CHAPTER I
NORTH AMERICA: THE PROMISED LAND
James
Fergus was born to Andrew and Agnes (Bullock) Fergus in 1813, one of several
sons of this prosperous, rigid Presbyterian farmer. After being educated in the
Parish's common schools, ["The Life Story of James Fergus," Fergus
Falls (Minnesota) Daily
Journal, as
reprinted from the Lewistown (Montana) Democrat, December 19, 1901, as told by James Fergus. James
U. Sanders (ed.), Society of Montana Pioneers (Akron: 1899), I, 93.] young Fergus
appeared on the brink of a prosperous and comfortable life as a Scottish
farmer. This, however, was not to be for friction soon developed between father
and son, both strong-minded and unbending.
Like
many youth, James questioned tradition. But unlike many, he did not accept
superficial answers for his enquiring mind refused to adopt anything on faith
alone, demanding logical and reasonable explanations. When schoolmaster and
father could not satisfactorily answer his penetrating questions, and when he
persisted, he received a flogging from his quick-tempered father. When he
carried his questioning further and challenged accepted Presbyterian doctrine,
he was branded a heretic for "he did not believe what he did not
understand and he would not pretend to." [Sketch of James Fergus by Mrs.
Granville (Allis B.) Stuart, July 13, 1942, Montana Historical Society Library,
Helena, Montana, B. F. 38. Hereafter cited as: Fergus Sketch, MHSL.] This
marked the beginning of the split between father and son, and though James
remained on the fringe of religious belief, he continued probing and
questioning. He did not emerge as a confirmed infidel until reaching the
prairies of the old Northwest. [Throughout his life Fergus consistently
described himself as an infidel, which is defined as: "Not holding the
faith; esp., non-Christian; also, opposing or unfaithful to Christianity."
As will be seen from his later writings, he appeared to be more of an agnostic,
one who believed that "neither the existence nor the nature of God, nor
the ultimate origin of the universe is knowable." At times he combined the
two positions, expressing both attitudes.]
James
and his father held other differences. James soon demonstrated apathy toward
his father's farming and stock raising. Instead, he looked to science,
machinery, inventions and manufacturing. "he was always trying to improve
things, to make a plough or harrow or threshing machine do better work."
[Fergus Sketch, MHSL.]
Apparently
James did not enjoy a close relationship with his brothers: he disliked the
older Robert; he thought Charles peculiar (he died insane); William was only
weeks old and a half-brother. James spoke fondly only of brother Andrew. [James
Fergus to his father, Andrew Fergus, October 20, 1854, Box 11 F. 55, UM. Since
the family then contained at least three Andrew Ferguses (James' father,
brother, and son), to avoid confusion letters to his father will be addressed
as "James Fergus to father." Little is known of the relationship
between James and his brothers when he lived in Scotland, nor are his brothers'
ages known.]
Whatever
the case, James considered himself the family's black sheep and became
convinced his father would offer no assistance. Years later James reminisced:
I . . . have been treated as the
black sheep of the flock by relatives since the day of my birth. If I am
correctly informed Grandfather Fergus, because some of the Bullocks worsted him
in a law suit had a clause in his will that neither me nor any of the name of
James should ever inherit a farthing of his property. Father often told me that
I was a Bullock and was the means of Grandfather Fergus putting Shawton by him.
I always though it was his fault in not taking proper writings from Grandfather
when Shawton was bought, but . . . Grandfather's putting Shawton by Father
angered him and kept him cross and I suffered for it by unmerciful beatings the
effects of some of them I feel to this day. [James Fergus to brother Andrew
Fergus, n.d. (possibly early 1866), Box 3 Folder 1, James Fergus Collection,
Montana Historical Society Library, Helena, Montana. Hereafter cited as: FC,
MHSL.]
James
believed his father favored Robert and young William while treating him
cruelly, which "in my infancy soured my temper, made me often wish I were
dead, and wonder why I was ever born." [James Fergus to Avant Courier (Bozeman, Montana), September,
1885, Box 21, F. 4, James Fergus Scrapbook, p. 56, FP, UM. Hereafter cited as:
Scrapbook, FP, UM. "Father always said I should never have a farthing of
his property, and although he left me 20 pounds I never lifted it so as not to
break his word." James Fergus to Robert Hamilton, Shawton, Scotland, 1883,
Box 11 F. 64, FP, UM.] Therefore, believing his future to be dim through
mistreatment and disinheritance, James left Scotland for North America. "I
did not run neither was I drove away, but I came away boldly, honorably, and
above board." [James Fergus to father, October 20, 1854, Box 11 F. 55, FP,
UM.] In addition, James fully intended the break to be clean and permanent, for
"I left Scotland . . . never expecting to return, nor to see any of my
relatives again." [James Fergus to William Fergus, March 5, 1862, Box 11
F. 27, FP, UM.]
Later,
as James matured and the bitterness decreased, he wrote his aging father:
You say that I left Scotland on
William's account. Good God what harm could the then helpless infant do me. . .
