Ferguson, A. P.
Ferguson Papers,
1861-1919.
Manuscript Collection: MS 0687
1
box
Agency History/Biographical note:
Abbie Park Ferguson was born in Providence RI in 1837. She attended
public schools in Whately, Masschusetts and learned from her father,
Rev. John Ferguson, who was a congreational minister. Ferguson
graduated from Mount Holyoke Seminary in 1856. After teaching public
school in Connecticut, in 1869 she went to Paris to teach and travel
with two American girls. She and the girls were caught between the
French and German armies in Geneva during the Franco-Prussian War and
were forced to stay in Switzerland for a few months. In 1871,
Ferguson returned to Connecticut and worked in city missions. At the
invitation of Rev. Andrew Murray, she and Anna Bliss, class of 1862,
sailed to Cape Town, South Africa in the fall of 1873, and in 1874,
they founded the Huguenot Seminary in Wellington, Cape Colony, South
Africa. Huguenot Seminary was the first institution of higher
learning for women in the country, and it was modeled after Mount
Holyoke Seminary in many ways; it was "a first class Ladies' Training
College" that offered education at a moderate price. Ferguson's
brother, Rev. George Ferguson lived with her in Wellington from 1877
to 1896. When not teaching, Ferguson traveled a great deal, visiting
Scotland, England, Switzerland, Holland, Egypt, Palestine, the United
States and the East coast of Africa. With Freguson as president,
Huguenot Seminary became a college in 1898, and it began awarding
bachelor of arts degrees to students. Ferguson received an honorary
M.A. and Litt. D. from Mount Holyoke College. After retiring in
1910, she worked with alumnae and formed a Women's
Interdenominational Missionary Committee for South African churches.
Ferguson died at Heguenot in 1919.
Scope and Content:
The Abbie Park Ferguson Papers consist of correspondence, a
devotional book, newsletters, transcripts of letters, biographical
information, and a photgraph all with particular emphasis on the
early history of Huguenot College in Wellington, Cape Colony, South
Africa. The papers include information on Huguenot College from its
founding until 1918. Of particular interest is Ferguson's
correspondence which discusses the growth of Mount Holyoke College in
the early thentieth century. A small devotional book written by
Ferguson gives her comments on Ephesians. Two newsletters contain
articles by Ferguson and also include letters from other missionaries
around the world, describing their interactions with and attitudes
toward the native peoples. A newsletter clipping contains a
photograph of "Founders' Day" at Huguenot College. Transcripts of
letters written by and about Ferguson and biological information by
Anna Edwards constitute a large part of this collection. A
resolution in honor of Ferguson, issued by Huguenot College; a
photograph of her father; and a copy of the entry about Ferguson from
"Notable American Women" are also included. The papers also contain
correspondence by Anna Bliss '62.
Cite as: A. P. Ferguson Papers, Mount Holyoke College,
Archives and Special Collections, South Hadley,
MA.
Access Restrictions: Unrestricted.
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