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Ferguson line

Robert Ferguson

Also known as: Robert Fergerson, Robt Furgison

Standard profile
Profile evidence
Established profile
Last reviewed
30 June 2026

Robert Ferguson was a North Carolina-born farmer who settled in Rhea County, Tennessee, married Rachel Falls, raised a family whose children later dispersed into Missouri and Kansas, and died in 1860 amid debt proceedings that led to the sale of his land.

Life Story

Robert Ferguson was born about 1790 in North Carolina. By 1819 he was in Lincoln County, North Carolina, where he entered a marriage bond with Rachel Falls on 2 February of that year.1 The bond places Robert in Lincoln County before the family moved west, but it does not name his parents or the children who later appear in the Rhea County record trail.

Within the next decade, Robert and Rachel had moved to Rhea County, Tennessee. The 1830 census recorded Robert Fergerson as head of a six-person Rhea County household: one adult male aged thirty to thirty-nine, one adult female aged twenty to twenty-nine, and four children.2 Because the census names only the household head, the identities of Rachel and the children are inferred from age categories and later records rather than stated directly.

The 1840 census again placed Robert in Rhea County, this time as Robt Furgison. The household still fits a family with Robert, Rachel Falls Ferguson, and several children, and the census recorded three people employed in agriculture.3 Rachel appears to have been living in the household pattern in 1830 and 1840, but she has not been found in Robert’s household in 1850.

In Rhea County, Robert was part of a wider Ferguson landholding network. In 1834, Robert Ferguson, Samuel B. Ferguson, James Ferguson, and Levi W. Ferguson entered a claim for 1,000 acres on Walden Ridge, on the waters of Piney Creek. The grant was executed in 1836 and registered in 1840.4 James Ferguson’s will, proved in the early 1840s, named Robert as James’s son and named several other Ferguson sons who help explain that land network.5 In 1842, Robert, Levi W. Ferguson, and Samuel B. Ferguson released their claim to half of the Walden Ridge grant to Richard Waterhouse.6

The 1846 guardianship of Elizabeth Ferguson adds an important but easily misread clue. At the July Term of Rhea County court, Robert Ferguson was appointed guardian of Elizabeth Ferguson, a minor, with E. E. Wasson and L. W. Ferguson as securities.7 Because Robert lived until 1860, this appointment should not be treated as evidence that Elizabeth was fatherless. It is better read as a legal guardianship over property or estate interests, likely connected to Elizabeth’s maternal Falls inheritance.

By 1850, Robert Ferguson was still in Rhea County. The census listed him as a sixty-year-old farmer born in North Carolina, with Sarah Ferguson, Elizabeth Ferguson, James C. J. Ferguson, and infant Sediah F. Ferguson in the household.8 Rachel Falls was no longer present in the household by this point. The census supports household association, while Sarah and Elizabeth’s relationship to Robert is supported more securely by the later estate and heir records.

Robert’s last years were marked by land and debt records. In January 1860, he quitclaimed his interest in one half of an undivided 1,000-acre tract to William T. Gass.9 Later that year, Gass Lenty & Company pursued a small judgment against Robert. On 24 July 1860, a constable reported that no personal property had been found and levied instead on forty acres in the Fourth Civil District, described as the tract where Robert Ferguson then lived.10

Robert Ferguson died in Rhea County between 24 July and 10 November 1860. The July levy shows him living on the land at that date. By 10 November, the court stated that Robert had “departed this life” and ordered the case revived against his heirs.11 That range is the safest death date treatment; no exact day has been established.

