Robert FERGUSON

                   Autobiography of John B. eldest son of Robert and Eliza Burkholder Ferguson

December 12, 1920

This is the beginning of a short sketch of my life as I remember some of the many changes and incidents in the short journey of my life.  I was born of goodly parents in the year of our Lord 1848, October the 5th in Allegany Co., Maryland.  I am the third child, having one brother older whose name is William James, deceased, and one sister, Lucinda.  There were  7 boys and 6 girls.  My fathers name was Robert and my mothers name was Eliza Burkholder.  I am now in my 73rd year and am visiting here in Somerset Co., PA, with my brother Isaiah after being away for 16 years.  My home is in Provo, Utah where I moved 26 years ago.  I took my family consisting of my wife and 2 children, namely Robert H. and  Ida Malinda Grace.  I have had two wives.  My first wife was Barbara Henry, daughter of John Henry and Hannah Geary.  We were married in 1872, December 5th in Greene Co., PA.

   About one year later, we moved to Westmoreland Co., PA and bought a farm from my father with an old, dilapidated log house which I repaired, got some furniture, and moved in, but my stay there was short on account of my wife not being satisfied.  So I thought the best thing I could do was to give it up, which I did and moved back to her people in Greene Co.  We rented a place from her father for one year.  Then we had to move again, we rented another house near her fathers place, did a little farming for him and while living there, my first child was born.  We stayed there about 1 year, then I thought it would be better to get a little home of our own.  So we thought by having plenty of time, we could pay for it.  We made a small payment on it and moved, but it was uphill business as it was hilly on all sides and our crops were poor.  Making a living and meeting payments were out of the question. As luck would have it, we had a chance to sell it and make a little on it.

   At that time, Barbara had one sister, Christina  living in Wirt Co., West Virginia married to William Showalter and one of her sisters Mary Jane was married to my cousin Jeremiah Matheny.  We had heard from Showalter and they insisted on us moving out there so our next move was to West Virginia.  We bought a farm together.  I got 25 acres, he the balance, his part had all the improvements on it with 2 log cabins built with a hall between them.  I lived in one, he in the other until I could build me a house.  My part was all timberland and I had it all to clear, and fence and buildings to erect.  I had it in good shape when I left it.  We lived there about 8 years, had 3 children, all boys, two born in West Virginia, Robert, the oldest, the second one we called William Henry, the third one Clarence Sylvester.  Clarence  was a beautiful little child about one year and a half old.  Oh, how sorry I felt when he left us.  I missed him so much.   Shortly after he left us, my wife took sick and she died.  She was a good mother and a lovely companion.

Oh, how great was my sorrow.  I was so lonesome, I missed her so much  Having two small boys with no mother, no housekeeper, I did not know what to do next.  I thought I could not stay there,neither could I get away as I was engaged with a friend of mine to build a schoolhouse.  So I took the boys to Greene Co. to their grandparents, went back and we finished the schoolhouse.  I wanted to leave West Virginia, so I sold the place and all and came back to Greene Co., took the children to my fathers and left them till I could make other arrangements.

It was some time before I could make any different arrangements, but I did in 1889, December 14th.  I was married to Mary Ann Shawley, daughter of David O. Shawley. Right after we were married, we moved in with her Aunt Mary Kastener and lived there about 2 years.  The next move was to my fathers place.  I bought part of his place, 73 acres, built on it, grubbed, chopped, rolled logs, split and made rails, built fences, hauled off stones, and did lots of work, but got little off of it. We had three children.  Two were twins, a boy and a girl, both born dead.  Ida Malinda Grace, the youngest is now  married and has 6 children.

We lived there till the year 1895, when we moved to Utah that being my home at this time.  This is now  my third trip to Utah.  My first trip was in the fall of 1900,  It might be that some of you might wonder why it was that I went to Utah.  Well, I will tell you why it was and the cause of it as near as I can.  In the first place, I had heard in my boyhood days,  many stories about those wicked Mormons and I was prejudiced and I hated them.  I had heard these stories from my best friends, and believed they were all true and even more than what I had heard, I hated the name of Mormon and I did not have any sympathy for  any of them.  In time the report came to me that there were two Mormon Elders around.  Uncle Fred Murray told it at the meeting at Indian Creek County Line Church.  He said they stayed at his house and said he had a talk with them and they talked on the principles of the gospel and he beat them on every point of doctrine. When I heard it, I thought  that wouldnt be hard to do.  I thought he could easy do that and then I said they ought not be allowed to preach here.  They ought to be driven out of the country.

