Duncan Ferguson of Yarmouth

The book is a 425 page family story compiled and created by two dissimilar cousins with a common cause. John Norman and Malcolm were two farm boys who grew up in the early 1900's in North Yarmouth Township, Elgin County, Ontario in a thriving Scottish-Canadian settlement. They recount in the essays their own personal recollections of a rural community; but also reach back in time to when their individual grandfathers(James and Donald) and common great grandfather(Duncan) emigrated from Leckuary Farm, Argyllshire in Scotland. The history is rich with the detail of early settler life from a time when the land was cleared to the establishment of a vibrant community. Duncan Ferguson(the great grandfather) was (55) not a young man when he emigrated from Scotland with his second wife and 10 offspring to face the incredible rigours of frontier life in the New World in 1831. Two letters from Duncan to his brother (in the book) spell out clearly why the Scots were motivated to endure the hardships of re-location and escape "the yoke of the lairds" whereby, in their new lives they were not just enabled to "work for a living" but also (to gain) "a property beside". The authors reflect back in time, as outside observors on North Yarmouth and the history of its' peoples and institutions as both spent one half or more of theIr lives in an urban world both in the United States and in urban Canada. Malcolm was a highly successful biologist and Norman had a career in finance. Their great love and respect for their extended family roots is clear. Malcolm(a retired PhD biologist) was a founder(1972) of the Clan Fergus(s)on Society of North America from his home in Silver Springs, Maryland and Norman(retired to farming in Yarmouth from corporate Finance) also promoted and was actively involved in Clan Fergus(s)on events. Their book complemented this involvement.