Records of the clan and name of Fergusson, Ferguson and Fergus. Supplement

FERGUSONS IN THE UNITED STATES 149
father, being an intelligent and educated man, gave his chil-
dren better opportunities for an education than most of the
children of that period enjoyed.
' Yet without books or any of the modern means of instruc-
tion, we can hardly see how the work of teaching (mostly
oral) could have resulted so well. Mr. Ferguson, with such
instruction and training;- as his father could give, was con-
sidered one of the best educated and intelligent men of his
day. I find from the town records that he held the office of
moderator in 1792, and was select-man for nine years, viz.,
1771, 1777, 1778, 1785, 1788, 1789, 1790, 1791, 1792 ; tithing-
man for two years, viz., 1783, 1786. These were all the town
offices he ever held, though he occasionally served on com-
mittees, and no doubt always kept his interest in the muni-
cipal affairs of the toAvn. From my earliest days I have
heard only praise of this sainted man, and if he had faults,
the sharp eyes of his contemporaries failed to discern them ;
and he has come down to us as the salt of the earth.
' There was a long and intimate friendship between Henry
Ferguson and William Smith (the father of the great Smith
family), which continued through their lives. There was, no
doubt, great congeniality of feeling between them. They
were both mild, social, and discreet men, and loved the quiet
of their homes more than the hurry and excitement of
frontier life : they shunned rather than courted popular
favour, and only took office for the benefit of others, and not
for their own gratification. In a letter from George W.
Moore, Esq., of Medina, Michigan, he says :
' " My grandfather, Henry Ferguson, died before I was
born, but all that I have heard of him has led me to
form a very excellent opinion of him as a man of
candour, justice, sobriety, and all those virtues that should
adorn a true and a real Christian. In matters of religion he
put little stress in the creeds or ceremonies of this or that
particular church, or in the loud professions of religion that
did not bring forth the fruits of righteousness. Religion
with him was a simple covenant with his God, which he
strove daily to keep. The most prominent trait of his char-
acter was his kindness to the poor, to the sick and un-
fortunate. His hands were always open to relieve their
sufferings. They always found a shelter under his roof, and