Captain Thomas Ferguson’s Company, 1805

 

Robert C. Carpenter, Contributor

Kathy Gunter Sullivan, Transcriber, 2010

 

Robert C. Carpenter:

Captain Ferguson's Company is in present southwestern Gaston County and eastern Cleveland County. I believe that the eastern boundary of this tax district ran down the middle of present Gastonia and ran possibly along Crowders Creek to the South Carolina line or ran along a ridge just east of Crowders Creek. The Bradley, Blackwood, Bell, Carson, Denny, Dinwoody, and Oats families were in present Gastonia and west Gastonia. The Falls and Ferguson families were further to the south and west toward Crowders Mountain and Kings Mountain. The southern boundary was the South Carolina line. The Wilsons and William J. Wilson lived in present Gaston County on Crowders Creek just north of the North-South Carolina state line. William J. Wilson’s house is currently (2010) owned by Lucy Penegar. The western boundary of Ferguson's company bounds Beatty's Company. It would appear that the two companies connect and run north until the Long Creek Presbyterian Church area. Long Creek Church was within Ferguson's company including the Ormands, McGills, Pattersons, Whitesides and Wright. These surnames are clustered around Long Creek Presbyterian Church, which is west of present Bessemer City. The northern boundary of this tax district appears to be Long Creek and runs to the middle of present Gaston County.

 

It is a rather small tax district from a population and taxable point of view but it included large amounts of acreage. It was relatively prosperous with one store belonging to Robert Winters and one cotton gin. Many landowners held extensive lands: Wilsons, Benjamin Ormand, Robert Winters, Alexander Dicky, and members of the Falls and Ferguson family. In addition the district had a significantly large proportion of black polls indicating high slave ownership. The slave ownership in this district was higher than most during this period.

 

This district was made up entirely of English-speaking peoples.

 

Kathy Gunter Sullivan:

In 1805, James Dunn was appointed overseer of the road leading through Capt. Ferguson’s Company from William Wilson’s old place to the South Carolina line. In 1806 patrols appointed in Ferguson’s Company were James Wright, Gilbreath Falls, and John McNeare. Ferguson continued to head this company through 1810.

 

Map link:

Gaston Co., NC Flood Maps

 

Captain Thomas Ferguson’s Company, 1805

Lincoln County Tax Lists 1805 [sic]-1806; box no. CR.060.701.4, North Carolina State Archives.

 

A Return of the Taxable property Capt. Tho^s Ferguson Company For the year 1805 by John Wilson

 

 

Land 20,474

White Polls 45

Black Polls 32

Cotton Gins 35 Saws

 

Duplicate made out