Margaret A. Ferguson was Robert’s widow by February 1861, when commissioners set apart one year’s support for her from the estate.12 The records do not give her maiden name or a marriage date. Later estate proceedings identify Robert’s heirs and show how his land was pulled into the debt case. A 2 July 1861 order named James Ferguson, Lee or Lea Ferguson, Elizabeth Ferguson, and Ranzy Jane Ferguson as heirs, appointed Henry Collins guardian ad litem for the minor Ranzy Jane, and ordered sale of the land subject to the widow’s dower.13 Related public notice and court orders named the non-resident heirs James, Levi, Sarah, and Elizabeth Ferguson.14, 15

The estate land-sale proceedings remained active for years. In July 1866, the Rhea County Circuit Court entered a final decree confirming sale of Robert Ferguson’s remaining lands and divesting title from Robert’s heirs in favor of the purchasers.16 The long land descriptions belong in a future land reconstruction; for Robert’s profile, the central point is that his death left land, debts, a widow’s dower, and heirs whose records help connect the Tennessee Ferguson family to Missouri and Kansas.

Taken together, Robert Ferguson’s records trace the familiar arc of a Carolina family pushing west, but the ending suggests a household that came apart as much as it moved on. His strongest documented ties ran sideways rather than down: the brothers with whom he claimed, held, and released the thousand acres on Walden Ridge stand beside him in record after record, while his own children leave a thinner and stranger trail. Rachel appears to have died by 1846, when Elizabeth Ferguson’s guardianship record is best understood as evidence tied to maternal Falls interests rather than Robert’s death. By the time Robert died in 1860, land-poor and pursued for a small debt on the tract where he lived, his older children were in Missouri, and none has yet surfaced in the records surrounding his death. What held them in Missouri appears to have been not their father’s Ferguson network but their mother’s side of it: they gathered around Brinkley Hornsby in Johnson County, the widower of their aunt Esther, long after Esther herself was gone. The estate Robert spent a lifetime accumulating and defending was sold to satisfy creditors and parceled among heirs who had already left Tennessee. The deeper question, why a man so closely bound to his brothers became so faintly connected to his children’s later record trail, belongs to the Missouri records they carried west.

DateEventEvidenceNotes
1819Marriage bond with Rachel FallsLincoln County marriage bondNorth Carolina origin point
1830Rhea County household1830 censusHousehold members inferred
1836Walden Ridge land grantTennessee Grant no. 20235Ferguson land network
1841James Ferguson willRhea County probate recordNames Robert as son of James Ferguson
1846Guardian of Elizabeth FergusonRhea County guardianship bondMaternal inheritance clue
1860Land levy and deathCourt debt recordsDied between July and November
1861-1866Estate land saleCourt records and legal noticesLand sold to satisfy debts

Research Notes

Rachel Falls and Robert Ferguson’s older children

Robert Ferguson’s older children - James, Levi, Sarah, and Elizabeth - are treated here as children of Rachel Falls. The conclusion is well supported by Robert and Rachel’s 1819 marriage bond, the 1830 and 1840 Rhea County household patterns, Elizabeth Ferguson’s 1846 guardianship, and the later Falls-Hornsby inheritance evidence connected to Elizabeth Ferguson. No single reviewed record has yet been found that names Rachel as the mother of each child, so the full reasoning should remain in the Rachel Falls research file rather than be fully argued in this profile.

Elizabeth Ferguson’s 1846 Guardianship

In 1846, Robert Ferguson was appointed guardian of Elizabeth Ferguson, a minor. Because Robert lived until 1860, this guardianship should not be read as evidence that Elizabeth was fatherless. It is better understood as a legal guardianship over property or estate interests, likely connected to Elizabeth’s maternal Falls inheritance.

Margaret A. Ferguson and Ranzy Jane Ferguson

Margaret A. Ferguson was Robert Ferguson’s widow in February 1861, when commissioners set apart one year’s support for her from the estate. Ranzy Jane Ferguson appears as Robert’s minor heir in the 1861 estate proceedings. Ranzy Jane was likely Robert’s child by Margaret A. Ferguson, but the current source set does not directly name her mother. Margaret should not be assigned a maiden name without another source.

Death Date

Robert Ferguson was alive on 24 July 1860, when land was levied as the tract where he was then living. He was dead by 10 November 1860, when the court stated that he had “departed this life.” Use the death range “between 24 July and 10 November 1860,” not a precise day.

