. March 30, 1987 Flint, Michigan (Genesee Co.).
7.) Edward Austin Woodell, Jr., b. Dec 04, 1924, Pangburn, Arkansas (White Co.), d. September 11, 1986, Ann Arbor, Michigan (Washtenaw Co.).
8.) Ruby May Woodell, b. Apr 29, 1928, Flint Michigan (Genesee Co.), d. Dec 30, 2005, Flint, Michigan (Genesee Co.).
9.) Rose Etta Woodell, b. March 1, 1930, Flint, Michigan (Genesee Co.).
Aunt Rose is the remaining child of Edward and Lula Ferguson Woodell as of this writing. (10-23-07)
I can remember as a child only seeing my grandfather twice and both times that was in the hospital. He had a major stroke and was hospitalized for a while before he passed away. I was only 4 years old at his passing so his memory is very fuzzy in my head. However, I can remember my grandmother very well. She is the one that took care of me a lot when I was younger while mom was going to the hospital to visit my dad. I also was Lula’s first born grandson and I think she spoiled me some. I can remember being at her house and spending the nights with her a lot. She was always around when I think back to her.
She lived on Corunna Rd close to a railroad track that you could walk along right into downtown Flint. At the time she lived on Corunna Rd I was too young to realize this. When she left this house she moved into a house behind the old Ferguson Brother Store. These brothers were her Brother Lee Ferguson’s sons. She lived here for awhile with Aunt Lena. From here she then moved over off Court St. to live in an upstairs apartment over one of her friend’s house. This same railroad tracks when right by this house. By then I was a young teenager and many times I would get up and walk it into downtown Flint. I don’t think she knew I was doing it because I never got into trouble for it. However, it was something to do when I was with her but something I wouldn’t do now. It would be way too dangerous in these times to walk into downtown Flint this way. Times were a lot different back then. I don’t want to say it was safe back then but it sure wasn’t as dangerous and it is now.
Here are some of my other genealogy lines.
Click on the link to visit these sites
My McDole Line
My Woodell Line
My Ingram Line
Please visit my friend Susan Ingram's Blog
