Biographical Notes |
Note: Janet wrote poetry, played the piano and taught with her sister and cousins in the school for young ladies established in the old dairy at Glenunga in 1861, until it closed in 1883. When her mother died in 1885, she left Janet "the piano in the room 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 china and all my knives and forks and spoons." Marjorie Ferguson wrote on 27.1.1904 when their ship reached Port Adelaide "Mr Thallon and Old Uncle Daniel came across to the Runic and Clara Thallon, Aunt Kate, Janet Ferguson and Mrs Murdoch met us at the pier. Clara had a huge cake for us, Janet about 6lbs of beautiful grapes. Mrs Murdoch is very deaf and the other sister getting deaf too."
Janet died on 7.6.1912 the Chronicle recording "died Janet Ferguson, youngest daughter of the late Daniel Ferguson." She is buried with her parents.
She made her will a year before she died, naming her nephew Osmond Goldsack and Thomas Wyles of East Adelaide, a mercantile clerk as executors. However, as Osmond died first, in a codicil added to the will, she appointed Ernest Tuck of Henley Beach, a relative of the Goldsacks, as an additional executor.
Janet's estate was valued at £1,284. To her sisters Margaret and Elizabeth, still living at Glenunga, she left "the whole of my furniture linen glass china jewellery and wearing apparel and other articles of household use." After all bequests had been paid, the residue of £484, was to be invested and used for the benefit of her brother Alexander during his lifetime, then divided between the sons of Mark Goldsack. The Goldsacks, frequent visitors to Glenunga, were remembered in a list of specific bequests. She left £40 to her nephews Glen, Osmond, Frank, Percy and Ritchie Goldsack, with a larger bequest of £200 to Robert and £100 to William.
Additional bequests of £20 each were made to Mark Goldsack, Charlotte Goldsack, "wife of William Goldsack of India" and Bertie Goldsack, wife of Robert Goldsack. Sums of £20 were also placed in the Savings Bank of South Australia, to be paid with the accumulated interest to Adele and Mark Goldsack, children of Robert Goldsack, when they reached twenty-one, with the proviso that the trustees could use it for their education or advancement in life before this. Specific bequests of £20 each were also made to her sister in law Jane Ferguson, widow of her brother Gilbert; Janet Earle, daughter of her brother James; Maggie Ferguson and Charles James Ferguson, children of her brother Charles Cliff; William Murdoch, son of her sister Elizabeth and Gilbert Ferguson of Glencoe, son of her brother Gilbert.
Bequests of £5 were made to Bessie Tuck, wife of Ernest Tuck of Henley Beach, Ethel and Thella Goldsack, daughters of George Goldsack of Hutt St, Adelaide, Mary Arthur, wife of the Rev George Arthur of Malvern and Mabel Dunn, wife of the Rev Arthur Dunn of East Adelaide, "in recognition of their unfailing loving kindness to me and for the purpose of buying a small memento of myself." Charities were not forgotten and Janet left £10 to the New Hebrides Mission and £5 to the Mapoon Mission, receipt of the pastor of the Chalmers Church being proof of the discharge of this legacy. She left £5 to the Barefoot Mission at 32 John St, Theobalds Rd, London and £5 to the Benevolent and Strangers Friends Society, Adelaide.
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