Here is a very short summarization of a nuanced story of how Ferguson Farms came to be & has continued for 6 generations.
10 generations of Sutherlands, then Fergusons, have been in the United States of America since circa 1760. Uriah Sutherland, was born on the Pacific Ocean (hearsay) going from a port in Ireland to the United States. Daniel (Gen 1) & Ruth Sutherland, Uriah's parents, landed in the US (Came from Scottland to Ireland for departure at the port) & moved to Virginia. We do not know much about Uriah's parents.
Uriah Sutherland (Gen 2)
Uriah first appeared on the tax roll in 1787 & married his wife, Rebecca the same year. Uriah & his wife shortly after getting married, left Virginia & tracked the Great Wilderness Trail up the Shenandoah Valley & through the Cumberland Gap to new unsettled territory of Kentucky circa 1786. It was smart of them to not go down the Ohio River as they could have possibly been attacked by Native Americans. It is said that Native Americans killed or took captive more than 1,500 travelers on the Ohio River & the majority of them happened this same year of Uriah's travel.
Uriah patented 145 acres in 1798 south of the Green River in Kentucky. Uriah's land he claimed was from a purchase he made from a Revolutionary War Veteran that sold his certificate for land in Kentucky that veterans were "paid" since Virginia had no money to pay vets after the Revolutionary War. Uriah was one of the first pioneers, settlers, & landowners in Kentucky, which in fact was considered a county of Virginia until its statehood in 1792.
It is thought Uriah was killed by Indians in 1804 as there are records of his neighbors being killed by Native Americans the same year. Some of Uriah's last words were:
"low in body, but perfect in mind and memory calling to mind the morality of body and soul must be returned to God", Uriah Sutherland. Rebecca, Uriah's wife died in 1842.
I am attempting to write this in chronological order & for clarity's sake, I think it is wise the reader understands the repetitive nature of the names of my family. Here is a list of the names of 10 generations of men through the Sutherland/Ferguson lineage. I only include these men as it helps summarize nicely while also hitting the major events leading to present day Ferguson Farms (2024).
1. Daniel Sutherland - arrived here with his wife, Ruth from Ireland circa 1760
2. Uriah Sutherland - settled in Kentucky in 1798
3. Daniel Sutherland - Father died in 1804 & at age 15 continued to farm & care for his family
4. Uriah Sutherland - Judge, settled in Osceola, MO & called out of his house by Jayhawkers & murdered circa 1863
5. Daniel Logan Sutherland - Judge, bought what is now Ferguson Farms in 1871
6. Eldon Ernest Sutherland - Prosperous Stockman & educated man Born 1888
7. Guy McCallister Ferguson - (Frances Sutherland's husband) When the farm transitioned to the Ferguson name
8. Rex Arch Ferguson - Progressive farmer & forward-thinking farmer & Union member
9. Robert Leslie Ferguson - Toured west coast -- Travelled North America
10. Riley Cole Ferguson .....
Daniel Sutherland (Gen 3) was born in Virginia in 1789, the same year George Washington was inaugurated as the first President. Daniel then grew up in Kentucky where his parents settled. His father Uriah died when Daniel was just 15 years old & from then on became the man of the house, working on the farm to keep his mother & siblings supplied with food, water, & shelter. He then fought in the War of 1812 at age 22 in the infantry. He died 6 years after Lincoln was assassinated. Daniel moved to Missouri in 1860 following his son, Uriah Sutherland. It was the last time he traveled long distance by horse.
Uriah Logan Sutherland (4th Gen) was born in Kentucky in 1814 & moved to St. Clair County 4 miles from Osceola. He was a prosperous business owner & St. Clair County Judge for many years. On a cold January night in 1863, Uriah & his family were called out of their house by Jayhawk Guerillas. Uriah was murdered in cold blood in front of his family by a militia of 6 or 7 men. The men then burned the house down, leaving a pregnant widow & three fatherless children homeless. Sallie Sutherland, one of the children that watched their father murdered in front of them, said his last words were, "I am not afraid to die as you can only kill my body, not my soul."
The Jayhawkers lastly left a note on Uriah's dead body that read, "The ones that bury him will be done the same way."
Almost all Sutherland history was burned this night.
After the brutal murder, Uriah's Widow, Margret, & their children dug up the gold & money Uriah buried & went straight to Boone County to live. Margret shortly later died after giving birth.
Uriah was a very wealthy man, & in turn was a significant reason for his murder. His oldest son, Samuel was studying in Columbia at MU during the time of Uriah's death. Sallie, one of Uriah's daughters, was a small child, & Daniel Logan (Daniel Logan bought what is now Ferguson Farms) was left to care for his mother & raise his sisters.
Buying the Farm
Daniel Logan Sutherland (Gen 5) was born in St. Clair County in 1846. 22 years later moved to Johnson County in 1868. Daniel Logan, following in his father's footsteps, became a Johnson County judge for many years. He then later embarked on a journey in 1871, buying what is now Ferguson Farms. With only 40 acres to start, D.L. grew his cattle business into a 3,000-acre outfit. Daniel Logan started with 42 head of feeder hogs, trading them & immediately investing in calves.
D.L., Danel Logan, was one of the most pivotal men of the Sutherland story. If it wasn't for D.L.'s grit, tenacity, skill, health, & iron will, I'm sure I wouldn't be writing this today.
This is an excerpt from one of Daniel Logan's biographies from 1918. "From this humble beginning began one of the most prosperous & remarkable careers in the stock business in Missouri. He is a present owner of a splendid stock farm & engages with his sons in the stock business. At the time of this writing, he owns 125 Agnus cows & is the largest in the state. The Sutherland farm is all grass & is exceptionally improved. There are 7 houses on the place all occupied by his assistants."
As his children became adults (21), Daniel Logan gave each of his children 80 acres & enough livestock to start a business.
Here is another excerpt from a biography about Daniel Logan Sutherland:
"Judge Sutherland is a stockholder in the Citizens Bank of Windsor, Missouri. He is a man possessing many qualities worth the greatest respect and consideration that no life within the last decade in Missouri has been more remarkable, more full of suggestion for the youth of today."
The Village of Sutherland, known as Sutherland on 23 highway, was named after Daniel Logan who owned the land & shipped cattle via railroad there. Daniel Logan died at the age of 82 years.
Eldon Ernest Sutherland "E.E." (Gen 6) is one of the sons of Daniel Logan Sutherland. Eldon was born in 1888 and spent his entire life working & improving his late father's farm. He married Nellie G. Yunker in 1909. From what I gather, Eldon was an honest hardworking man with stellar business capabilities as well as an educated man, the 2nd of his family. He was also the President of Citizens bank in Windsor.
Here are some words from a biography about Eldon,
"E.E Sutherland, a widely favorable and known stockman of Jefferson Township, Johnson County, is a member of one of the highly honorable & most prominent pioneer families of Missouri. After attending Windsor High School, E.E. attended Missouri State University, & then entered William Jewel College for one term. When Mr. Sutherland turned 21 years of age, he began life for himself engaged in farming & stock raising on his homeplace, where he has since remained. He is an industrious intelligent, young husbandman & is making a marked success in his chosen vocation, following in the footsteps of his father who was one of the most prosperous agriculturists and stockmen of Missouri for many years and is still a man of influence & prominence."
Wow!
Eldon Ernest Sutherland died at his home in 1949.
Guy Ferguson (Gen 7)
Guy McCallister Ferguson was born in 1907 in Benton County, the son of Archiebald Ferguson. He was a farmer all his life. Guy married Frances Sutherland in 1930 & transitioned the Sutherland Place to the Ferguson name. Guy was a member of the Missouri Cattlemen's Assocation & Farm Bureau. Guy was also on the board of the Windsor Rural Fire Dept.
Guy's wife, Frances Sutherland, was born in 1912 & was the daughter of Eldon Sutherland. Her Hobbies were cooking and sewing.
Rex Ferguson (8th Gen)
Rex Arch Ferguson born in 1936, is the son of Frances & Guy Ferguson. Rex formally changed most everything to the tune of Ferguson Farms. Rex was a very hard worker. He was the first president of the FFA Chapter in Windsor. He was a member of the labor Union and worked at Peabody Coal most of his adult life. Rex was able to continue to make this farm as prosperous as it had been. A very progressive and forward-thinking farmer, Rex was one of the first to add terraces in this area to his pastures & fields. Rex was once Owner of Acker-Ferguson, a heavy equipment dirt company. The businesses' building still standing on the main drag in Windsor, across from Sonic.
Robert Leslie Ferguson "Bob" (9th Gen)
Bob was born July 5th, 1964 & Last of the boomers. Bob graduated high school in 1982 then attended UCM. After college, he embarked on his rock n roll journey traveling the country playing drums for several different bands. His most famous band, Cityboy, toured the west coast & opened for bands in Las Vegas such as Slaughter. Bob was an adventurous man. He would travel North America, later in life mostly Missouri, & canoe the longest, hardest rapids & currents you could think of. Then go back & do it two more times. He enjoyed the outdoors & instilled that into his two children & wife.
Bob married Melissa Fletcher Ferguson & had two children.
I have been notified on many accounts he was the best drummer they have heard. I have personally been told from several sources he was as good or better than Tommy Lee. (IYKYK) Robert then returned home to briefly farm doing business as Ferguson Bro's with his brother, Bill Ferguson. Bob then raised cattle on his farm for the remainder of his life. His specialty was grazing and improving his farms forage with ruminant animals. One thing he was very adamant about me doing if I was serious about the farm was to go to grazing school. Grazing school & what I retained from it is a major reason I am on the farm today. Bob was a very intelligent & humorous individual. He would blame Guy Ferguson, Bob's grandfather, for his humor.
Melissa currently owns Ferguson Farms & it is still operated under the Ferguson name, by Fergusons.
Rachael/Riley/Amy/Aaron Ferguson (10 Gen)
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