Official Obituary of
Betty Jane Dugger-Ferguson
December 1, 1919 ~ September 5, 2019 (age 99) 99 Years Old
Betty Dugger-Ferguson Obituary
Betty Jane Dugger Ferguson, oldest living descendant of “Charity’s Children” has passed away at
age 99
By Sherri Goudy
The Dayton community has lost one of its oldest residents and a champion for children’s education. Betty
Jane Dugger Ferguson passed away last Thursday, September 5th. She was born on December 1, 1919 to
Reverand William P. Dugger and Rosalie Higgins. A Dayton native, she was passionate about poetry and
language from a young age, winning the Lucia May Wiant award in grammar school for a recitation of
Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem “L’il Gal.”
Betty Jane shared her love of literature with the children in the community and she was known in the
Dayton Public Schools as “Mother Goose.” On February 18, 1968 she opened The First American Mother
Goose House for pre-school and kindergarten children to expose them to poetry and literature. Betty Jane
dressed the part as she recited Mother Goose nursery rhymes. To the children in the Dayton Public
Schools, she was Mother Goose.
Betty Jane’s service to children and the community was impacted also by her love for the church. Her
father was a minister in the First Wesleyan Methodist Church. Her family has been active in the church
since its inception. Her Grandmother’s Grandmother, Charity Davis Broady was among its founders in
1841. The church would remain a vital part of their family history and a staple in the community for
generations.
Charity was brought to Dayton as an infant in 1802, the daughter of John Davis, a freed slave from
Kentucky. Her mother was a Cherokee woman who passed away before the trip and whose identity has
yet to be discovered.
Charity married John Broady and together they gave the land for the First Wesleyan Methodist Church to
be built. The Church and their home located next to it, became integral parts of the Underground Railroad
in Dayton. The family recalls that Charity worked with Sojourner Truth. Charity was also present at the
National Woman’s Rights Convention in Akron where Truth gave her famous “Ain’t I a Woman” speech.
Charity’s legacy in the family and the community is something the family takes great pride in. Her
children and descendants became known in the family as Charity’s children.
Betty Jane’s grandmother, Jewelia Higgins continued the tradition of activism that her grandmother had
started. She was a suffragist and worked with the Dayton Woman Suffrage Association (DWSA). In an
interview a few years ago, Betty Jane recalled her mother telling her about going to the “suffrage booth”
on Mondays with Jewelia. She also recalled that “grandmother spoke often of her work with the DWSA.”
Jewelia’s leadership included among other things educational activism and founding the Unique Study
Club, a women’s club formed for cultural and intellectual enlightenment.
Jewelia worked alongside her husband the Reverend Charles D. Higgins, in the community and of course
in the Church. Their daughter, Betty Jane’s Aunt Rita Lee became an Elder in the Church.
In continuing the activism for education, their daughter, Charlest, Betty Jane’s aunt was a poet and
historian. In 1942, she wrote a history of First Wesleyan. Her husband, Ernest E. Johnson was Dayton’s
first Black master plumber. Thanks to his financial success, the family bought “the Old Castle on the
Hill,” which served as their home and a place for family gatherings and cultural activities.
Betty Jane was extremely proud of her heritage. Her contributions to the family history extend far beyond
her work as Mother Goose. She was the family historian for many years, keeping record of the impact her
kin had on the community.
Her funeral will be held at First Wesleyan and as a final gesture, the church bell, which rang for freedom
on Emancipation Day in 1862, will ring for Betty Jane. The bell was first set in First Wesleyan in the
1950s as a result of her Aunt Rita’s efforts.
As the family prepares to say their final goodbyes to her, they are also planning to sort and catalog her
collection of family archives. It will be a time of reflection and celebration of not only her life, but the
generational impact of this family in the Dayton community. And their history continues to be written.
Special acknowledgements for this article to historian and artist Andrea Walker-Cummings for sharing
with me her interview with Betty Jane Dugger Ferguson and research about the family, and to Patricia
Smith Griffin, the family historian who has shared with me her family’s treasured stories and
photographs.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Betty Jane Dugger-Ferguson, please visit our floral store.
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Services
Visitation
TuesdaySeptember 17, 2019
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Wesleyan Methodist Church
401 Gramont Ave.
Dayton, OH 45417
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