. No Father I left Scotland to better my condition—as I would again for I
saw nothing before me but a life of toil and small recompense—but I left
at the time I did on account of your own treatment of and conduct towards me.
[James Fergus to father, March 8, 1856, Box 11 F. 55, FP, UM.]
James
thus left Scotland, partly driven out by circumstance and temperament, but
mostly by a father who, he felt, mistreated him and offered no hope for
equality or opportunity. James later suggested that "had you treated your
other children better (in addition to Robert and William) you might have had
more reason to be proud of them also." [Ibid.] This came to be one of the
driving factors in James' existence—that of proving to his Scottish
relatives, who disinherited him then and again later, that he could uphold the
dignity of the Fergus name. He thus carried on a peculiar love-hate
relationship with his Old World family. Fergus asserted both his proud
independence of them, insisting he cared little if he ever heard from them
again, while laboring to make them proud of him, expressing anger when they
refused to communicate.
Young
Fergus arrived in Quebec the spring of 1833. The following three years he lived
in a Quaker settlement north of Toronto learning the trades of carpenter and
millwright. His determination, natural ability and hard work quickly produced
dividends.
I was unfortunate in not going to a
trade until I was 20. To catch up with others I had to give it my whole
attention. In place of going to theaters, etc., I studied books, learned to
draw and the result was in one year I raised from six to thirteen dollars a
month, in two to 75 cents a day and board; the highest wages then paid
journymen millwrights and finally I went up to $3 a day the highest wages then
paid. [James Fergus to Collie Gilpatrick, October 11, 1889, Box 11 F. 60, FP,
UM.]
James
left Canada for Buffalo, New York, July 5, 1836, but remained only a few days
before going to Green Bay, Wisconsin Territory, and a public works job. That
fall he traveled to Milwaukee, where he helped build a hotel, and then walked
to Chicago, a small town of about 2,500. Unfortunately, he refused an offer to
purchase 160 acres on the forks of the Chicago River at $8 an acre; this
transaction would ultimately have made him a wealthy man. Instead, he moved
west to spend the winter of 1836-37 at Buffalo Grove, Ogle County, Illinois,
and the following summer helped build saw mills there and in Iowa. [James
Fergus to J. H. Rice, August 10, 1889, as reprinted in the Fergus Falls
Daily Journal,
Scrapbook, pp. 80-81, FP, UM. James Fergus to N. Rice, August 15, 1889, Box 11
F. 60, FP, UM.]
The
next few years Fergus fluctuated between Sabula, "Blackhawk Purchase"
(Iowa), building saw mills, and Savanna, Illinois, about twenty-five miles to
the east, where he constructed and managed powder mills. Thus in the spring of
1838, though he had not heard from his father in two years, he felt "duty
bound" to write and occupied considerable spaces describing the
"western praries"—its topography, climate, settlement, and the
methods of acquiring land (simply claim it and buy for $1.25 an acre after
improving same); he concluded "surely this is the garden of the
world." [James Fergus to father, 1838, Box 21 F. 3, FP, UM.]
During
this period James and his older brother Robert still communicated, but Robert
complained:
I have wrote you one [letter] for
every year since you left for America and would write far more if you had any
certain dwelling place to direct me to, or any public place near you where you
reside at present . . . you change places so often [you] will rarely be found
your trade leading you to various parts of a wide unconvenient country."
[Robert Fergus to James Fergus, 1840, Box 3 F. 30, FP, UM. The two brothers
later split over religion. See Chapter XIII.]
Though
Fergus moved often during his early years in the United States, he met the
residency requirements to achieve citizenship. He declared his intent to become
a citizen on September 12, 1839, and by October 1842 completed a year's
residency in Jackson County, Iowa Territory, and received his United States
citizenship, something he always prized. [Box 13 F. 15, FP, UM.]
Fergus
later described this as a critical period of training and experience which
served him well in his quest for prosperity and status:
I spent nearly ten years of my life
in fitting myself for the new calling. I had to adopt to my adopted country. I
read, studied, traveled and mixed with her citizens from all countries and thus
acquired knowledge that could not well be obtained by remaining in one place.
[James Fergus to father, October 20, 1854, Box 11 F. 55, FP, UM.]
While
in Savanna-Sabula area Fergus received an offer of employment from D. B. Sears,
the founder of Moline, Illinois, who suggested "I have plenty of work for
you for one year. Wages one dollar and fifty cents per day and board with very
little cash until the flouring mill is finished . . . if you think of coming
you had better come immediately and bring your tools." [D. B. Sears to
"Furgesson" (apparently James Fergus), April 10, 1844, Box 6 F. 56,
FP, UM.]
James
accepted this invitation, entering a prosperous phase of his personal and business
career, for he quickly became Sears' partner and acquired a wife.
