The Rev. James E. and Fannie F. Ferguson

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now settle in, because this one's got circuit riders, Civil War, a woman who held everything together, and a governor — all rooted right here in Bell County. The Rev.

James E. and Fannie F. Ferguson. That's the name on the marker, and both of those names deserve to be said out loud.

James Ferguson was born in Alabama in 1824, and he found his calling as a Methodist preacher up in Arkansas before Texas came callin' in 1847. Once he crossed into this state, he didn't exactly sit still. For the next twenty years, he rode as a circuit rider — which, if you've never heard that term, means the frontier wasn't gonna come to the church, so the church went to the frontier, on horseback, through central and southeast Texas, town by town and settlement by settlement.

In 1855, James married Fannie Fitzpatrick down in Houston. Fannie was a native Texan, born in 1839, and she would turn out to be — and I don't think this is overstating it — the backbone of everything that followed. James served in the Civil War, and when it was over, the two of them settled in Salado, farming the land and operating a mill.

Then James started preaching again, and Fannie did what Fannie did — she ran the farm. Not helped run it. Ran it.

And when James died at the age of 52, in 1876, Fannie didn't fold. She kept managing the farm, kept managing the family, and she did it successfully. Fannie Ferguson lived until 1915, and she raised a son who made the history books on his own terms.

That son, James Edward Ferguson, was elected governor of Texas in 1914 — and then again in 1916. So the next time you drive through Salado and look out at the land, remember: there was a circuit rider who carried the gospel across this state for twenty years, and there was a woman who carried everything else. The marker's from 2001, but the story is a whole lot older than that.

What the marker says

Alabama native James Ferguson (1824-1876) became a Methodist preacher in Arkansas before moving to Texas in 1847. As a circuit rider for the next 20 years, he served Methodists in numerous parts of central and southeast Texas. Ferguson wed native Texan Fannie Fitzpatrick (1839-1915) in Houston in 1855 and, following his service in the Civil War, the couple settled in Salado, where they farmed and operated a mill. Fannie ran the farm when James began preaching again and continued to successfully manage the farm and the family after his death at the age of 52. Their son James Edward Ferguson was elected governor of Texas in 1914 and again in 1916. (2001)