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The
Kinder Ferguson Story
Kinder Ferguson was a farmer who lived in
Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. His last name is variously spelled
Ferguson, Fergason, Fergison, Fergason, Fergerson, and Furgison. He was
illiterate so it was often misspelled. Around 1792-3, Kinder and Mary,
along with several of their siblings, moved to Woodford County, Kentucky
which extended to the Ohio River at the time. They had fourteen
children. In 1794, they moved to Shelby County, Kentucky (now Henry
County). Around 1811, they moved to Ripley County, Indiana for about a
year then moved to Lexington Township, Scott County, Indiana.
He fought in the War of 1812 as a private
in the 8th Reg., KY Militia (Wilcox's Reg.). This can be found on roll
70 page 602. In the Index to War of 1812 Pension Files Vol I: A-I 1992,
it says Ferguson, Kinder, SC-6132, Mary (Robbins) m 1 Jun 1792 Franklin
Cty VA, sd 11 Aug 1879 Holman Sta IN, srv George Smith's Co KY Mil,
lived Scott Cty IN.
Madison Daily Courier July 30,
1878
Wonderful Longevity. A Man in Scott County Certainly 107 Years Old.
[originally published] From the Indianapolis News 27th
There is living near Lexington, Scott
county, Indiana a man by the name of Kinder Ferguson, who is certainly
107 years old. He was born in what is now Bottetort county, Virginia,
in 1771, was married in 1792, and removed that year, on pack horses,
to the wilderness of Kentucky, and subsequently to Indiana, to what is
now Scott county where he has resided ever since. I remember him
myself thirty-five years ago, and he was then an old man known as
"old Uncle Kin. Gerguson." and my father who, if living,
would now be 80, told me about five years ago he had known him from
boyhood, and there was no reason to doubt his age being as
represented. I made a visit to the old man a few days ago, and found
him in a remarkable state of preservation, considering his great age.
his voice is as strong as my own, and his memory remarkably good,
especially of events which transpired a long time ago. His hearing is
slightly impaired, and his sight entirely gone. He has a fair
appetite, and walks about the house and year without difficulty. I
should judge his weight to be not over 100 pounds, and he told me he
had never weighted over 160. His mother, he told me, lived to be
nearly 100 years old. His father died younger, but from an accidental
injury. His wife lived to be nearly a hundred. I remember the old lady
well. They had a large family of children, five of whom are now
living, the baby being 62 years of age and the oldest 85. Two of the
children were with the father upon the occasion of my late visit, Mrs.
William Gobin, the baby above refered to, and a son aged 68. Another
son, Andrew, lives in the same neighborhood and is 83. They are all
highly respectable people.
The old gentleman remembers distinctly
some of the events of the war of the revolution, and seems to dwell on
them with interest. He is himself a pensioner for services rendered in
the Indian wars under Gen. Harrison. He is not a man of education or
property; I may, be mistaken, but I doubt whether he ever had a
hundred dollars at one time in his life. If he had been burdened with
the worry and car of a large property he would probably have been dead
long ago. As it is he is 107 years old with a fair prospect of living considerably
longer. On the subject of the use of tobacco and liquor, the old
gentleman told me he had used tobacco constantly and a little whisky
occasionally for nearly a hundred years, and felt none the worse for
it. In fact he frankly admitted he had been drunk a few times in
earlier life, but was never at any time what could be called
dissipated man. - I questioned him pretty thoroughly about the date of
incidents in his life, as well as of historical events and have
carefully examined the evidence as to his age and have not a particle
of doubt as to his being as old as represented.
It is certainly the best authenticated
case of great longevity I have ever known. The old gentleman can be
found at the house of Wm. Gobin, three miles north of Lexington. It is
possible that he may visit the old settlers' meeting at Paris to-day,
as he thought some of doing so when I saw him. E.
The following notes are from a research
paper prepared by Margaret and Rachel Ferguson. Their father was Kinder
Ferguson.
Kinder Ferguson, known as old Uncle Kin
Ferguson for at least 43 years, headed the list of old citizens of
Lexington, present at the Jennings County Old Settler's meeting, held
in Paris. He was certainly almost 108 years of age. His memory was not
in the least bit impaired, but is more reliable than most young
people. When enquired to the date of his marriage or the birth of his
children and changes in his habitation, he answered promptly and with
exactness that was surprising. Kinder moved to the wilderness of
Woodford County, Kentucky in 1792, on a pack of horses, where he lived
until 1794 when he moved to Shelby County, Kentucky. Here his oldest
child, Nancy, was born, just a few weeks after their arrival to their
Kentucky home. Residing there until about 1815, Kinder, together with
his family, removed to what is now Otter Village, in Ripley County,
Indiana, where they remained for little more than a year. They then
moved to Lexington, in Scott County, Indiana, where he resided for 53
years. In 1827 Kinder built a tread mill at Lexington for a man named
Robbins and he continued to run it for him for period of 10 years.
