San
Joaquin County
Biographies
MRS. MARGARET FORD
An energetic, experienced and highly
progressive American woman, who has demonstrated her ability as a successful
California agriculturist, is Mrs. Margaret Ford, whose maiden name was Margaret
Ferguson. She was born on Fairchild
Lane, about eight miles out of Stockton, on May 4, 1858, the daughter of
William Ferguson, who had married Miss Mary Ray. Her father was a native of Ireland, and came
from County Armagh in the province of Ulster, and her
mother was a native of New York. They
were married at Little Falls, New York, and came in the pioneer days, in 1854,
to California, settling in San Joaquin County, on Fairchild Lane. Mr. Ferguson was a farmer, who for years
leased ranches, but toward the latter part of his life bought a farm of
ninety-nine acres on Fairchild Lane, which he continued to cultivate until his
death. He passed away at the age of
seventy-six in 1904; and Mrs. Ferguson breathed her last in 1908, at the age of
eighty-three. They had five
children: Mary, the eldest, married H.
A. Miller, a highly esteemed citizen of Clements; Margaret is the subject of
our interesting story; James, whose life was valued by those who knew him, is
deceased; Isabel has become Mrs. William Hines, of Stockton; and Laura is Mrs.
W. J. Herson, of the same city.
Margaret Ferguson attended the
Greenwood School. On the 31st
of May, 1874, she was married at Lockeford, in the old red-brick church, to Charles
Ford, born in Ireland, but who came to the United States with his parents at
the age of eight. The Ferguson’s and the
Ford’s started for California about the same time, but Charles Ford’s father
died before he reached the Golden state.
Mrs. Ford, Charles’ mother, owned a fine ranch of 182-1/2 acres on
Fairchild Lane; and when our subject married, she and her husband moved onto
the place. At the death of his mother,
Charles Ford inherited the ranch, and on Mr. Ford’s lamented demise in 1905 she
took charge, and now owns the entire acreage intact. The death of Mrs. Ford, Sr., occurred only
six week previous to that of Charles Ford; hence the transfers of the estate
were made in rapid succession. Mrs. Ford
is a Republican, and exerts her best influence in the use of the franchise and
in endorsing approved political movements; to favor such legislation as will
assure the best interests of the community and state.
Five children and seven
grandchildren have added to Mrs. Ford’s earthly joys. Clara is Mrs. G. W. Gordon, and resides on
the Jack Tone Road. Mamie has become
Mrs. Charles Farthing of Stockton.
Thomas and William are at home, and make themselves
invaluable there. Nettie is Mrs. James
Atkins of Linden. Mrs. Gordon is the
mother of four children: Blanche,
Arthur, George and Robert, and Mrs. Farthing has one
child, Charles Llewellyn. Mrs. Atkins
had two daughters: Margaret Alice, now
deceased, and Irma May.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
622. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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