So it went on for some time when one evening, Harry Baker came by and stopped in front of my house, said to me, Here are two of our Mormon brethren,  they said they would preach in the Nedrow schoolhouse tonight,would you go along to the meeting? I shook my head and said I didnt know.  Well, said he, You better go and hear what they have to say.

Well,  I said, I will see what the wife will say, if she wants to go, we will go.  So we went and then I had another surprise and this one was the greatest one of all and now  you might wonder why so.  Well, I will just tell you how  it was.  The subject was faith, repentance, and baptism by immersion for the remission of sins.  I had heard that doctrine preached by our people before, but it never entered into my heart with such a convincing power as it did that night.  I said, going home, if ever I heard a gospel sermon, I heard one preached tonight, and I was glad I had gone.

All seemed to be well pleased with the meeting and everybody around there turned out to hear the Elders preach.  Some said as long as you preach such doctrine, you are welcome at my house and my mind was greatly changed so much so that I wanted to have the Elders come along to my house.  But my brethren were always too fast for me, so I had to wait till my turn came.  The meeting was in session for one week and that was the last sermon they preached in the Nedrow schoolhouse that night.

   They  preached about the Book of Mormon and proved by the Bible that such a record was to come forth in the latter days.  After that, no one invited them to go home with them .  Then my turn came so I took them home with me.  Until then I had never seen a Book of Mormon, so they showed me one, so I knew what it looked like.  I ask them if they could get me one.  They said that they could.   I asked the  cost..  They said one dollar.

Shortly after that I went to Fathers and he said, Here is a book David Horner left for you.  He said it is the Book of Mormon and you should read it.  So I took the book, but saw at a glance that it was not the Book of Mormon.  I told him  that it was not the Book of Mormon.   Yes it is, he said, Dave Horner said it was.  Then I told him I had sent for a copy, so I did not take it.  He was cross at me for not taking it and a short time after that my copy came, and I was anxious to read it and find out the truth and compare it with the teachings of the Bible.  I found that it did as far as I could see and understand, but to still be sure that it was, I prayed to the Lord and asked if it was true.

   But even before this I  spoke in favor of the Mormons, then I  found disfavor with my Brethren.  They had a meeting at the schoolhouse and as usual we had visitors, that being the custom.  I was told that the Elders were at Bakers, so when our visitors left, I said I would walk up to Bakers and I met them on the way coming to my place.  I also met my Uncle Fred Murray on his way home and he spoke to me and said, Are these the Mormon Elders?  I said they were,  and he  said, I would like to have a talk with them.  I said, Go along aback, I will take care of your horse.  Then he said, They might be uneasy about me.  I said, I would like it if you would go along back.  He did and sure enough, they did get uneasy about him and Thomas Nedrow and two of his boys came to see what had happened with him.  Shortly after they came, my brother Isaiah came in the house and Uncle Fred was talking on the principles of the gospel.  It was then that I found out a different story from what he had told the Brethren at the meeting at the County Line Church.  The conversation lasted until after midnight.  The next morning I heard my brother Isaiah say to father that he had  never seen a man so confounded as Uncle Fred was last night with the Mormon Elders.   Father did not seem to like that very well.   That is all I know about that.

   Now to proceed on further, as I have stated the Elders had preached their last sermon in the Nedrow Schoolhouse, but there was an appointment to hold another meeting  there.  The Elders came and a goodly number were there, but the door was closed and at that time some would come to meeting with the bottle in their pocket.  A couple of those fellows pretended to sit down on the door step with their back against the door and the door flew open.  They yelled out now  that the door was open. Tell the Elders to come and open the meeting, but they said no, if they werent wanted, they wouldnt preach there.