Kinder and Polly were the parents of 14 children. Their youngest child
died in her 7th year. Of their children still living in 1878 was;
Nancy Priest, aged 87, residing in Saulk Co., Wisconsin; Andrew
Ferguson, aged 84, living in Lexington at Knabbs Station on the
O&M Railroad in Scott County; Richard Ferguson, aged 70, living
near Lexington; Margaret Richmond, aged 66, living near Bedford in
Trimble County, Kentucky. Five had died before attaining their
majority, and the others lived to see their 50th birthday before being
called hence. Mrs Ferguson, nearly 95, died after having lived with
her husband 77 years, 1 month, and 4 days from the date of their
marriage.
Kinder recollected very distinctly the
circumstances of the surrender of the British troops and the
termination of the Revolutionary War. He was engaged in numerous
battles with the Indians up to the War of 1812, when he enlisted and
served through the entire war. He was living in Shelby County,
Kentucky at the time, and was drawing a pension for the service. It
was very interesting to listen to his descriptions of this country,
and his life among the Indians and the many close chases they gave
him. He told of several instances where he was barely able to save his
life and that of his family.
He was a man of peculiar
characteristics. He never broods over troubles, either real or
imaginary, but accepts the situation of whatever circumstances are
thrown around him. He was never the possessor of more then $100 of
value of goods. After years of labor in the erection of their home, a
fire broke out and burned the house and all its contents to the
ground, but even after this dire misfortune, it caused him no apparent
trouble, for he good maturely set to work, until he accumulated enough
to build another log cabin structure, like the former. In 1856, soon
after it was built, it too caught fire and burned down, and in his
efforts to save some of its scanty household effects, his eyes were so
badly injured from the close contact to the heat, that inside of a
year he lost his eyesight entirely and he was thence entirely blind.
Not until the age of 70, did he belong
to any church, when at that age he united with the Methodist Church
and was a loyal member since. Kinder was a trustee for the Bethel
Blocher Methodist Church, located in the town of Blocker, which is
also known as Holman Station. Kinder was a natural mechanic, and he
worked at mill wrighting, shoe making, black smithing, wagon making
and basket making. He never enjoyed nor endured an idle moment since
the loss of his sight, and even at 108 he was of the opinion that , if
he were able to see he could make "a right smart chance" of
work yet.
He was living with his youngest
daughter and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. Gobin, on a farm, one and a
half miles S.E. of Holman in Scott County. Mrs Gobin looked not one
day older than 40, though she at the time had passed the age of 62.
She and her husband were untiring in their efforts to gratify every
wish of their father. They were thoroughly devoted to his service and
nothing afforded them more pleasure than to anticipate his every want.
Kinder was a man of small stature, but was said to be very stout at
one time in his life. His hair was perfectly white, with the exception
of a dark tinge over the crown of his head and his entire head was
covered with a thrifty growth. He shaved regularly, and was very
particular and cleanly about his person. He dressed himself and went
in and out of the house at will. He ate no regular meals, but carried
a piece of corn bread in his coat pocket, and ate a few bites at a
time, just as his appetite craved it. His clothes and shoes were
always kept in place so he could find them when he wanted. He used
tobacco all his life, but did not smoke or chew anything but long
green. He was a moderate drinker all of his life, and he was never
sick, except for a few light attacks of ague. He slept on a feather
bed, wrapped up head and ears during the hot weather and seemed to
suffer some when a cool draught of air passed over him.
He clings to the idea and it seems to
give him great comfort that his eyesight will be restored before he
dies and he confidently looked forward to the time when he would again
enjoy the privilege of gazing on the beauties of nature. You see his
mother was stricken blind for 13 years, when her eyesight was restored
for the last seven years of her life. Kinder evidently sprang from a
long lived family. His mother Catherine, lived to be 107 years old.
Lexington, Indiana, 13 August 1879,
Kinder, the hero of four wars, died at the age of 107 years. Kinder
Ferguson, a sketch of whose life was published in the Madison Courier
just a few weeks before, died at the residence of his daughter and
son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Gobin, near Holman on a Tuesday evening and
was buried Wednesday. Had he lived eleven more days he would have been
108 years old. Kinder and Polly are buried in the oldest and largest
section B of the Lexington Cemetery in Scott County, Indiana.
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