Father of Robert Ferguson

James Ferguson’s 1841 will names Robert Ferguson as his son, along with other Ferguson sons who appear in the Rhea County land network. This source supports Robert’s father as James Ferguson. Robert’s mother is not established in this profile.

James Ferguson Name Caution

Robert Ferguson’s father was James Ferguson of Rhea County, Tennessee. Robert also had a son named James Ferguson. Keep these two men distinct in prose, source cards, and metadata. Use “James Ferguson, Robert’s father” or “James Ferguson, Robert’s son” where a sentence could otherwise be ambiguous.

1850 Household Relationships

The 1850 census places Robert Ferguson with Sarah Ferguson, Elizabeth Ferguson, James C. J. Ferguson, and Sediah F. Ferguson, but it does not state relationships. Sarah and Elizabeth are supported as Robert’s children through later heir records. James C. J. and Sediah F. should not be treated as Robert’s children from the census alone.

Evidence Timeline

  1. Birth in North Carolina

    Later census evidence supports a North Carolina birth about 1790, but no exact county of birth is asserted.

  2. Marriage bond to Rachel Falls

    The Lincoln County, North Carolina, bond places Robert with Rachel Falls before the move to Tennessee.

  3. Rhea County households

    Federal census entries place Robert in Rhea County and support the household pattern for Rachel and the older children.

  4. Walden Ridge land grant

    Robert appeared with Samuel B., James, and Levi W. Ferguson in a 1,000-acre Walden Ridge/Piney Creek grant.

  5. Named in James Ferguson's will

    James Ferguson's probate record names Robert as a son and helps explain the Ferguson kin network.

  6. Guardian of Elizabeth Ferguson

    Robert was appointed guardian of Elizabeth Ferguson, likely for property or inheritance interests rather than because Robert was deceased.

  7. Rhea County household

    Robert was enumerated as a North Carolina-born farmer with Sarah, Elizabeth, James C. J., and Sediah F. Ferguson.

  8. Death window

    Robert was living when land was levied on 24 July and was dead by a 10 November scire facias order.

  9. Estate land sale

    Court records named heirs, protected widow Margaret's dower/support interests, and eventually sold Robert's Rhea County lands.

Family Group Sheet

Spouse / family connection
Rachel Falls, married by bond in Lincoln County, North Carolina, in 1819; later Margaret A. Ferguson, Robert's widow in 1861
Children and direct-line notes
  • James Ferguson - adult heir named in estate proceedings
  • Levi Ferguson - direct-line child; later of Missouri and Kansas
  • Sarah Ferguson - non-resident heir named in related estate proceedings
  • Elizabeth Ferguson - Robert's minor ward in 1846 and later heir
  • Ranzy Jane Ferguson - minor heir in 1861; likely child of Robert's later marriage, but her mother is not directly named in the current source set

Documentary Base

Sources

marriage bond

[1] 1819 North Carolina marriage bond - Robert Ferguson and Rachel Falls

Strong support Back to first citation

Citation: Lincoln County, North Carolina, Marriage Bonds, 1779-1868, Robert Ferguson to Rachel Falls, bond dated 2 February 1819; imaged in North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979, digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DZ4N-33?view=fullText : accessed 7 December 2024), image 223 of 696; citing North Carolina Division of Archives and History.

Access: FamilySearch digital image.

Supports:
  • Directly supports Robert Ferguson's marriage bond with Rachel Falls in Lincoln County, North Carolina, dated 2 February 1819.
  • Supports Robert's pre-Rhea County North Carolina placement.

census

[2] 1830 U.S. Census - Robert Fergerson household, Rhea County, Tennessee

Contemporary record Back to first citation

Citation: "United States, Census, 1830," FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHPM-2K6 : accessed 10 March 2024), entry for Robert Fergerson, Rhea County, Tennessee; digital folder 005156016, microfilm 0024533, image 738.

Access: FamilySearch database entry and digital image reference.

Supports:
  • Places Robert Fergerson in Rhea County in 1830.
  • Supports a household pattern consistent with Robert, Rachel Falls, and several older children including James, Sarah, and Levi.

census

[3] 1840 U.S. Census - Robt Furgison household, Rhea County, Tennessee

Contemporary record Back to first citation

Citation: "United States, Census, 1840," FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHT1-G7W : accessed 9 March 2024), entry for Robt Furgison, Rhea County, Tennessee; digital folder 005154904, microfilm 0024549, image 937.

Access: FamilySearch database entry and digital image reference.

Supports:
  • Places Robert Ferguson/Furgison in Rhea County in 1840.
  • Supports household categories that fit Robert, Rachel Falls Ferguson, and children Sarah, Levi, James, and Elizabeth.

land grant

[4] 1836 Tennessee land grant - Robert, Samuel B., James, and Levi W. Ferguson

Strong support Back to first citation

Citation: State of Tennessee Land Grant no. 20235 to Robert Ferguson, Samuel B. Ferguson, James Ferguson, and Levi W. Ferguson (1836), 1,000 acres on Walden Ridge, Rhea County; based on Entry no. 232 (5 August 1834); executed 12 October 1836 by Governor N. Cannon, registered 6 March 1840; recorded Rhea County Deed Books; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS54-K96Z : accessed 13 November 2024), image 387; citing Rhea County (Tennessee) Deed Books.

Access: FamilySearch digital image.

Supports:
  • Supports Robert's Rhea County landholding.
  • Shows Robert's close association with Samuel B. Ferguson, James Ferguson, and Levi W. Ferguson on Walden Ridge and Piney Creek.

will / probate

[5] 1841 will of James Ferguson, Rhea County, Tennessee

Contemporary record Back to first citation

Citation: James Ferguson, will/probate record, Rhea County, Tennessee, 29 January 1841; Administrations and Wills, 1841-1852, item 1; in "Tennessee, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008," database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9176/images/004769043_00054 : accessed 30 June 2026); citing Will Books, 1825-1860, Rhea County, Tennessee; Historical Records Project (Tennessee); original data: Tennessee County, District and Probate Courts.

Access: Ancestry digital image; subscription may be required.

Supports:
  • Names Robert Ferguson as a son of James Ferguson.
  • Identifies the elder James Ferguson family group, including Robert, Samuel B. Ferguson, Levi Ferguson, James Ferguson, Russell Ferguson, and granddaughter Emiline.
  • Helps distinguish James Ferguson, Robert's father, from James Ferguson, Robert's son.

deed

[6] 1842 deed of release - Robert, Levi W., and Samuel B. Ferguson to Richard Waterhouse

Strong support Back to first citation

Citation: Robert Ferguson, Levi W. Ferguson, and Samuel B. Ferguson to Richard Waterhouse (1842), deed of relinquishment, 500 acres being half of Grant no. 20,235, Walden Ridge; executed 22 February 1842; witnessed by Jacob L. Wasson, Darius Waterhouse, Andrew Wasson, and James Waterhouse; Rhea County, Tennessee, Deed Books; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS54-KS9V : accessed 13 November 2024), image 470; citing Rhea County (Tennessee) Deed Books.

Access: FamilySearch digital image.

Supports:
  • Shows Robert Ferguson releasing a 500-acre portion of the Walden Ridge grant with Levi W. Ferguson and Samuel B. Ferguson.
  • Supports Robert's continuing Rhea County land and Ferguson-network context.

guardianship bond

[7] 1846 guardianship bond - Robert Ferguson appointed guardian of Elizabeth Ferguson

Strong support Back to first citation

Citation: Rhea County, Tennessee, County Court Records, July Term 1846, "On application of Robert Ferguson, he is appointed Guardian to Elizabeth Ferguson," guardianship bond, 6 July 1846; imaged in Tennessee, County Court Records, 1832-1865, digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C39N-3SFG-3?view=fullText : accessed 7 December 2024), image 492 of 696.

