Brown Family Research - Paternal Ancestors - Segment 3

 

James Alexander Ferguson and Virginia Brownlowe Reynolds

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Early Years

James Alexander Ferguson was the second child and first son of William Alexander 'Tobias' Ferguson and Rachel Jones Ferguson. Tobias had enlisted in the 11^th KY Infantry Regiment during 1861 at the outset of the Civil War. In early 1862, he contracted measles, was admitted to the Army hospital, and then was sent home to Butler Co. to recover. About a year later, on January 5, 1863, James was born in their home near the community of Aberdeen. The nation was at war with itself. War was a condition that would permeate much of James’ life. At the time of James’ birth, Aberdeen was a thriving community of coal mining and railroad crosstie production.[1]

Tobias (Tobe) was at death’s door when he first came home from the service. For a time, he lived with the local Doctor. When he was able to return home and be with the heavily pregnant Rachel (with James) and 1-year old Margaret, he could do little physical work. Sometime after the end of the War, Tobe would learn that the Army had lost the record of his discharge and had characterized his absence as desertion. Though his health temporarily improved so that he could return to farming, the accusation hung over him like a dark cloud. By the early 1870s, as Tobe’s health began to steadily decline, he began the process of attempting to clear his name so he could draw a pension as an invalid and so that Rachel and the five kids would have the right to a survivor's pension. James, age 7 in 1870, was witness to both the suffering and the indignation. Perhaps James felt the sting of shame at being the son of an accused deserter. As his Dad weakened, Rachel took up the fight, hoping to let Tobe die at peace, but it was not to be. On February 4, 1873, the 10-year-old James watched his father die, and his mother grieve. Her grief did not deter her in the struggle with government bureaucracy. She retained a lawyer and tracked down friends and comrades, securing an affidavit from each regarding Tobe’s health before and after his service.

Move from Butler to Ohio Co. The brothers also moved.

In June 1873, just months after Tobe breathed his last, the news that they had longed for arrived. Tobe’s name was cleared, and his honorable discharge was restored, retroactive to March 1862. The relief must have been overwhelming.

Virginia (Jennie) Brownlowe Reynolds was born on September 25, 1867, also in Butler Co. She was the third child and second daughter of Dennis Reynolds and Elizabeth Oliver Reynolds.

For reasons that are not clear, the Reynolds also moved to Ohio Co. in the 1870s.

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[1] Aberdeen was a boom town from about 1850 until 1910 because of these two industries. Coal production was dominated by the Aberdeen Coal and Mining Company and the West Aberdeen Coal Company. Several manufacturers collectively produced between 2 and 4 million crossties annually. As railroad expansion slowed, so did these industries. 

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Family

The young couple married December 20, 1884, in Ohio Co., KY.[2] Jennie was 17. James was 21. Children came steadily. The first daughter, Viola Mae, was born on February 26, 1885. Like all the children, she was born in Ohio Co. Their next girl, Naomi Gertrude, was born September 13, 1886.

By the late 1880s, James had two small children. His mother had somehow managed to see her children to adulthood, sometimes taking in paupers for the County to make ends meet. Her fight to secure a Widow's Pension had never ceased. Incredibly, after 14 years, the government finally awarded Widows and Minors Pensions. Blessedly, these were retroactive to Tobe’s death in early 1873. Even the local paper took note of the long-awaited vindication.[3]

James and Jennie welcomed their first son, Arthur Alano on February 7, 1890. Their third daughter, Lida B., was born February 5, 1894. Lida only lived eight days, dying on February 13^th. Another daughter, Cliffie Delilah, was born on June 24, 1895. The last child born in the old century was Norma L. She entered the world on February 5, 1899. Her birth was noted in the Hartford Republican.[4] The 1900 census indicated that one other child had been born over the last sixteen years but had died. The name of that child is unknown at this time.

The 1900 census also revealed that James never attended school, nor did he put much stock in schooling for his family. Viola (xx) and Naomi (xx) both stopped after just four years. Both were able to read and write; at this time they were the only ones in their family that could. Ten-year-old Authur had never been to school, could not read or write, and was already working as a farm laborer. The family was living on a farm in the Cromwell district, one that they owned free of any mortgage. James’ Mom, Rachel, was living in Beaver Dam, just a mile or two north on what is now US 231.

