Ferguson & Scouting
- Ferguson
- Apr 13
- 3 min read
The Dutch Clan Ferguson has close ties to the Scouting movement. Why? You can read about it here.
Reverend Cornelis Ferguson was a Dutch minister of the Dutch Reformed Church and chairman of the national CJMV Scouting organization.
Biography
He was born on October 4, 1879, in Curaçao. As a three-year-old toddler, he moved with his parents to what was then the Dutch East Indies. At the age of 11, he lost his father and subsequently went to the Netherlands with his mother. They settled in The Hague, where he attended the gymnasium. He then studied theology in Utrecht. First as a "candidate" in 1906, and subsequently studied Malay and Sangi languages at the Missionary School until 1908. In that same year, he went to the Sangi Islands[1] northeast of Celebes (Sulawesi) and was a theological lecturer at the Kaloewetoe Teacher Training College there. There he met Wilhelmina Therèse Lamberta Jens, and they married on April 6, 1911, in the Dutch East Indies; together they had five children. In 1922, his health compelled him to return to the Netherlands; he was called to Durgerdam and subsequently to The Hague in 1926. On October 3 of that year, he took up his post as minister for young people. He passed away on October 30, 1934, at the age of 55. The grave of Reverend Ferguson is located at Eikenduinen Cemetery in The Hague.
Family, the coat of arms, and the motto
The Ferguson family descends from an old Scottish lineage. In 1792, Willem Ferguson was the first of this line to come to our country. As his father's eldest son, Reverend Ferguson was the progenitor of the Dutch branch. The family's coat of arms consists of an azure shield with a silver buckle in the center, surmounted by a golden boar's head on the left and right, and another golden boar's head in the center below the buckle. Below the shield is a band with the motto Dulcius ex asperis, which roughly translates to: Strengthened by difficulties. Above the shield is the knight's helmet, surmounted by the crest: the thistle with a bee.
Scouting
He had a keen interest in youth and became acquainted with the Scouting movement. Rev. Ferguson became the first chairman of the national association CJMV-Scouting, founded in 1927, and he became Headquarters Commissioner and, thereby, a member of the Association Council at the NPV. He stepped down as Headquarters Commissioner in 1930. In 1935, the CJMV-Scouting was transformed into the Dutch Christian Association of Scouts, the N.C.V.P. Very courageous for that time; he was the first minister to ascend the pulpit in a Scout uniform (with shorts!).
In 1935, Group 35 was founded in The Hague and was named after the late Reverend Ferguson. This group existed until 1938 and was then disbanded.
In 1938, Group 10 was subsequently named after the late Reverend Ferguson, and the NCVP white neckerchief was replaced by the tartan of the Ferguson clan. Ultimately, the official date of the name change is November 1, 1938. On that date, Mrs. Ferguson-Jens granted Group 10 the right to bear the name of the late Reverend Ferguson. She wanted the name Ferguson to remain known within the Scouting movement and granted this right to only one group. By accepting the name, Mrs. Ferguson-Jens also granted the group permission to display the family crest, the clan colors (tartan), and everything associated with them.
Decorations and honorary titles
Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau (Kingdom of the Netherlands, 1933)
Place of birth
City Curaçao Netherlands Antilles
Date of birth
October 4, 1879
Place of death
The Hague South Holland Netherlands
Date of death
October 30, 1934
Sources and references
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