Next To Last - Margaret Ann Hill Ferguson

Margaret Ann Hill was the "Next to Last" child born to Col. John C. and Nancy (Young) Hill.  She was my great, great grandmother (my dad's, mother's mother's mother!)  Here she is in a 4 generation photo with her daughter, Jennie Ferguson Ramer, granddaughter Minnie May Ramer Springer and great grandson Ramer Carroll Springer.

L-R Jennie Ferguson Ramer, Ramer Carroll Springer,
Minnie May Ramer Springer (standing) and Margaret Ann Hill Ferguson

Margaret was born on January 29, 1853 in McNairy County, Tennessee on the family farm. She had an older brother, Erastus "Horry", and two older sisters, Nancy Caroline "Callie" and Mary Elizabeth.  By the 1860 census, Col. John was about 61 years old, Nancy was 43, Horry was 20, Callie was 18, Mary Elizabeth was 9, Margaret was 7 and younger sister, Virginia Tennessee "Tennie" was 2.

Year: 1860; Census Place: District 5, McNairy, Tennessee; Roll: M653_1262; Page: 401;
Family History Library Film: 805262; Web Address: search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=7667&h=19365889&indiv
=try

The next year the Civil War broke out and Horry enlisted on May 31, 1861.  Just a few months later, on November 7, Horry was killed in the Battle of Belmont in Missouri.

Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Confederate Organizations , 1903 - 1927 https://www.fold3.com/image/271/74283745

Now, there were just the four sisters left, and they remained very close the rest of their lives.  At the age of 12, Margaret joined her family as members of the Mount Vernon Cumberland Presbyterian Church, which was near their farm.

http://sites.rootsweb.com/~tnmcnair/graphic/img-5.jpg

On February 27, 1870, just a month after turning 17 years old, Margaret married James Ezekiel Ferguson, who was 4 years older.

Tennessee, State Marriages, 

1780-2002.McNairy 1869-1876, 

Image 14 of 592.  Stamped Page Number 27. 

Ancestry.com

Margaret was just 20, when, according to the "Mt Vernon Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Near Ramer, McNairy County, Tennessee, Membership Roll from 1850 -1931; Transcribed by Nancy Wardlow Kennedy, Proofed by Nancy Hill McClain", her mother, Nancy Hill, died in April 1873. 

So, when John Robert "Bob" Ferguson, Margaret's second child was born on October 12, 1873, her mother had already passed away.  Margaret and J E had lost a child who died at birth before Bob was born, according to a wonderful document I have, An Autobiography/Biography of Nancy Jane "Jennie" Ferguson Ramer.  This document was begun before Jennie died in 1858 and completed by her younger brother, James "Ancil" Ferguson about 1960.  This document contains many references to Margaret, J E, their children and Margaret's sisters.  I am happy to share it with anyone who asks for it.  

Margaret's next child was Nancy Jane "Jennie" Ferguson, born January 23, 1876.  Here is a little more description of Margaret as a mother in the words of her daughter, Jennie Ferguson, from the Autobiography portion: 

"My mother, also, was born on the same farm and attended the same church and school in her childhood.  I [Jennie] had a very happy childhood. We had a beautiful country home. I shall never forget the well and well-house among the shade trees in our back yard, where we children spent many happy days playing.  My mother would let me churn and Mary Etta, a colored girl, would help me.  How we would dance around that churn and sing!

"Come butter come,

Come butter come,

Come a lump as big as my thumb.

Martha Jane's at the gate

Waiting with her butter plate." 

My mother had three sisters living near us. Each sister had a child my age. There were two girls and one boy. We walked together to school and to church, and enjoyed each other so much."

Jennie also shared about her family's moving around.  Here is the next section of her life story:

"When we were small, we played with the colored children who lived on the farm. They would find sweet gum on the sweet gum tree and since we were smaller and unable to get it together for chewing, they would chew it and get it together for us then give it to us to chew. I'm not sure my mother knew about this.

 Mother had the first and only sewing machine in the community. Her sisters would often come to our house to sew. They would, of course, bring their children and spend the day. What a good time we children would have playing together! 

One day one of the cousins suggested that we tell our mothers that I fell in the well. We all thought that would be fun to scare our mothers. It did scare them very much. What happened to us was not funny to any of us children! It was about this time that I got a whipping at school, because I stuck a pin in a boy. The teacher made me get the switch with which he whipped me. The teacher boarded in our home. My brother, Bob, has always said he got a whipping at school every day during the school term. He managed to be the first pupil at school each day and the teacher would start his day by giving him a whipping.

 We left the farm [Col John Hill's] when I was eleven years of age and moved to Falcon where my father owned and operated a general merchandise store. I shall never forget the girls of the community gave me a farewell party. We played games and then had a ball game (girls only). It was what they called in those days "Town Ball". I remember at this ball game I heard for the first time a girl use God's name in vain.

We lived in Falcon only one year. My father sold his store and moved to Ramer where he bought another store, a gin, and a sawmill. In the little town of Ramer, Tennessee, we spent four happy years. There were four of us children at that time, my brother Bob and I and two sisters - Minnie, who was born in November 1878 and Elizabeth (Lizzie), who was born in August 1881." 

The above entry is the last portion of the document written by Jennie herself.  According to the Mt. Vernon C P Church record cited above, Margaret's father, John Hill died in 1884.  But, according to the 1880 Mortality Schedule, part of the 1880 US Census, John died in April 1880.