At some point in the latter years of the 1800s, James donated land for the Cool Springs Baptist Church and a one-room schoolhouse across the road from the Church.

With the new century came joy, loss, and more joy. William Sylvester brought the first joy when he was born on October 20, 1900. Then little Norma L. died on June 3, 1901. She was just 2-1/2. A boy, whose name is not known, arrived in 1902 but lived only briefly. Finally, Edna Leona was born January 20, 1903.

When the 1910 census was taken, James and Jennie were still in Cromwell. The three youngest children were at home. With the exodus of the older children, space had been rented out to their farm hand and his two pre-teen children.

The Depression and Another War

Jennie died on February 20, 1934, at her home in Ohio Co., KY.[5] She was buried the next day at Cool Springs Baptist Church.[6] Her tombstone simply reads, Jennie B. According to oral tradition, James

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[2] Marriage bond, James A Furguson and Jennie Reynolds, Ohio Co., KY.

[3] The Hartford Herald, July 20, 1887, page 3.

[4] Hartford Republican, February 24, 1899, page 2.

[5] Death certificate, Jennie B. Ferguson, February 20, 1934, volume 21, #10295.

[6] Ohio Co. Messenger, March 2, 1934, page 1. Mrs. James Ferguson Dies at Cool Springs, Mrs. James A. Ferguson, age 67, died at her home at Cool Springs Tuesday, February 20 after a long illness. Mrs. Ferguson was a native of Ohio Co. and spent most of her life here. Besides her husband, she is survived by four daughters, Mrs. Andy Oller, Prentiss; Mrs. F. Evans, Beaver Dam R.1; Mrs. Bruce Miller, Maceo, Mrs. Willis Brown, Cool Springs; and two sons, Willie and Arthur of Cool Springs, one sister, Mrs. James Robinson of McHenry, twenty-two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Funeral services were conducted February 21st at the Cool Springs Baptist Church, the Rev. Fuqua of Hartford officiating. Interment was in the church cemetery.

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shared his mother’s brusque disposition. It was said that he was particularly insensitive in his interactions with Jennie. His grandson, Adril Brown, loved to be at the Ferguson home because he adored his grandmother. However, as the boy grew older, he came to thoroughly resent his grandfather for his poor treatment of his wife. So, when Jennie died, Adril was inconsolable. The rift between Adril and his grandfather would never heal.[7]

James remarried less than five weeks later (on March 25^th) to the widow, Eunice Southards.[8] According to oral tradition, the remarriage, so quickly after Jennie’s death, unsettled some in the family and loosened tongues in the community.

Loss of a grandson noted in the paper, December 1934.[9]

Decline and Death

James died in Ohio Co., KY on July 16, 1954.[10] He was 91. He was buried beside Jennie at the Cool Springs Baptist Church on July 17th.[11]

Whispered stories of what happened to his wealth brought some split in the family

Eunice died on January 20, 1971, in Hartford.[12] She was 86.

End Notes and References

1. 1870 Butler Co., KY, census, page 295b, Brooklyn P.O. district.
   
   

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[7] That resentment did not extend to James’ kids, or their children. Trips to see Adril’s Mom (Cliffie Ferguson) in the 1950s and 19060s almost always involved a visit to or from one of the other Fergusons.

[8] Marriage bond, James A. Ferguson and Eunice Southards, March 25, 1935, Ohio Co., KY, volume 51, page 116.

[9] Ohio County Messenger, Fri, December 28, 1934, page 1.

[10] Death certificate, James A. Ferguson, July 16, 1954, volume 30, #14616.

[11] The Ohio Co. News, Hartford, KY, July 30, 1954, page 3. Note that his middle name is spelled wrong.

