Andrew Fergus was born July 2, 1850 in Moline, Illinois. He was the son of James and Pamelia Fergus. As a young boy, Andrew and his family moved to the Minnesota Territory, first to St. Anthony and then to Little Falls. His father was busy with business or was out in the West looking for business prospects. While his father was away, it was necessary for Andrew to take up additional household responsibilities to help his mother. Although his formal elementary school experience was lacking, his sister Luella tutored him at home. By 1866, the Andrew’s father had enough of prospecting for gold and decided to take up farming and settled his family near Helena, Montana. By 1870, Andrew was 20 years old and relocated with his parents to the Prickly Pear Valley in Central Montana. Although he worked for a short time on the same ranch as his father, by 1870, they operated two ranches totaling 480 acres. In 1880, Andrew Fergus and his parents moved to the Judith Basin to Armells on Box Elder Creek where he would spend the rest of his life raising a family and conducting business. Andrew’s mother, Pamelia Fergus died in 1887, and his father, James Fergus died in 1902.
He married Hazel Akley in 1909 at the age of 60 and had three children: Agnes Abbie Fergus, Pamela June Fergus, and Andrew James Fergus. Andrew became a well known businessman in the community and was an active in local affairs. He continued to live and work on the range and was generous and helpful to those around him including homesteaders that flooded the area in the early part of the twentieth century. He lived to see advancements in technology and farm production. He died in 1928 and is buried in the Lewistown Cemetery.
From the guide to the Andrew Fergus Correspondence, 1860-1918, (University of Montana--Missoula Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library Archives and Special Collections)
