One of my granddaughters asked me about doing some genealogy research for a friend of hers and that reminded me that I could do some on Governor Ferguson. I thought of this, years ago but never took the time to do the research. I did a little research this morning and found information on Walter that said he passed away in Washington DC and is buried at Rose Lawn Cemetery in Tulsa. It didn’t say what he was doing in Washington DC. This goes along with the statement that he lived back east. I will need to go to the Watonga Library to use their newspapers on disc or ancestry.com to find the obit to see what it says about him being in Washington DC. Other information I found said he was vice president of a bank in Tulsa. He also served in the military during World War I. I watched the movie Cimarron on INSP this week and it had him being in his late teens or early 2’s when T.B. was Territorial Governor. Walter was born March 1886 in Sedan, Kansas. T.B. was Territorial Governor from 1901 to 1906, so Walter would have been 15 when they moved to Guthrie.
Another thing that caught my attention while watching the movie was the friendship of the Fergusons with a Native American couple. In her book, They Carried the Torch, Mrs. Ferguson said the very first morning they were here she heard a grunt behind her and turned to see a Cheyenne Indian standing behind her. They became very good friends as time went on.
The museum needs a site director; it’s 20 hours per week. You will be giving tours as well as helping plan programs and events. The director must be able to go up and down the stairs and have basic computer skills.
Effective immediately, the new board members are: president, Connie B., they still need a vice president, treasurer, Mary L., secretary, Joe B., and member at large, Todd L. If you are interested in the job as site director, call the museum at 580 623 5096 and leave a message. You have to leave a call back number because there isn’t any caller ID and it may be a few days before someone gets back to you. Anyone that wants to become an active volunteer, or a member of Friends of Ferguson Home is welcome, all help is appreciated.