James A. Ferguson Is Claimed by Death, James Alexandra Ferguson, 91, of the Cool Springs community of Route 1, Beaver Dam, succumbed at 8:20 am Friday, July 16, at his residence after an illness of five and one-half months. The Rev. Adams, pastor of the Cool Springs Baptist Church, conducted the funeral at 2:30 pm, July 17, at the Cool Springs Church. Burial was in the church cemetery. Grandsons were pallbearers. The son of the late Tobe and Rachel Jones Ferguson, he was born January 25, 1863, in Butler Co. He was a member of the church where his funeral was held. Mr. Ferguson was first married to Virginia Reynolds, deceased, and then to Eunice Southard, who survives. Other relatives surviving are: four daughters, Mrs. Andy Oller, Mrs. Finis Evans and Mrs. Will Brown, all of Route 1, Beaver Dam, and Mrs. Bruce Miller of Owensboro. Two sons, Aurthur and Willie Ferguson of Route 1, Beaver Dam; twenty-two grandchildren; forty-two great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren. Casebier Funeral Home made final arrangements.

[12] The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, Friday, January 22, 1971, page 4.

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Name	Age	Remarks
Dennis Reynolds	45	farmer, cannot read or write, born KY
Elizabeth	27	keeping house
Sylvester	7
Betsy	6
Virginia	3
Mary	1

            2.     880 Ohio Co, KY census, page 578, Stewartville precinct. Tim Ferguson lives next door. He is 33, a laborer. He has been unemployed for 2 months during the last year. He cannot write.

Name	Age	Remarks
Dennis Reynolds	55	farmer, cannot read or write, born KY, parents born KY
Elizabeth	38	born KY, parents born KY
Sylvester	17	laborer, in school
Elizabeth	16	in school
Jane	13	in school
Mary T.	9	in school
Louisa	7	in school
America	2

            3. Family of Virginia Brownlowe Reynolds (children of Dennis and Elizabeth Reynolds):

·         Sylvester, born in KY in about 1863.

·         Elizabeth (also called Betsy in the census) Jane, born in 1864 in KY. Married Timothy V. Ferguson on June 6, 1880. 

·         Virginia Brownlowe, born September 25, 1867, in Butler Co., KY, married James A. Ferguson, December 30, 1884. She died February 20, 1934.

·         Mary T., born in KY in about 1869, married James Robinson.

·         Louisa, born in about 1873.

·         America, born in about 1878.

·         Will T., born October 27, 1881. He married a Musa P. and died May 13, 1958.

4. 1900 Ohio Co. KY census, page 76, Cromwell precinct. All indicate that they were born in KY and that their dads and moms were born in KY. James is a farmer. Arthur is a farm laborer; he owns his home and farm free and clear. Their farm is number 198 on the farm schedule. The couple has been married 17 years, has had seven children, and five are still alive.

Name	Relationship	Birthdate	Age	Can Read	Can Write	In School
James A. Ferguson	head	Jan 1863	37	Yes	yes
Jane B.	wife	Sept 1867	32	No	no
Viola	daughter	Feb 1885	15	Yes	yes	yes

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Oma	daughter	Sept 1886	13	Yes	yes	yes
Arthur	Son	April 1890	10	No	no	no
Cliffie	daughter	June 1895	4
Norma	daughter	Feb 1899	1

5. 1910 Ohio Co., KY census, page 85. They own their own house with no mortgage and have been married 26 years. Jennie has had 10 children; six are living. They live on Prentiss Road. All entrants list their place of birth as KY, their dad's place of birth as KY, and their mom's place of birth as KY.

Name	Age	Relationship	Occupation
James	47		farmer
Jennie B.	43	Wife
Cliffie D.	14	Daughter
William S.	7	Son
Edney	6	Daughter
Nealy Burden	57	farm hand	laborer
Lottie B.	9	Daughter
Richard J.	3	Son

            6. 1920 Ohio Co., KY census, page 67. They own their own home, all can read and write, none are in school. James is a self-employed farmer.

