(1796-1864) Daniel Ferguson
Daniel Ferguson's Death
Daniel Ferguson died on Thursday 26 May 1864, aged 68, less than a year after his retirement from public life. The certificate lists the cause of death as old age.
According to his obituary in The Register "Mr Daniel Ferguson died on May 26 at his residence "Glenunga" near Glen Osmond. He had been ill for some time previously and had been unable to attend the last meeting of the Central Road Board, of which he was a member, but it was not known generally that his end was so near. Mr Ferguson, during his residence in the Colony, has in his private capacity, gained the respect and esteem of a large number of people, particularly among those engaged in the progress of Agriculture and in the improvement of the roads in the Province. He has occupied various public positions all of which he has filled with great satisfaction. He was the founder and President of the first Farmer's Club. He first suggested the establishment of a periodical under the auspices of the Agricultural and Horticultural Society which suggestion led to the publication of "The Farm and Garden." He was President for a long time and one of the Vice Presidents of the Agricultural and Horticultural Society. He was for years a member of the Central Road Board and ten years a Member of the Burnside District Council in which district he resided. His opinions were always regarded with more than usual attention whenever they were expressed. On July 2nd 1863 a dinner was given for him at the "Vine Inn" at Glen Osmond as a mark of respect to him and as an acknowledgment of the services he rendered to the District. On the occasion Mr Wm Milne M.P. proposed Mr Ferguson's health and in so doing paid the deceased a well merited ecominium for his service in connection with the material prosperity of the Colony. The funeral will take place on Saturday May 28th.
Daniel Ferguson was buried on 28 May 1864 at West Terrace Cemetery in Adelaide. His wife and children Janet, Margaret, William and Alexander and his brother-in-law Thomas Bird, were later buried with him. The memorial inscription reads :
In memory of
Daniel Ferguson
Died 26 May 1864 aged 68 years
Helen wife of the above died 9 November 1885 aged 80
Wm Son of above died May 19 1870 aged 19 years
Thomas Bird died May 18 1870 aged 75 years
"Waiting for the Coming of the Lord"
Janet Ferguson youngest daughter of above died 7 June 1912
Alexander son of above died 3 Sept 1913 aged 78 years
On 27 May 1963, 99 years after Daniel Ferguson was buried, the lease on the Ferguson family grave was re-issued to Hugh McFarlane Ferguson.
Daniel Ferguson had made his will on 7 May 1864, less than three weeks before he died. He appointed the Hon Thomas Elder, MLC and James Munro Linklater as executors. Household possessions were left to his wife, who inherited "all the pictures books plate linen china wines household goods and furniture, which shall at my death be in or about my dwelling house." Two specific bequests were made, of £10 to his wife and £50 to his oldest son Charles, to be paid within three calendar months of his death. His executors were given the power to "convert into money such part of my said personal estate as shall not consist of money ... to sell the same either together or in parcels and either by public auction or by private contract." The proceeds were to be invested in Government or real securities in the province of South Australia, with the annual income to be paid to his wife as long as she lived or as long as she remained his widow. After Helen's death, the annual income was to be held in trust for all of his children, except James "who has already been provided for and is indebted to me in the sum of £40. His sons were to receive the principal sum when they reached 21 and his daughters when they reached 21 or married, with the trustees allowed to vary this if need be.
When Daniel died, Mary, Janet and William were still under-age. His concern for their future was reflected in the specification in his will that "I appoint my said wife and the said Thomas Elder and James Munro Linklater guardians of my infant children," with the proviso that half of the income due to them could be used for their advancement or betterment. Probate on his estate was granted to James Munro Linklater on 28 July 1864, 2 months after his death, his estate "sworn under £1,000." Although the dissolution of his estate began, his family remained at Glenunga for a further 75 years.
The gradual disposal of Glenunga began two months after Daniel's death, when the farm stock and implements that he had built up in his years in Australia were advertised for auction in The Observer of 30 July 1865. Helen Ferguson remained at Glenunga for a further 21 years. The family continued to draw income from the school run by her daughters in the old dairy and from the farm. Janet taught in the school until 1883, while Alexander looked after the property.
The household was depleted by the death of William in May 1870 and the marriage in December that year of Mary. Elizabeth married in 1874 and Margaret in 1878, while Janet and Alexander remained at home with their mother, neither marrying. In 1876, Elizabeth returned with her infant son, William, after the tragic death of her husband. Helen died at Glenunga on 9 January 1885, aged 79, the notice of her death in the Chronicle referring to her as a colonist of 47 years. She was buried with her husband at West Terrace. In her will, valued for probate at £400, Helen bequeathed her personal property to her daughters, while Alexander, who was appointed sole executor, inherited "all the rest residue and remainder of my property both real and personal" subject to any debts being paid.
Her personal bequests give some indication of Glenunga at the time. To her daughter Elizabeth, she left "all the furniture and effects in and about the bedroom I now occupy (expect the chest of drawers in my said bedroom), the seat now on the verandah and also the washing copper mangle and all my crockery." To her daughter Mary Goldsack, she left "all the furniture and effects in the bedroom in my dwelling house known as the spare room." To her daughter Janet, still living at Glenunga, she left "all the furniture and effects including the piano in the room in my dwelling house known as the parlour and also the chest of drawers in my said bedroom and also the easy chair in the room known as the sitting room and also all my chairs and all my knives and forks and spoons." Not long after Helen's death in 1885, the family decided to sell the entire farm, advertising it in the Register of 15 March 1886 as:
By Order Trustees Est of D. Ferguson
Very Valuable Suburban Property
"Ferguson's Section" Glen Osmond Rd
Melvin ... Instructed to sell in one lot section 271 HD of Adelaide
80 acres known as property of late Mr Daniel Ferguson. This fine estate
has a long frontage to main road and tramline, is substantially fenced
and has comfortable dwelling, stables, outhouses, garden etc.
This is rich soil, healthy position, splendid views of sea, easy access,
superior neighbourhood, convenient trams ....
NB. The special attention of Capitalists, Trustees, Investors etc is invited
to the important Sale of a most eligible property near city
It was not until 1893 that substantial blocks of land surrounding Glenunga House were sold, in 10 and 12 acre lots. The buyers included Goldsack, Weidenbach, Rule, Buring, Hall and Hampson. Another buyer was Albert Conrad, an architect who purchased 24 acres between Glenunga Road and Fowlers Road, developing the section in 1912, when he built a new "Glenunga House."
Janet and Alexander Ferguson remained in the house after their mother's death, joined in 1876 by the widowed Elizabeth and her son and by Margaret in 1900. Janet died in 1912, followed by Alexander in 1913, Elizabeth in 1916 and Margaret in 1919. After the death of the last of Daniel Ferguson's children, Glenunga House was sold to Albert Conrad, who demolished it in 1992 when he subdivided the land, replacing the farmhouse and grounds with 13 allotments. Daniel Ferguson's grandson, William Murdoch built a house at Myola Avenue on land that once belonged to his grandfather's farm. Others of Daniel's descendants have also lived in the area that once formed Glenunga farm. While Glenunga House has long since disappeared, the name lives on in the suburb that includes the area where Daniel Ferguson once farmed.
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