>My great great grand father came from Ireland and his name originaly was spelt Fergeus but later on the spelling changed to Fergus. He left Ireland and went to the Californian goldfields and then came out here to Australia I would imagine in the 1850's. > Hello Mal, Good to receive your post again. Yes, I am doing a One-Name Study of the name FERGUS and its variations - but not Ferguson. So your FERGEUS would of course be included and I will add it to the research site when I can find a new websmaster. So far I have written and organized all of the material on the FERGUS Research Worldwide site, but I do not know HTML and so I am unable to make changes or additions at this point. I am in need of someone to help with adding categories and making changes as the site grows. Until a volunteer comes along the site will stay as it is. I am continuing to research and find new information on FERGUS, some my lineage, but the majority is from other lineages. There are approximately 14 identified different lineages that belong to the FERGUS mailing list presently. My particular research focus has been Ireland - the enitre island - as I am trying to find my ancestral beginnings there before heading back to Scotland. I believe that I may have found the link in the province of Ulster. Researching in Ireland before 1860 is MOST difficult and quite complicated as records were either not kept, damaged by water, shredded, or burned with the civil turbulence that has been going on for over 600 years there. Scottish records are another matter - well-kept, organized, and more available. I can hardly wait to get there. I will continue to post all information I find anywhere on FERGUS' and welcome that from others. The FERGUS website is open for all information. FERGUS is a small volume surname and I believe that we will be able to make many connections with EVERYONE participating. It is not at all unusual to have the spelling variation as it was sometimes left up to a census taker to spell the name, or a stone cutter, or whomever and therefore before our more "literate" era my FERGUS lineage was also spelled FERGEY and FERGEYS, among other spellings. I think that there is another person researching and submitting FERGUS from Australia - I'll have to dig about to find that info - and I do have stacks and stacks of pieces of papers and files. Yes, I would also wish to have your additional information on the other people - names, birthdates, dates of death, marriages, etc. Each piece adds to the investigation and sometimes is the clue needed to make a connection. So, send away. You may not see it listed immediately, but I will now set up a file for those who emigrated to Australia. I am sending this adding on to your message - it is quite difficult for me to manage separate posts from each person as there are approximately 60 in the FERGUS newsgroup and quite a few additional who are my relatives and not "into" genealogy as they leave it up to me, but I communicate and update them often. So, do not make any assumption when you post to me that I will put it together with an earlier thread. Actually I am going to post this letter to the FERGUS mailing list, and any who are researching in Australia can read this - and hopefully will resopnd to the mailing list. It is vital that communication link through the mailing list as there are many "lurkers" (people who wish to read the posts and not post) who may just find a key to their genealogy. The mailing list is the best way for me to communicate - and I need to as I have anywhere from 30 to 100 posts a day in my mailbox - all relating to genealogy. To join the FERGUS Mailing list: send an e-mail to FERGUS-L-request@rootsweb.com with only ONE word in the body of the message <Subscribe> without the <>. Please respond to this post back to the list with all of your information. I would appreciate it if you would also carefullly title your subject line with FERGEUS, given name, place, dates each time for then I can more easily begin to assimilate the work. Please note the subject line I have written so that I can find my response if needed. Please also send me your snail mail address, especially with Y2K coming . . . many e-mail addresses change in time to different servers, etc. and then I am totally out of touch. You do not need to post your snail mail address to the mailing list, unless you wish to, only to me personally so that I don't lose touch. By the way, there was a branch of my FERGUS line who migrated to California! See how this works? We just never know . . . Thank you and keep in touch, Cynthia Russell 6113 Edmar Drive Traverse City, MIchigan, 49686 USA -----Original Message----- From: Mal Claridge <claridge@netconnect.com.au> To: crussell@traversecity.com <crussell@traversecity.com> Date: Sunday, September 26, 1999 3:26 AM Subject: Re Fergus >Sorry to keep you waiting. I went to meet the lady in Maryborough two >weeks ago. she said that her sister Hadn't had enough time to find all the >info, but I will be going back soon to give her some photos of great great >granny fergeus also her daughter Johanna Fergeus. I am trying to find out >what part of Ireland George came from, as I might be able to contact some >of his relations..If you have any matches Would you please let me know? > >George Fergeus married Martha Howden in 1856 in Victoria Australia >George Fergeus died at Ballarat East Victoria, age 47 years. Father named >John. Mother unknown at this point. > >They had other children born in the 1880's also. I'm not sure if you want >their names as well as I'm not sure how far you want to research the family >names. But If you do please let me know and I'll be only to happy to send >more info. George Fergeus had two Hotels here in Stawell in the 1880's >when Stawell was a gold rush town. I can get the dates off the file if you >wish. > >As I mentioned before, some dropped the e out of the name. I had a look at >Georges wife Martha's grave and the name is spelt Fergus, while others are >spelled Fergeus. Let me know if you want the other names Cynthia. I >look forward to your reply. > >Kind regards Mal.