Name	Age	State of Birth	Dad's State of Birth	Mom's State of Birth
James A. Ferguson	55	KY	KY	KY
Jennie	52	KY	KY	KY
Willie	19	KY	KY	KY
Edna	16	KY	KY	KY

            7.  Children of James A. and Jennie B. Ferguson

·         Viola Mae February 26, 1886

·         Arthur Alono born February 7, 1890

·         Cliffie Delilah June 24, 1895

·         Naomi February 1897

·         William Sylvester, 1900

·         Edna Leona, January 20, 1903

8.  Ohio Co., KY deed book 17, page 355.

James Alexander Ferguson and Virginia Brownlowe Reynolds

James Alexander Ferguson and two of his daughters

James Alexander Ferguson

Brown Family Research - Paternal Ancestors - Segment 2

 

Willie Albert Brown and Cliffie Delilah Ferguson

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Early Days

Willie Albert Brown was the first of seven children born to Oliver Martin and Harriett Elizabeth Wilson Brown. Oliver and Harriett (Lizzie) had married on March 2, 1890. The location is uncertain, though oral tradition places the event in southern IN. Shortly after the ceremony, the young couple, Lizzie’s parents (Joseph and is second wife, Nancy), and other members of the family moved from southern IN to Breckinridge Co., KY. Tradition attributes this decision to relocate to a desire to "follow the timber".

Breckinridge Co. was the home to vast stands of virgin timber. One rich area was along the banks of Daniels Creek in the valley (“glen”) first settled by Summers Dean. Dean was a native of Mercer Co., KY, born in 1800 on April Fool’s Day. In 1891 the railroad came to the sleepy valley and the town of Glendean (now Glen Dean) began to blossom. The attraction was access to the lumber. Soon, the Dean Tie Company began to harvest the lumber. Some was shipped ‘raw’ while other logs were hewn by hand to make railroad ties. The Company shipped an average of 1,400 train carloads of lumber and ties annually.[1] It was in Glendean that the Browns and Wilsons settled and found work. It was also there that Willie Albert was born on December 21, 1890.

When the trees were depleted in Glendean, the families moved southward, finally settling in the Cromwell community in Ohio Co., KY sometime before 1900. During the Glendean years, Willie completed the 6^th grade, the only schooling he would have.

Cliffie Delilah Ferguson was born June 24, 1895, in Ohio Co., KY. She was the ___ child and __ girl born to James Alexander and Virginia Brownlowe Reynolds Ferguson. Cliffie would complete only the first eight grades.

Marriage and Family

Willie and Cliffie were married on August 4, 1912. He was 21, and the bride was just shy of her 17^th birthday. The gray-eyed, brown-haired, 5’7” Willie towered over the 4’11” Cliffie. Cliffie would later recall that she weighed but 98 pounds when they married.

The following year, on November 12^th, their first child, Ruby Sherril, was born.[2] Ruby Sherril would be known to family and friends as Shirley. Almost two years would pass before the next daughter, Annie Glendean was born on October 16, 1915.[3] Young Annie would live but three months. In January of 1916, she was discovered dead in her bed.

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[1] Breckenridge County historical website http://www.usgwarchives.net/ky/breckinridge/towns/glendean.html

[2] Ruby Sherril was born on November 12, 1913, in Ohio Co, KY. She died on July 12, 2002. She was buried in the Cool Springs Baptist Church, Cemetery, Cool Springs, KY (Ohio Co.).

[3] Annie (or Anna) Glendean Brown was born in Ohio Co., KY, October 16, 1915. She died in Ohio Co., KY, January 16, 1916. Her death certificate is number 31736, volume 64, death volume 16. Her middle name was derived from the town, Glen Dean, in Breckenridge Co., KY where Willie Albert was born. She was buried in the Dennis Cemetery in Ohio Co. 

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In June of 1917, Willie was required to register for the draft. He claimed exemption based on having a wife and one child. He was listed as having black hair and blue eyes, being of slender build with olive skin. As the War ended rather quickly after the US entered the conflict, the draft never reached Willie.