Harry Baker said, All come to my house and have the meeting there.  So we all went to his house and we had a good meeting.  I got the blame for letting the door open.  I had heard it said that if John would fetch any Mormons to the schoolhouse to preach, they might get shot.  I thought that was fierce talk, so I just let it drop.  Shortly after that, the Brethren made a visit to my house. Three of them spent most of the day with me and said that it was wrong to go to hear the Mormons preach.  They said that they had a mesmerizing spirit and I had partaken of that spirit.  Well, I said, We had a good turnout.  You all heard what I heard.  How is it I should be the only one that happened to be mesmerized?  They said, The counsel of the church  to you is that you not go anymore to their meetings.  I knew there was no harm in it, so I went to each and every one I could.  I did indeed love to go to their meetings.  I hope I always will love to go to the meetings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Now, next I speak of the thing that transpired along the journey of my life which lead me to the truth as I now understand  it.  In the first place, it caused me to do the very same thing that I did when I became a man and tried to put away childish things and act like a man.  Inasmuch as I had good honorable parents who always set good examples before us, sent us to Sunday School and had us go to meetings and often had family prayers, I being religiously inclined, a little over 21 years old, the passage of scripture came to me that impressed me to heed the thing which I did.  It reads thus, First seek you the kingdom of heaven and its righteousness and all things shall be added unto you.  As I was starting out from the care of my parents, I thought I should join the Church, which I did and I had faith in God and I loved to go to meetings and to work in the church and live up to the doctrines and teachings of the same as near as I could.

I had been chosen as a Deacon in the Dunkard Church, as we were mostly called, and everything seemed to go all right until some of our most able, well-learned Brethren began to contend and differ with one another on setting rules and regulations in the church.  I attended the annual meeting at Marrysdale and then I saw that there was trouble coming, but I did not think so much of it at that time.  You all know the rest now, instead of one person in the Godhead, we have three and the Lord says that there is just one right church.  Now, can you tell me which one is the right one  At that time I lived in Greene Co. My wife and I, Uncle James Matheny and his wife all came together.  There were a good many of the Brethren there from Indian Creek.  We were chosen to serve as waiters with them.  We had a good time there, saw  many dear friends, brethren and sisters and visited many; enjoyed ourselves, felt good.

   Now  after all these things, I have somewhat more to say.  Not long  after the visit of my brethren which I spoke of,  they made another call.  This time it was a little different from the first.  It was like this.  They said, We have been here, we gave you good counsel, told you what it was, but we hear that you did not listen to it.  We heard that you still go to the Mormon meetings and disobeyed our counsel and we think you are not doing right and we want you to mend your ways and do as you are counseled.

I said I didnt see that there was any harm in anything I had done.  Well then. they said, At such and such a time we will hold a church meeting at the County Line Church and you should attend. I told them  I would try and be there.  I went, was a little late so the elder said, Well, Brother Ferguson is here now, we will hear his case.  I asked what the charge against me was.   Did we not counsel you not to go to the meetings of the Mormons?  You did not listen to our counsel and we want you to acknowledge that you did wrong.   I told them I did not see wherein I did wrong and I would not acknowledge it.

Then one of the ministers said, I heard you gave your name to the Mormon Church.  Well, I said, If you heard it, I guess you can prove it.  He said, It doesnt need any proof, did you give your name to the Mormon Church or not?  I said, That is for you to prove.   You just brought that up for a club to whip me with.  Then he said, Well, it is a fair question, did you give your name to the Mormon Church or not?  That was the third time he asked that same question.  Then I said, That is none of your business.  So that was enough said.   I was commanded to withdraw  from the house which I did until they would take the vote of the members present at the church.  When that was done I was called in and the statement was made that the majority carried that if I did not make the acknowledgment that was required of me, I was no more a member in the church.

One of the members said that it was a close vote.   Just a majority of 1 or 2 put me out.  Then I said, Now my faith is stronger than ever for I read in the scriptures that the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine and they will put you out of their synagogues.  You have done the same thing this day and now from this time, you will never hold another lovefeast in my house till you make right what you have made wrong, and they never did.  Before they could become reconciled they had to call on  adjoining elders to try my case over and I was notified to attend that meeting.  No, I said, They put me out of the church without a just cause and now they can fix their affairs to suit themselves as I have joined the Mormon Church.
    Shortly after that the brethren held a lovefeast and as always it was a source of pleasure and delight to go  to the meeting and Sunday School.  I still would go there as regularly as I could.  I was at the first lovefeast that was held after I was cast off.  Just as I was tying my horse, Brother David Horner came to me, shook hands and said, How  do you do, Mister Ferguson.  He seemed glad to see me and said,  In deed I am very sorry that you left our church,  I would rather have lost any other one in the church than you.  Wont you come back to our church again.  I said, No I never will.  He said, I am sorry for you indeed.  I pity you.  I looked at him and said, You need not pity me, pity your own self and family.  I know what Ive done is right.

Then he walked away and befor
                  

                   Walnut Hill Cemetery, Jones Mills, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania