Gilbert, Frank T.  "Historic Sketches of Walla Walla, Whitman, Columbia and
Garfield Counties, Washington Territory; and Umatilla County, Oregon."
Portland, OR: Print & Lithographing House of A. G. Walling, 1882. p. a16.
 
WILLIAM F. FERGUSON

     is a native of Bradford Co., Penn., near the Susquehanna river, and was
born May 26, 1822. His grandfather came from England during the Revolutionary
War in this country. His grandmother, when a child, witnessed the massacre of
Wyoming, but escaped because of her extreme youth. His father was a soldier in
the American army in the war of 1812. The mother of Mr. Ferguson was a direct
descendant from the Pilgrim band that landed at Plymouth Rock, and her name was
Mary Atwood. In about 1836, with his parents he removed to Coles Co., Illinois,
and was married November 3, 1849, to Miss Sarah J. Shores. In 1853, he crossed
the plains to Oregon, and wintered a few miles from Albany. From there he
removed to the Umpqua valley, and then to Walla Walla, in 1871. He came with
about 100 head of stock, and bought land high up in the foot hills where he
lived for about three years, when he purchased the farm where he now resides.
(see view of it in this work.) There are 1120 acres of land belonging to Mr.
Ferguson, 320 of which constitute the homestead. It would be useless to describe
the farm; for productiveness, it is like the hundreds of others, and is situated
seven miles east of Walla Walla City. Mrs. Ferguson was born in Kentucky, the
28th of September, 1822, from where, with her parents, she removed to Coles Co.,
Illinois. Here she became the wife of Elmer Shores, February 18, 1842; and on
the 29th of June, 1845, her second child, Sarah E., was born, the first having
died in infancy. Mr. Shores died September 25, 1847, while in Pennsylvania on a
visit to his mother. After the removal of Mr. Ferguson to Oregon, his wife's
daughter, Miss Shores, became the wife of Y. H. Brown, May 1, 1868. In 1869, Mr.
Brown was drowned in the Umpqua river, and the widow married C.H. Barnett of
Walla Walla Co., W. T. May 25, 1873; and they now live near Russell creek in the
county mentioned. The children of Mr. Ferguson are as follows; Lydia E., born
April 1, 1851, now living in Red Bluff, California, the wife of John W. Brown;
Myron A., born August 15, 1853 ; who married Miss S. Ostrander, March I1, 1876,
and now lives in Union Flat, Whitman Co., W. T. ; Mary A., born August 9, 1855;
Stephen H., born October 31, 1857 ; Daniel G., born December 15, 1859 ; William
A., born June 6, 1862 ; Arvilla J., born September 25, 1863; Walter S., born
June 15, 1866.

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Submitted to the WA. Bios Project in February 2007 by Diana Smith.

Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Washington Biographies
Project. Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the
individual featured in the biographies.