Cliffie next gave birth on October 1, 1919.[4] The oral history does not match the public records. The only thing known by the family was that Adril was born that day and said to have been a 10-pounder, an amazing birth weight for such a small mother. No public record of Adril’s birth from 1919 exists. This was confirmed by Adril’s story that his mom had to attest to his age when he went to enlist in the Army in early 1941. A KY birth record was finally created in 1976, perhaps with the onset of the first indications of his declining health. Adril’s name was chosen by Cliffie in memory of a grade school classmate who had died young. That first Adril had been a favorite of young Cliffie. The official records tell a twisted story. On the same day, a Maxie Brown was said to have been born to Cliffie Ferguson. Unfortunately, this was not discovered until the 2010s, long after that generation had passed. There are a couple of possible explanations. In the day before databases, ledger sheets were used to record births. A Clerk could have easily gotten off one line. The birth record should have belonged to Adril. This would explain why no record of Adril’s birth could be found in later years. Given Adril’s size (10+ pounds), there simply could not have been another child.[5]  

On May 7, 1922, Willie, Cliffie, Shirley and Adril would visit his dad and mom, Oliver and Lizzie.[6]

After a long gap, the couple’s last child, Willie Cebert, was born on August 31, 1925.[7] Cebert, as he was to be called, took his first name from his father. Shirley and Adril were quiet introverts, like Willie. Cebert, in contrast, never met a stranger, young or old. His outgoing personality was much more like Cliffie’s. Cebert was beloved by nieces and nephews for his jokes and antics as much as Shirley and Adril were beloved for their calmness.

Like many men in Ohio Co., Wille Albert made a living as both a farmer and an underground coal miner. After living in the Prentiss community for a few years in a small, clapboard-covered log home with a dirt floor, the couple bought a 38-acre farm in Cool Springs on Rochester Road.[8] The main house had a living room, kitchen, and bedroom on the main floor and an unfinished attic. As the family grew, a bedroom was added to the back of the house. With money scarce and materials expensive, the spare room was built ‘just big enough’ with ceilings of just over six-and-a-half feet. Like most families of the area at that time, the Browns heated with coal.

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[4] Adril was born October 1, 1919, in Ohio Co., KY. He married Garnette Mae Simpson on June 1, 1946. Adril died on December 24, 1978, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Louisville, KY. He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Louisville, KY. The KY Birth Index erroneously lists a Maxie Brown, born October 1, 1919, to Cliffie (in addition to Adril’s 1976 certificate), volume 21, certificate 10007.

[5] A copy of Maxie’s birth certificate, 10007, was obtained in June 2025. It did not clarify anything.

[6] It’s not clear why this visit was special enough to make the May 12, 1922, edition of the Hartford Republican.

[7] Cebert Willie was born August 31, 1925, in Ohio Co., KY (volume 61, certificate 30463). He died February 2, 1994, in Evansville, IN. His Social Security number was 403-36-0021.

[8] Ohio Co., KY Deed Book 70, page 241, WA Brown purchased 38 acres from Otis N. and Nora Rock. The farm would eventually be expanded to 53 acres. The house was on the east side of KY 369 less than a mile before its junction with Cool Springs Road. The house no longer stands.

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When the 1940 census was taken in April, the family was living in Cool Springs in the Rockport reporting precinct. Adril (20) was still at home. He and his younger brother, Cebert (14), were running the farm. Willie (49) was working as a rock crusher for the Works Progress Administration (WPA). His experience in the 1930s as an underground coal miner with the Highview Mining Company of Prentiss, KY, where he sometimes might have been paid with company scrip, as shown below.

Highview Coal Company Scrip

His coal mining experience would have made him well qualified for the WPA work.[9] In 1941, the 51-year-old Willie had to register for the draft. The Army noted that he was 5’8”, 160 lbs., with gray hair, gray eyes, and a ruddy complexion. His draft card noted that his WPA job was at Fort Knox in Hardin Co., KY, some 90 miles from Cool Springs. Willie never threw away his WPA Employee Identification Card. It was part of the treasure of two lifetimes discovered after Cliffie’s death. Willie had been WPA employee 2092-1865. His card was issued on March 10, 1941.[10] During the War, the WPA would assist in the construction of 3,000 new buildings and an airfield on the base to house and train the tens of thousands of new recruits who would begin Army life there. Such projects would have required enormous quantities of crushed stone.

By the mid to late 1950s, the living room of the Cool Springs home included a small black and white TV (Willie loved TV). The nearest stations were in Evansville and Louisville, so the Browns had an antenna with a rotator mounted on a tower adjacent to the house. Static in the picture was common and changing stations often meant swinging the antenna around to point at the proper city. The living room walls were hung with various paintings of Biblical settings, and the table tops invariably held a copy of the Bible and perhaps a church periodical.

