Ferguson was suggested as a potential correspondent for Howitt by James Barling, a Gilgandra resident. Ferguson lived at Youlbung station, near Coonabarabran in New South Wales, having resided there since 1840, moving there in his early 20s. He died in 1902, aged 83. Whilst it was suggested Ferguson had always shown an interest in Aboriginal people, his 1901 response to Howitt indicated he had limited interest (or possibly capacity, given his age) in sharing any information about the local Aboriginal people in terms of understanding their culture and language.