Ferguson/Merryman
Family Tree
My name is Fern May and my mother's parents were Mary Sue Merryman and George Marcus LaFayette Ferguson. I am listing their ancestors here in the hopes of finding more ancestors and making connections with others researching these lines. I have a genealogy database of over 3500 names that are either Ferguson's or Merryman's either by birth or marriage. The Ferguson line goes back to Mississippi to about 1830 but my Merryman line goes to the early 1700's in Virginia.
Other names being researched are: Smith, Watson, and Redden
To return to my main page or one of my other lines, please click below:
Fern's Main Page
Paty Genealogy Page
May Genealogy Page
Yaw/LeSure Genealogy Page
Here is a link to some message boards for the Ferguson family. Post your queries here and you may find someone else working on your line. Good Luck!
Ferguson Genforum
Ancestry.com Ferguson Message Board
Visitors to this site since January 17, 1999:
Here are names and email addresses of other Ferguson researchers on my line. If you are a Ferguson researcher, or know of one, and would like to be added to this list, please email me and I will add them.
Stephen Fox - SLFox@houston.rr.com
Mary Ann Dodds - mad0397@aol.com
My Grandpa
George was the son of Andrew Jackson Ferguson and Elizabeth Redden. Born March 31, 1876 in Vaiden, MS. He came to Robertson County, Texas at 8 years of age. He married first Martha Emma Merryman on March 15, 1900 and they had two sons. She died and he married Martha's younger sister, Mary Susan Merryman on May 15, 1909. They had 9 children. He was a farmer and opened his home to one and all and he would drop everything to go help someone.
The main things that I remember about grandpa is that he was tall and skinny and had a handlebar moustache. Also, he would not wash his feet with his hands. He would stand up in the wash tub and rub one foot with the other. He said feet were nasty and shouldn't be touched. I don't know if he really felt that way or was just putting on a show for the grandkids.
Below is all I know about his father and mother. If anyone can help me with finding out more on this family, please contact me at my email listing below.
My Great Grandmother
Elizabeth "Betty" Redden Ferguson
Elizabeth was the second wife of Andrew Jackson Ferguson. The 1880 census states she was 30 but his oldest child was 21. I believe that only the two youngest children were born to Elizabeth.
Apparently Elizabeth lost her husband in Mississippi and came to Robertson County, Texas with her children in about 1884. Andrew and his older children were never found in Texas. Possibly she had relatives there as there are some Reddens in Robertson County but no connection has been found yet. There is a story that she and her children walked to Texas and carried their belongings in a wheelbarrow. She remarried a Fulton and a Jerry McDonald. She is buried at Hoxie Chapel Cemetery in Easterly, Robertson County, Texas.
Listed below is the descendancy chart for Fern's oldest ancestor for the Ferguson line. Then below that will be link to the Merryman line.
Descendants of Andrew Jackson Ferguson
First Generation 
1. Andrew Jackson FERGUSON was born about
1832 in LA.
1860 Census for Township 17, Vaiden,
Choctaw Co., MS:
Ferguson, A J - 28 LA
Ferguson, Sealy - wife
Ferguson,
William - son, 2
Listed on the same page with Andrew was a William Ferguson,
R(ichard) E(llison) Ferguson, and J(oseph) J(efferson) Ferguson. I believe
Andrew is related to these Fergusons, possibly his brothers.
1870 Census for Vaiden, Choctaw Co., MS - Township 17, Range 6:
Ferguson, Andrew - 40, LA
Ferguson, Sela - wife, 30, MS
William - son, 12
Jack - son, 8
James - son, 4
Henry - son, 2
Montgomery Co. was not formed until the 1870's. It was formed out of Choctaw and Carroll Counties, so Vaiden, which was in Choctaw, became part of Montgomery Co.
1880 Census for Montgomery Co., MS-Supr.
Dist. 1, ED 144, Page 11 Line 26-34:
Ferguson Andrew - 48, Farmer, MS, SC,
SC
Ferguson, Elizabeth -wife, 30, Keeping house, MS
Ferguson, Cainey - son, 21, farm laborer, MS
Ferguson, McCulock - son, 18, farm laborer, MS
Ferguson, James - son, 13, farm laborer, MS
Ferguson, Henry - son 12, farm laborer, MS
Ferguson, Nolle - dau, 11, at home, MS
Ferguson, Lathe - son, 2, MS
Ferguson, Elizabeth - dau, 1, MS
Next door to Andrew is a Eleson Ferguson who is 56 years old and lives with a James Fultze, his wife and two daughters. This is Richard Ellison, son of William, and James is a son-in-law, married to Richard's daughter Adna.
The 1860 & 1870 census shows Andrew as being born in
LA but in 1880 it says MS. If Andrew is the son of William, born in 1791, then
LA is most likely correct as William actually moved from SC to LA, then to
Amite, MS, then to the Vaiden area. Andrew states in 1880 that his parents were
born in SC and William came from SC so this is further proof that William is his
father.
Andrew married Sela/Sealy (FERGUSON) .
Sela/Sealy was born about 1840 in MS.
Children from this marriage were:
+ 2 M i. William L Cainey
FERGUSON was born about 1859 in MS.
3 M ii. McCulock "Cull"
FERGUSON was born about 1862 in MS.
4 M iii. James
FERGUSON was born about 1867 in MS.
+ 5 M iv. Henry FERGUSON was
born about 1868 in , , MS.
6 F v. Nolle
FERGUSON was born about 1869 in MS.
Andrew next married Elizabeth "Betty"
REDDEN . Elizabeth was born about 1850 in , , MS and was buried in Hoxie
Chapel Cemetery, Easterly, Robertson Co., TX.
Children from this marriage were:
+ 7 M i. George Marcus Lafayette "Lathe"
FERGUSON was born on 31 Mar 1876 in Vaiden, Carroll Co., MS, died on 27
Oct 1945 in Franklin, Robertson Co., TX, at age 69, and was buried on 29 Oct
1945 in MT Pleasant Cemetery, Franklin, Robertson Co., TX.
8 F ii. Elizabeth
FERGUSON was born in 1879 in MS.