Access: FamilySearch digital image.

Supports:
  • Shows Robert Ferguson appointed guardian of Elizabeth Ferguson, a minor.
  • Supports Elizabeth's identity in Robert's family and possible maternal inheritance through Rachel Falls.

census

[8] 1850 U.S. Census - Robert Ferguson household, Rhea County, Tennessee

Contemporary record Back to first citation

Citation: "United States, Census, 1850," FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCDY-1W4 : accessed 22 January 2025), entry for Robert Ferguson and Sarah Ferguson, Rhea County, Tennessee; citing 1850 U.S. census, Rhea County, Tennessee, household 297, house 297, line 20, schedule type 1850 Population, NARA microfilm publication M432, digital folder 004206051_001_M9C6-HHT, microfilm 444849, image 51.

Access: FamilySearch database entry and digital image reference.

Supports:
  • Places Robert Ferguson, age 60, born North Carolina, in Rhea County, Tennessee.
  • Places Sarah Ferguson, Elizabeth Ferguson, James C. J. Ferguson, and Sediah F. Ferguson in Robert's 1850 household.
  • Supports Robert's 1850 residence, birthplace, occupation/farming context, real-estate value, and household after Rachel Falls disappears from the records.

deed

[9] 1860 quitclaim deed - Robert Ferguson to William T. Gass

Contemporary record Back to first citation

Citation: Rhea County, Tennessee, Deed Book M:69-70, Robert Ferguson to William T. Gass, quitclaim deed, executed 23 January 1860, acknowledged 6 February 1860, registered 8 February 1860; witnessed by Peter W. Miller and H. C. Collins; digital images, Tennessee, County Court Records, 1777-1974, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSK6-1Q2M-L : accessed 13 November 2024), image 70; citing Rhea County (Tennessee) Deed Books.

Access: FamilySearch digital image.

Supports:
  • Shows Robert conveying or quitclaiming his interest in one half of an undivided 1,000-acre tract to William T. Gass shortly before his death.
  • Supports Robert's later-life land and debt context.

court record

[10] 1860 fieri facias and levy - Robert Ferguson land in 4th Civil District

Strong support Back to first citation

Citation: Gass Lenty & Company v. Robert Ferguson, Rhea County Court (Dayton, Tennessee), Minute Book, p. 283, case no. 163, including sheriff's return (24 July 1860), order of sale, original warrant (21 September 1859), judgment ($4.65, 13 October 1859), and fieri facias execution (20 July 1860); digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C39J-89CY-2 : accessed 12 November 2024); citing FHL microfilm 008479216.

Access: FamilySearch digital image.

Supports:
  • Shows no personal property found and a levy on 40 acres in the 4th Civil District.
  • Says the land was the tract where Robert Ferguson then lived on 24 July 1860.
  • Supports Robert's death window by showing he was living as of 24 July 1860.

court record

[11] 1860 scire facias after Robert Ferguson's death

Strong support Back to first citation

Citation: Gass Lenty & Company v. Robert Ferguson and J. C. Ferguson, Justice of the Peace Court (Rhea County, Tennessee), scire facias order, 10 November 1860, stating Robert Ferguson had departed this life and ordering proceedings against James Ferguson, Lea Ferguson, Sarah Ferguson, Elizabeth Ferguson, and an unnamed infant heir; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C39J-89CY-Y : accessed 12 November 2024); citing FHL microfilm 008479216.

Access: FamilySearch digital image.

