Grover Ferguson

Grover Fergusoon - Born Nov. 24, 1884, on his father's farm near Westhope, the son of Francis and Louisa Jane Babcock Ferguson. He was named for Grover Cleveland who was elected President in Nov. 1884, a Democrat and the farmers' choice. In 1888, with horse and wagon, his father moved his family to a farm nearer to Westhope. Their new house was a large log cabin with a big lean-to kitchen and close to the Sloan Country School where Grover began his education. Grover later finished to the 8th grade at the Roberts School down the road. The Frazier children, neighbors to the Fergusons, also attended schoolhere. (In 1937 Ina Frazier Rausch's son Russell was married to Grover's daughter, Dorothy.) Grover loved to fish with his father and they would drive the horse and wagon 7 miles to Maumee and mouth of Turkeyfoot Creek before daylight, fish for all the family could eat and be home in time to do the morning chores. In 1909 he went to Coloma, Michigan, to work for his Uncle at his feed mill returning home in 1911 to help on his father's farm. Again in 1912 he went to Canada to work. While in Canada he corresponded with Lena Hoffman and courted her for 2 years. He returned home and they were married on Oct. 15, 1914. He and his bride started housekeeping in Toledo, Ohio, where he had a job working in a greenhouse. Grover and Lena spent all their married life in Toledo. At one time he ran his own business, a service station and car repair shop. He worked at the Auto Lite at the time of his death. Grover and Lena were the parents of 3 children: Dorothy Ferguson Rausch, Kathryn Ferguson Fahringer, and Kenneth Ferguson. He loved to attend Henry Co. Fair and spent his last days there, returning home he had a heart attack Sept. 14, and died Sept. 20, 1953. He is buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Napoleon, Ohio.

MAGDALENA HOFFMAN - Wife of Grover Ferguson was born Aug. 30, 1890, in Napoleon, Ohio, to William and Eva Catherine Wahl Hoffman. She married Grover Ferguson on Oct. 15, 1914. She died Feb. 3, 1968, and is buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in Napoleon, Ohio.