Sarah "Sally" (Miner) Ferguson was born in about 1807 near (probably) Maple Summit on the mountainous border of Fayette-Somerset Counties, PA, the daughter of Daniel and Mary Miner Sr. As a young girl, she and her parents were pioneer settlers of Perry County, OH, along with many uncles, aunts, cousins and neighbors.

With her parents, Sarah was a member of the Hopewell Church Sunday School class in Perry County in 1812-1813. This fact is mentioned in the 1883 book, History of Fairfield and Perry Counties, Ohio, compiled by A.A. Graham.

In 1813, when she was age six, Sarah's mother tragically died. Her father remarried, to Margaret "Peggy" Fluckey, and later moved to Cardington, Morrow County, OH.

The Fergusons' signatures

On Feb. 17, 1825, in Perry County, Sarah married John H. Ferguson (1805- ? ), a native of Pennsylvania. The ceremony was performed by justice of the peace William Mechling. 

The Fergusons may have had the following children, as ascertained by census records: Hugh Ferguson (born in 1831), Rebecca Bristol (1831), Elizabeth Ferguson (1832), Sarah Ferguson (1836) and possibly John Ferguson (1829). 

At some point, before 1850, the Fergusons migrated to Michigan. They settled in Constantine, Saint Joseph County, MI, where they spent many years. James labored as a teamster, as did their (presumed) son John, as shown in the 1850 census.

In the summer of 1857, when she would have been in her 50s, Sarah received a payment of $20.49 as her equal share of her late father's estate. Sarah and John both signed a receipt acknowledging the payment. He signed his name in longhand, while she signed hers' with an "X," indicating that she could not write her own name. 

In 1860, when the federal census was taken, the Fergusons were residing in Constantine. Their unmarried 22-year-old daughter Sarah resided in their home, as did the family of their married daughter Rebecca Bristol, her husband Lemon W. Bristol, and children Franklin, Harvey and Carrie Bristol. John's occupation was given as "bee hive maker," son in law Bristol as "cabinet maker" and unmarried daughter Sarah as "milliner." 

When the Civil War broke out, son in law Lemon W. Bristol enlisted in the 19th Michigan Infantry. We are exploring whether two of their sons also served in the war -- Hugh Ferguson (11th Michigan Infantry) and John H. Ferguson (168th Ohio Infantry) also 

The Fergusons do not appear in the federal census of 1870, suggesting that they died sometime during the preceeding decade.

Their fates will be researched in more detail, and reported here when learned.

Copyright © 2001, 2005, 2007 Mark A. Miner