Supports:
  • Establishes that Robert Ferguson had died by 10 November 1860.
  • Identifies heirs James, Lea/Levi, Sarah, Elizabeth, and an unnamed infant.

probate / widow support

[12] 1861 widow's support - Margaret A. Ferguson, widow of Robert Ferguson

Contemporary record Back to first citation

Citation: Report of Commissioners, One Year's Support for Margaret A. Ferguson, Rhea County Court (Tennessee), Minute Book, March Term 1861, pp. 379-380, reporting allowance made 4 February 1861; P. W. Miller and R. Mitchell, commissioners; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-2T76-D9 : accessed 13 November 2024), images 379-380; citing Tennessee County Court (Rhea County) records, FHL microfilm 004776210.

Access: FamilySearch digital image.

Supports:
  • Directly identifies Margaret A. Ferguson as Robert Ferguson's widow.
  • Lists a one-year support allowance totaling $55.

court / estate

[13] 1861 order of sale against heirs of Robert Ferguson

Strong support Back to first citation

Citation: Rhea County, Tennessee, Circuit Court, Court Minute Books, vol. G-H, 2 July 1861, order in Gass Lenty & Co. v. heirs of Robert Ferguson, appointing Henry Collins guardian ad litem for Ranzy Jane Ferguson and ordering sale of land subject to the widow's dower; images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C39J-89CX-3?view=explore : accessed 1 July 2026), image 324 of 722; citing Tennessee. Circuit Court (Rhea County), Image Group Number 008479216.

Access: FamilySearch digital image.

Supports:
  • Identifies James Ferguson, Lee/Lea Ferguson, Elizabeth Ferguson, and Ranzy/Ransy Jane Ferguson as heirs of Robert Ferguson deceased.
  • Says legal title to the levied land descended at Robert's death.
  • Appoints Henry Collins guardian ad litem for the minor Ranzy Jane and orders the land sold subject to the widow's dower.

newspaper legal notice

[14] 1861 Athens Post notice - heirs-at-law of Robert Ferguson

Contemporary record Back to first citation

Citation: Newspapers.com, The Athens Post (Athens, Tennessee), 4 October 1861, p. 3, "The heirs-at-law of Robert Ferguson, deceased, published a bill to sell his land to settle bills"; database with images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-athens-post-the-heirs-at-law-of-robe/158689714/?xid=637 : accessed 21 December 2024); Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Lehi, Utah.

Access: Newspapers.com image; subscription may be required.

Supports:
  • Names James Ferguson, Levi Ferguson, Sarah Ferguson, and Elizabeth Ferguson as non-resident defendants/heirs-at-law.
  • Supports the bill to sell Robert Ferguson's land for debts.

court / estate

[15] 1861 order pro confesso - Robert Gillespie administrator v. heirs

Strong support Back to first citation

Citation: Robert Gillespie, Administrator of Robert Ferguson, deceased v. Rosa J. Ferguson et al., Rhea County Court (Dayton, Tennessee), Minute Book, p. 331, order pro confesso against non-resident defendants James, Levi, Sarah, and Elizabeth Ferguson, 5 November 1861; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C39J-89C6-W : accessed 12 November 2024); citing FHL microfilm 008479216.

Access: FamilySearch digital image.

Supports:
  • Shows James, Levi, Sarah, and Elizabeth Ferguson as non-resident defendants who failed to answer the estate land-sale bill.
  • Supports the adult children/heirs and their dispersal away from Rhea County.

court / estate

[16] 1866 final decree - sale of Robert Ferguson land

Contemporary record Back to first citation

Citation: "William P. Darwin, Administrator v. Heirs of Robert Ferguson," Rhea County Circuit Court (Tennessee), 5 July 1866, final decree ordering sale of lands to heirs of Robert Gillespie; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C39J-89H1-R : accessed 13 November 2024), image 403; citing Rhea County (Tennessee) Court Records.

Access: FamilySearch digital image.

Supports:
  • Shows the final 5 July 1866 decree in William P. Darwin, administrator, v. the heirs at law of Robert Ferguson.
  • Confirms the sale of Robert Ferguson's Rhea County lands.
  • Divests title from Robert Ferguson's heirs and vests title in the heirs or devisees of Robert Gillespie.