1880 McNairy County, Tennessee, US Mortality Schedule. Page 1, Image 5 of 14, SD 4, E. D. 120.  https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=8756&h=2200961&indiv=try

While they were living in Ramer, Tennessee James "Ancil" Ferguson, was born on July 7, 1889, then William Edward "Ed" Ferguson, born September 21, 1891. All of these children were born in McNairy County, Tennessee.  Ancil continued the story of the J E Ferguson family with these words:

"She [Jennie] and brother Bob and the two younger sisters, Minnie and Lizzie, attended the Ramer public school. While a student in this school Jennie met John Henry Ramer, who was destined to be her husband and lifelong companion. He was the grandson of the man for whom the town of Ramer was named and the son of Squire and Mrs. J. S. Ramer. Henry was always like an older brother to me...  Jennie always said that she and Henry had planned to be married when she was seventeen, since that was the age of our mother when she was married. However, our family was moving to Texas in January 1892, so their marriage date was advanced more than a year. She and Henry Ramer were married at Ramer, Tennessee, December 29, 1891. Three weeks later, January 10, 1892, Jennie and Henry with her parents, brothers and sisters boarded the train at Ramer, Tennessee for Waxahachie, [Ellis County]Texas. We arrived at our destination January 12, 1892.

Mother had two sisters living a few miles southwest of Waxahachie. We moved to a farm near Aunt Callie Boothe and Aunt Tennie Williams. Papa and Henry made and gathered one crop in Ellis County (Jennie and Henry were living with us). In December 1892, the family moved to Rayner, the county seat of Stonewall County. Rayner was sixty miles northwest of Abilene, Texas, the nearest railroad station.

Papa, Henry, and brother Bob, each with a wagon and team, drove through the country with our household furniture to Stonewall County. Mother, Jennie, and the rest of the family went on the train from Waxahachie to Abilene. Papa had a brother living in Callahan County about fifteen miles from Abilene. Uncle Bud met us and took us to his house. A few days later Papa, Henry, and Bob came through with their wagons. The whole family made the remaining miles of the trip on the wagons. 

In the little town of Rayner Papa bought a home. Rayner at that time was the county seat. Our house was near the courthouse. Since the town was sixty five miles from the nearest railroad town we received mail only twice a week. Papa and Henry rented some land near town expecting to raise feed for their horses. 1893 was an exceedingly dry year in West Texas, therefore, no feed was raised. Papa and Henry used their wagons and teams and hauled freight for the merchants in Rayner. The freight was hauled from Abilene. Bob worked on a sheep ranch.

 While in Stonewall County Henry had typhoid fever. The youngest member of our family, Horry Clyde, was born in Rayner May 25, 1893. 

Sometime in August 1893, the family loaded their wagons and moved back to Ellis County. We left Rayner at noon on Friday and the following Sunday night week we arrived at Mountain Peak in Ellis County. 

The family lived the next three months on the Eli Thrash farm, about three miles southwest of Mountain Peak. They picked cotton for Mr. Thrash. In the meantime Papa and Henry each rented a farm from Mr. Turner near the Bethel Methodist Church. These farms were between Bethel Church and Boz. Jennie and Henry had a house and never lived with our family any more.

This amazing document continues with many more details about the Fergusons and the Ramers.  If you would like to know more, let me know and I can send you the entire document.

J E and Margaret and their Family - Abt 1915

Names for above 1915 Photo

Margaret and J E celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary on February 27, 1920.

J E Ferguson died in Ellis County, Texas on November 16, 1920.

Source Information: Ancestry.com. Texas, Death Certificates, 1903-1982 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Description: Month Range: Oct-Dec. Original data: Texas Department of State Health Services. Texas Death Certificates, 1903–1982. Austin, Texas, USA. Original Certified Copy in possession of author.

Midlothian Argus

Margaret outlived her parents, her husband, and all of her siblings.

She died on April 3, 1932 in Midlothian, Ellis County, Texas.

Original Certified Copy in possession of author.

They are buried in Maypearl Cemetery, Maypearl, Ellis County, Texas.

When Margaret died, she was living in an apartment behind a gas station that May Ruth and Willis were running.  Here is how May Ruth remembers the event: 

"I can remember Grandma Ferguson, which was my Grandmother Ramer’s mother.  In fact she is about the only one of the Great Grandparents that I remember. She was living with my Grandma and Grandpa Ramer, when I can first remember.  I remember that when I was in high school, Grandma Ferguson was living by herself there in Midlothian, and they wanted somebody to stay with her at night.  They got me to go and stay all night with Grandma Ferguson at night.  Well, I think I stayed there most of the time during the week because they did not want her staying by herself.  She was a large, large woman.  They did not want her staying by herself for fear that she might fall or something and they got me, the oldest great granddaughter to go and stay.  I remember that.  And about her, I can remember when she passed away; she was living in this little apartment behind the filling station we were running, that I had to see after, too. When she passed away – I’ll never forget – I was there when the ambulance came to pick her up, and in the front door was just a small, small hall that led from one bedroom over to the other bedroom.  It wasn’t big enough to get the stretcher in the hall and get my great grandmother out of the house.  And so they had to take her out – had to take a window facing out to get her – the casket with her in it – she was large, large. And they had to go out through that way to get her out of the house. I’ll never forget that because it was an experience I’d never had before and never had since. " 

Margaret Ann Hill Ferguson led a full life and I am grateful for all of the memories shared by her daughter and son through the biographical document they wrote.  I am also grateful to Jennie's daughters, Bernice and Johnnie Prue, who had the document typed, copied and distributed to the next generations!  I identify with Margaret in another way, too.  I am also the "Next To Last" child born in my family!

"Til Next Time!
#52Ancestors