There was no indoor plumbing. Needed water was drawn from a nearby well. Outbuildings included a smokehouse, corncrib/barn, chicken coop, two-seater outhouse, and garage. In addition to the many acres of corn, the Browns had a small vegetable garden and several fruit trees.

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[9] Highview Mining, owned by Ken Highview, operated at least two mines along the Prentiss Road. Mine #11 was above the cutoff to the Slaty Creek Cemetery. The other was well to the south near the Thoroughfare Stream crossing. The mines were both purchased by the Peabody Coal Company prior to the 1960s. Willie seems to have worked primarily in Mine #1. Both were underground mines at the time. Peabody seems to have converted them to surface mines. According to http://www.coaleducation.org/coalhistory/coaltowns/coalcamps/ohio_county.htm the company operated from 1931 to 1941 and had 68 employees. It is one of 26 ‘coal camps’ listed for Ohio Co. during the period. More examples of the company scrip can be seen at https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/prentiss-ky-coal-scrip-token-highview-4884658936

[10] His WPA Personnel Records were ordered August 29, 2025, from the National Archives and Records Administration in St. Louis, MO.

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One rather vivid memory is of a day when the men were all gone, and Cliffie was at the house with daughter-in-law Garnette and grandkids Dorothy and Kent. Somehow it was noticed that a snake was in one of the apple trees near where the kids had been playing. Cliffie retrieved a hoe, knocked the snake to the ground, and killed it (leaving the grandkids in awe).

The small white house lacked many things, but it had a nice front porch with a porch swing. There was always quiet competition among the grandkids to see who got to sit in between Willie and Cliffie. The front porch was famous for another reason. It was the setting for one of those family tales that grandchildren never tire of hearing. One evening, Cliffie was home alone (Willie being at the mines) when she heard the distinct sound of heavy footfalls on the porch. This was followed by something or someone trying to break the door down. Being fearless, she grabbed her shotgun and called out for the person or persons to stop and identify themselves. The stomping and crashing continued without a word of reply. Having already given fair warning, Cliffe shot through the door and heard a body fall to the porch floor with a heavy thud. After several unanswered calls, she peeked and saw a dead deer on the porch. It had become rabid and acted erratically. For many years thereafter, her brother-in-law would carefully approach the house. Still hundreds of feet from the house, he called out (in jest), “Don’t shoot Cliffie”.

Willie’s last car was a light-blue 1956 Ford. It was a used car, in perfect shape when bought in 1957.[11] In about the same timeframe, the children pooled their resources and bought their dad his first tractor. Up until then, he had done all the plowing with a mule.

Decline and Death

Willie Albert died in Ohio Co., KY on November 13, 1964.[12] He had been ill and was spending some time at his daughter’s (Shirley) home.[13] The family was watching TV together (one of Willie’s favorite pastimes). At the end of the program or at a commercial break, someone noticed that he had died peacefully. He had been suffering from congestive heart failure compounded by black lung. To a young person, Cliffie and Willie had been like a storybook couple that had grown old together but still very much in love. To witness her grief was awful, for her sense of loss was great. With maturity, we came to understand how blessed they had been regardless of Wars and a Depression.

End Notes and References

1. marriage license

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[11] The purchase date is an estimate based on very fuzzy memories. After Willie’s death, the car sat in the garage for several years and slowly decayed. In 1967, Adril ‘bought’ the vehicle from Cliffie (who did not drive) as a first car for his son, Kent. Kent has vivid memories from the late 1950s of sitting in the backseat of the car behind Willie as he drove Adril and Kent around the coal fields to see some of the huge coal shovels that had recently been introduced at the Peabody mines. Kent kept the car through college and his first few years in TN, adding another 200,000 miles to the odometer.

[12] Death certificate, W. A. Brown, Ohio Co., KY, volume 64, #26409, November 18, 1964. His death certificate incorrectly lists his birthplace as Glyndean, IN. Willie was born in Glendean, KY. Cebert, who provided the information, may not have clearly known or may have simply been under stress.

