Most of this trip is focused on my Murray roots, but back here, especially in Canada, I also have Craig roots – Craig being my Mother’s maiden name. The Craigs came from Scotland to Northern Ireland (Scots Irish) and into Canada. One of the mysteries has always been Margaret Victoria Ferguson (Craig) my great grandmother, my Mom’s grandmother on her father’s side. If I can dig up a photo to post here, those of you who know Mom will see the resemblance.
Anyway, Margaret Ferguson has always been a dead end in terms of my ancestry discoveries. Much as I have tried, I’ve never been able to find any information on who her parents were, where she hailed from, etc.
Recently someone posted on Ancestry.com that she was born in Hamilton, Canada. Since Lucas and I had the option of reaching our destination in NY via Detroit or via Canada, we decided to take the Canada route. Not only was this stunningly beautiful, but it took us through Hamilton. In the morning, I called the Hamilton archives and expressed my hope that I could stop by and find some information on Miss Margaret.
Arrived later than I wanted, but learned that the archivist there had indeed looked up a lot of information on a Margaret Ferguson. I was so excited at first because there was an indication that she had lived in an orphanage and worked as a servant in her later years – which was common among orphans as they moved into society. This would make so much sense as to why she had been such a mystery, but alas, this was not my great grandmother.
However, that effort was so exciting, and I came back to the trailer determined to do some more sleuthing on Margaret Ferguson, and I think I’ve opened some doors to her origins. Nothing is concrete yet, but hey, this is what my trip is all about, and I’m thrilled to find any tid bits I can.
10/7/2024