Family Group Sheet
Name: Andrew
FERGUS, GGGG
Grandfather
—————————————————————————————————————————————
Birth: 8
NOV 1780 Balgrochan,
Campsie, Stirling, Scotland
Death: 23
JAN 1862 Shawton
Farm, Glassford, Lanark, Scotland Age: 81
Occupation: Farmer,
Portioner Of Shawton
Anst File#: 154P-J5G
Father: Andrew
FERGUS (1748-1831)
Mother: Anne
STUART (STEWART) (1753-)
Other spouses: Christian
HAMILTON
Marriage: 23
AUG 1811 Campsie,
Stirling, Scotland
—————————————————————————————————————————————
Spouse: Agnes
BULLOCH, GGGG
Grandmother
—————————————————————————————————————————————
Birth: 7
APR 1780 Campsie,
Stirling, Scotland
Death: 25
DEC 1830 Shawton
Farm, Glassford, Lanark, Scotland Age: 50
Anst File#: 154P-J1M
& NZ1T-D9
Father: James
BULLOCH (1748-1833)
Mother: Isabel
CALDER (1754-)
—————————————————————————————————————————————
Children
—————————————————————————————————————————————
1 M: Andrew
FERGUS, GGGG Uncle
Birth: 29
JUL 1812 Shawton
Farm, Glassford, Lanark, Scotland
Death: OCT
1815 Shawton
Farm, Glassford, Lanark, Scotland Age: 3
—————————————————————————————————————————————
2 M: James FERGUS, GGG Grandfather
Birth: 8
OCT 1813 Shawton
Farm, Glassford, Lanark, Scotland
Death: 25
JUN 1902 Armells,
Fergus, MT Age: 88
Anst File#: 154P-J2T
Spouse: Pamelia
DILLIN, GGG Grandmother
Marriage: 16
MAR 1845 Moline,
Rock Island, IL
—————————————————————————————————————————————
3 M: Robert
FERGUS, GGGG Uncle
Birth: 12
APR 1815 Shawton
Farm, Glassford, Lanark, Scotland
Death: 20
MAY 1897 Strutherhead,
Avondale, Lanark, Scotland Age: 82
—————————————————————————————————————————————
4 M: Andrew
FERGUS, GGGG Uncle
Birth: 13
APR 1817 Shawton
Farm, Glassford, Lanark, Scotland
Death: 8
FEB 1898 Strutherhead,
Avondale, Lanark, Scotland Age: 80
—————————————————————————————————————————————
5 M: William
FERGUS, GGGG Uncle
Birth: 8
DEC 1818 Shawton
Farm, Glassford, Lanark, Scotland
Death: 28
APR 1825 Shawton
Farm, Glassford, Lanark, Scotland Age: 6
—————————————————————————————————————————————
6 M: John
FERGUS, GGGG Uncle
Birth: 2
NOV 1820 Shawton
Farm, Glassford, Lanark, Scotland
Death: 13
MAR 1821 Shawton
Farm, Glassford, Lanark, Scotland Age: <1
—————————————————————————————————————————————
7 M: Charly
FERGUS Charles,
GGGG Uncle
Birth: 23
JUN 1824 Shawton
Farm, Glassford, Lanark, Scotland
Death: 1879 Shawton
Farm, Glassford, Lanark, Scotland Age: 54
—————————————————————————————————————————————
Second Wife
Name: Andrew
FERGUS, GGGG
Grandfather
—————————————————————————————————————————————
Birth: 8
NOV 1780 Balgrochan,
Campsie, Stirling, Scotland
Death: 23
JAN 1862 Shawton
Farm, Glassford, Lanark, Scotland Age: 81
Occupation: Farmer,
Portioner Of Shawton
Anst File#: 154P-J5G
Father: Andrew
FERGUS (1748-1831)
Mother: Anne
STUART (STEWART) (1753-)
Other spouses: Agnes
BULLOCH, GGGG Grandmother
Marriage: 6
NOV 1831 East
Kilbride, Lanarkshire, Scotland
—————————————————————————————————————————————
Spouse: Christian
HAMILTON
—————————————————————————————————————————————
Birth: 1793 East
Kilbride, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Death: 17
DEC 1867 Heighlawside,
Glassford, Lanark, Scotland Age: 74
Father: Hugh
HAMILTON
—————————————————————————————————————————————
Children
—————————————————————————————————————————————
1 M: William FERGUS, Half GGGG Uncle
Birth: 19
APR 1833 Shawton
Farm, Glassford, Lanark, Scotland
Death: 7
APR 1905 Box
Elder Creek, Deerfield Dist., Fergus, MT Age: 71
Anst File#: RHMX-DP
Spouse: Ellen
(Helen) HAMILTON
Marriage: 24
JUN 1862 East
Kilbrideparish, Lanark, Scotland
Family Group Sheet added
in 2005 by James R. Dangel.