Biographical Sketch of Francisca Ferguson, Crawford Township, Buchanan 
County, MO

>From "History of Buchanan County, Missouri, Published 1881, St. Joseph
Steam Printing Company, Printers, Binders, Etc., St. Joseph, Missouri.
**********************************************************************

Mrs. Francisca Ferguson, the pioneer school teacher of Crawford town-
ship, was a sister of Columbus Rountree.  She was born December 5, 1806
in Barren County, Kentucky.  She was educated at Glasgow, Kentucky and
was graduated at Glasgow College.  She was married to Mr. Ferguson and
had four children.  After her husband's death she taught school on the
southwest corner of section 16, in a log school house with puncheon
floors.  One log was but out of the side wall and paper inserted, stuck
full of pin holes, to admit the light.  The house was sixteen feet
square.  It was built in March, 1839.  Here she taught three or four
years, her compensation being fifty cents per scholar, per term of six
months.  She took stockings, flannel, etc. in pay for services.  In one
instance she received two little shoats from James Curl, as very little
money was in circulation those days.  She taught several for nothing.
Dr. Silas McDonald, Wallace Davidson and Columbus Rountree built the
school house.  It was provided with an old-fashioned stick chimney 
about six feet wide.  During school she used suspended on the door a
paddle marked "in" on one side and "out" on the other.  Her labors of
love and usefulness were terminated by death on September 9, 1846. Mrs.
Ferguson was undoubtedly the first person who ever taught a school in
the township.

====================================================================
     USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing
         free information on the Internet, data may be used by
         non-commercial entities, as long as this message
         remains on all copied material. These electronic
         pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit
         or for presentation by other persons or organizations.

         Persons or organizations desiring to use this material
         for purposes other than stated above must obtain the
         written consent of the file contributor.

         This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb
         Archives by: Penny Harrell <Incog3678@aol.com>

====================================================================