Nancy Ellen Anderson b. 27 Apr 1821 Vernon, Clinton, Ohio d. 26 Oct 1902 Urbana, Benton, Iowa: Lineagekeeper's Genealogy

It is not known when Jesse Bunten, Nancy's first husband, died but the 1850 federal census for Jackson Twp, Clinton Co, Indiana finds her living alone with her two small sons.

After her marriage to John Ferguson in 1851, she had seven more children. For additional information on Nancy's life and her children's children, see the Ferguson genealogy.

It is no small thing to be a pioneer housewife and mother to 15 children. Her stepson, Andrew Jackson Ferguson, said "during the childhood days of this large and mixed family with three sets of children, with all the perplexities of raising such a family, was presided over as mother by this good woman to the whole fourteen children, eight of her own and six of us orphan children, and that too with a mother's care, without any distinction having been made in care or attention to our many childish wants."
Reminiscences of Andrew Jackson Ferguson - abt 1919

John Henry Ferguson and his wife, Nancy Anderson Buntin Ferguson, migrated from Boone County, State of Indiana, in the spring of 1853 and with them came the Uncle Wilson Elliott family of Lime Creek, Iowa, also Elijah Galiher and John Rogers. The last two were both single men. Arrived at the little burg called Marysville, In June, 1853, stopping first at Wilmington or near there, for a few weeks, until father made his first purchase of the old homestead, known as the Major J. C. Downs place1 consisting of seven hundred acres of land. On the homestead, is where everybody worked but father as follows: Amanda E., William W., Martha Ann, John S., Andrew J., and Eliza Ann, and at this time one boy by the second wife, Madison Lofton, who was born in Indiana. Then following after is Calvin D., Jane, dying at seven years of age, then Ellen, Mary, (deceased) and James H. There were two stepsons in the family, my stepmother’s two little boys, Hiram Andrew Buntin, a noble boy, a true friend to me and a loyal, patriotic soldier, who enlisted in the Civil War, with me, was my true comrade until death called him from me at Little Rock, Arkansas, in the spring of 1864. The other son, John W. Buntin, passed away some years ago, leaving a wife and two little boys, and one girl. So you will not wonder at the number of Ferguson’s claiming kin to each other when you come to realize there were fourteen of the Ferguson’s in the family beside the two stepsons. It is not strange, then, when we read of’ the tribe of Benjamin, or Ephraim, or any other tribe, if there might have been as many in each of their families as there was in ours. Yet they were good religious people, no doubt, and tried to carry out the Biblical instruction, To be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth and if you may look over this crowd of people here assembled, you surely would be constrained to say, “They are surely Christians”, so many and all akin. I must right here and now pass this compliment on this little group of the Ferguson’s. I have watched your growth from time to time as this new family and then another new family would start out in the world to see what you, would do or come to and must say, am very much pleased to know positively, that you are all loyal, patriotic citizens, and I have yet to hear of any one of you committing any crime against the government, or the jaw of the state in which you live, or against each other; in fact the only crime that might be alleged would be the multiplicity of numbers, yet I cannot object as you are helping me. out, somewhat, as unfortunately I have no one but myself and good wife, who have lived together for more than half a century.

I wish now to speak or another feature of this large family referred to above. The six older children of my father’s first family, including my self, were left as orphans, when we were small, as our mother passed away in Indiana and we were raised and cared for by a stepmother (and a good one, too), and mother of the six later children, and grand—mother to more than one-half of this large gathering, and own mother to Calvin D. Ferguson. And the matter that I wish to more emphatically emphasize right here, is thin: that during the childhood days or this large and mixed family of three sets of children1 with all the perplexities of raising such a family, was presided over as mother by this good woman to the whole fourteen children, eight of her own and six of us orphan children, and that too with a mother’s care, without any distinction having been made in care or attention to our many childish wants. And you may rest assured they were many and of very frequent occurrence, One reason I speak of this matter so voluminously is, that should any one of you granddaughters ever think to assume step-mother—hood to orphan children, that you may know that a step-mother can love and care for her step—children if she -will. Yet, I am of the opinion that it is utterly impossible for a mother to entertain the natural motherly instinct for the children, as she would if they were her very own. It would be really contrary to the inevitable law of nature to do so. Next in the order of kinfolks now comes, Uncle Thomas Ferguson and Aunt Elizabeth Ferguson, his wire, commonly known in former years as Aunt Elizabeth Ferguson and the following nine children of the family. Iris, Jane, Sarah, Louis, Julia Ann, Nancy, Isaac and William Zachariah. All of which, including the father and mother and the large family have passed to the great beyond, from which no traveler ever returns.

I presume there are some of the relatives of this family here today, and if so, kindly take the admonition that sooner or later you will follow them. Here’s another sister of the Ferguson family, Aunt Martha, who married Uncle Thomas Harris, of Thorntown, Indiana. Their children, as I remember them, were Frank Harris, and Marion Harris. This is another sister of my father, Juda Utter, who married L. S. Utter, had two girls that I know of (names forgotten).

And here is still another sister, Aunt Mary Scott, who married John Scott, and who had the following number of children, William (a minister), Judith, Delilah, Joseph, Roselta, and Jackson. How many are living, I do not know.

Here a brother, Uncle William Ferguson and Aunt Elizabeth (commonly known as Uncle Bill and Aunt Betsy). Their children as follows: Carl B. Ferguson, Judith, and Jasper. Of this family I know not how many have passed over, except that Uncle and Aunt are both gone. The foregoing are the brother and sisters of my father, or I may say, the original old stock; there was a younger brother of my father, who died when he was a child, was really frightened into spasms in the following manner; by falling off a foot log across a little creek, having in his hand at that time, a pitcher or water taking to father and my grandfather who were chopping wood across the creek in which was an old sow with little pigs wallowing in the mud. And when the boy fell of I the log, she started at once for the little fellow but father saw the transaction and just got there in time to snatch him away from her. But the boy was in spasms and would occasionally come out of them for a moment or so and then be attacked again and so kept on until death relieved him. My grandfather1 William Ferguson, I remember well, but cannot remember my grandmother. Grandfather died at our house in Iowa, sixty—five years ago this month with what was called quinsey. He simply strangled to death, as his throat swelled shut. These several biographical sketches of the ancient families of the Ferguson’s may seem somewhat dry and uninteresting to you, yet they are a valuable asset to the origin or your being in showing what branches of the family tree you belong. And is worthy to be filed away in the archives of the family registers, for the reason that very soon there will be none of the older families who will be able to give you even as much of our past history as I have given you in this short report.

Of course, there are many reminiscences of the families-herein mentioned that would be of much interest to you to read about, but in writing a history, of reminiscences, would require too much time and thought and the writer would really not know where to begin to write or where to write the word Pints, but should an opportunity ever present itself, whereby I might have the opportunity of addressing you personally, or in a public way, would be glad to be interrogated and answer all such questions pertaining to our family relations as you might ask and in my power to answer, but for the present you will let this short history suffice and in conclusion let me say that you may all live to enjoy many more such family reunions as this, and to live fraternally with each other and with the rest of the world.

Affectionately, Your Brother and Uncle
Andrew J. Ferguson

(Note — Apparently this was a speech given by Andrew Ferguson at a family reunion in 1919, because Andrew mentions that William Ferguson died 65 years before, and William died in 1854.)