James Ferguson (1828 - 1863)

Born 23 Feb 1828 in Belfast, Antrim, Ireland

Ancestors

Husband of Lucy (Nutting) Ferguson — married 1847 in San Francisco, California, United States

Husband of Phyllis (Hardie) Ferguson — married 13 Feb 1857 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States

Descendants

Died 30 Aug 1863 at age 35 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah Territory, United States

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Biography

James Ferguson was a Latter Day Saint pioneer.

Private James Ferguson served with the Iowa Volunteers during the Mexican-American War
Service Started: Jul 1846
Unit(s): Company D, Mormon Battalion
Service Ended: Jul 1847

• He was the son of Francis Ferguson and Mary Patrick
• Fact: Emigration (11 Jun 1856)
• Fact: Immigration (26 Sep 1856) Deseret, United States
• Fact: Burial (31 August 1863) Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah Territory, United States
• Fact: He was a Sergeant Major in Company "A" of the Mormon Battalion.
• Fact: Residence Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States

Life Sketch

General James Ferguson was born in Belfast, Antrim, Ireland on Feb. 23, 1828 to Francis (Frank) Ferguson and Mary Patrick. He was baptized a member of the LDS Church at Liverpool England in 1842. He emigrated to the United States. In 1846 he was a Utah Pioneer. He enlisted in the Mormon Batalion as Historian and Sargeant Major. He married Lucy Nutting at San Francisco (Yerba Buena, California. Children of James Ferguson and Lucy Nutting included;

• Julia Ferguson b. March 17, 1849 d. Oct. 9, 1922
• Lucy Ferguson b. Feb. 16, 1851 d. Sept. 19, 1930
• Sarah Ferguson b. March 1, 1854 d. July 21, 1937
• Daniel Heber Ferguson b. Sept. 29, 1857 d. Feb. 20, 1916
• Barlow Ferguson b. Dec. 5, 1859 d. July 19, 1926

He was appointed by Brigham Young as the first Sheriff of the Great Salt Lake County. He was the commander in the Utah Expedition to Fort Bridger and Greenriver in 1853. Lt. Ferguson of the Nauvoo Legion (territorial militia) fought in a battle with Indians at Fort Utah which is now Provo, Utah. He was Brigham Young's personal bodyguard. He served as the Territorial Attorney General. He was a noted Shakespeare actor in Salt Lake. He served a mission for the LDS Church to England in 1854. He helped create opportunities for the handcart emigration in 1856. He was named Adjutant General of the Nauvoo Legion when he returned to Salt Lake. After the Utah War he practiced law and continued his acting. James Ferguson and his partners stared the Mountaineer newspaper around 1859. He died at age 35 on August 30th 1863 at Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah. He was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery, Salt Lake County, Utah on August 31, 1863.

Research Notes

FindAGrave lists three spouses and 11 children. Profiles need to be added.

Sources

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 13 October 2017, 03:46), entry for James Ferguson(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:KWJC-N6Q); contributed by various users.
• LDS Pioneer Overland Travel 1847-1868 web site: https://history.lds.org/overlandtravel/pioneers/42788/james-ferguson
• Members of the Mormon Battalion, A Sesquicentennial Remembrance, compiled by Dr. Susan Ward Easton, p. 25. https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE5417209
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Church History, Early Mormon Missionaries, https://history.lds.org/missionary/individual/james-f-ferguson-1828?lang=eng
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13284237/james-ferguson: accessed 16 April 2023), memorial page for Gen James Ferguson (23 Feb 1828–30 Aug 1863), Find A Grave: Memorial #13284237, citing Salt Lake City Cemetery, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, USA; Maintained by Bruce J. Black (contributor 46816296).