[13] Ohio Co. News, November 20, 1964, page 2. W. A. Brown, 73, Dies at Daughter's Home, Willie Albert Brown, 73, died at 10:15 pm, Friday, November 13 at the home of Mrs. Shirley Burris, Rt. 1, Beaver Dam. Mr. Brown was born December 21, 1890, in IN and was a son of the late Oliver and Elizabeth Wilson Brown. He was a member of the Cool Springs Baptist Church. He was married on August 4, 1912, to Miss Cliffie D. Ferguson, who survives.

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1. census records
2. Cliffie's Social Security Number was 403-70-2413
3. Willie’s Social Security Number was 400-03-9198, issued December 5, 1936
4. 1900 Ohio Co., KY census, Cromwell precinct, page 82. Oliver and Elizabeth have been married for 11 years and all their children are living. Oliver is listed as a teamster who has been unemployed for four off the last twelve months. Hattie can neither read nor write. The Brown's do not own their home but rent. The property is listed as a house rather than a farm.

·         Oliver, head, born 6/1868, age 31, born Ind., father born Ind., mother born IN

·         Hattie, wife, born 10/1873, age 26, born Ind., father born Ind., mother born IN

·         William, son, 12/1890, age 9, born KY, father born Ind., mother born IN

·         Carl, son, born 3/1896, age 4, born KY, father born Ind., mother born IN

·         Otto, son, born 6/1898, age 2, born KY, father born Ind., mother born IN

5. 1900 Ohio Co. KY census, page 76, Cromwell precinct. All indicate that they were born in KY and that their dads and moms were born in KY. James is a farmer; Arthur is a farm laborer. He owns his home and farm free and clear; their farm is number 198 on the farm schedule. The couple has been married 17 years, has had seven children, and five are still alive.

Name	Relationship	Birthdate	Age	Can Read	Can Write	In School
James A. Ferguson	head	Jan 1863	37	Yes	Yes
Jane B.	wife	Sept 1867	32	No	No
Viola	daughter	Feb 1885	15	Yes	Yes	yes
Oma	daughter	Sept 1886	13	Yes	Yes	yes
Arthur	son	April 1890	10	No	No	no
Cliffie	daughter	June 1895	4
Norma	daughter	Feb 1899	1

6. 1910 Ohio Co., KY census, page 88; the family rents its home, lives on a farm, all seven kids are living, and Oliver is self-employed.

·         Oliver, head, age 47, born Ind, father born?, mother born IN, cannot read

·         Lizzie, wife, age 36, born Ind, father born Ind, mother born IN, reads

·         Willie, son, age 20, born KY, father born Ind, mother born IN, reads

·         Carl, son, age 14, born KY, father born Ind, mother born IN, reads

·         Otto M., son, age 12, born KY, father born Ind, mother born IN, reads

·         Floy, daughter, age 8, born KY, father born Ind, mother born IN, cannot read

·         Willis T., son, age 6, born KY, father born Ind, mother born IN, cannot read

·         Iva, daughter, age 3, born KY, father born Ind, mother born IN, cannot read

·         Myrtle, daughter, age 3, months, born KY, father born IN, mother born Ind, cannot read

7. 1910 Ohio Co., KY census, page 85. They own their own house with no mortgage and have been married 26 years. Jennie has had 10 children, six are living. They live on Prentiss Road. All entrants list their place of birth as KY, their dad's place of birth as KY and their mom's place of birth as KY.

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Name

Age

Relationship

Occupation

James	47		farmer
Jennie B.	43	wife
Cliffie D.	14	daughter
William S.	7	son
Edney	6	daughter
Nealy Burden	57	farm hand	laborer
Lottie B.	9	daughter
Richard J.	3	son

1. 1920 Ohio Co., KY census, page 070, they rent, he farms.

Name	Age
William Brown	29
Cliffie	24
Shirley	6
Adril	5/12

2. 
   

 

Willie Albert and his first serious girlfriend, pre-1912

W. A. Brown, Circa 1955

Cliffie Delilah Ferguson Brown, daughter Ruby Sherril Brown Burris and Grandchildren

Wedding Photo - Willie Albert and Cliffie Brown

Willie Albert and Cliffie Brown (late 1950s)