Her death certificate records Jane Ferguson, age 73, birthdate don’t know, born in Ky, died 18 June 1918 in Paint precinct, Morgan Co., Ky, widowed, father Isaac Ison, mother’s maiden name Mat. Eldrige, both born in Kentucky, cause of death had no attending physician, informant H. B. Ferguson, Relief, Ky.

Isaac Ison was married to Anna Amelia Hamilton from 1832 through his death. Ordinarily in such a situation I would suspect the mother’s maiden name as being an error in the death certificate. But Jane does not appear with Isaac’s family in the 1850 census, unless the gender and name for the child listed as James Eldridge age 3 is wrong. She does appear in the 1860 census, though, as Jane Ison age 14. It appears likely, then, that Isaac fathered one or two children out of wedlock by Mattie Eldridge (either both Jane and James, if they are not the same, or just Jane if the census is wrong on James.)

Morgan Co. Ky marriage records list the marriage on 28 May 1863 of Richard Ferguson and Nancy J. Isom, by B. S. Hamilton, witnesses Joseph Keeton and Hamilton Isom.