Johnny Ferguson's birth seems to have been on thr Bonhill-Jamestown border, just, the youngest of ten children. His parents were both Perthshire Highlanders, his father, Donald,  a Labourer, born in Killien, and his mother, Christian, born in Rob Roy's home village of Balquhiddder. The couple were married there too and the first six of their children were Perthshire-born. It suggests the family only arrived in the Vale of Leven, settling in Jamestown between Bonhill and Balloch in about 1840. They were new-comers. 

At twelve the young Johnny was already a tea-boy in the print-fields, in his case calico. A decade later and having lost his father,  he was a Printfield Worker and a decade later still he was an equally humble Yarn Dresser. By then and living in Jamestown he had married, in 1874 to Balloch-girl, Mary McKinnon. They were to have six children, three girls and three boys. And it was during this period that John's footballing career as a flying, goal-scoring winger, left- or right-, blossomed. He played in the Vale team from its onset in 1872/3 until 1880, featuring in all three Scottish Cup Final wins in the period,  then may have taken a break, might have been there in 1884 Final, had it been played, and was back for the replayed but finally lost final of 1885, seemingly at the age of thirty-six. And between 1874 and 1878 he also won six Scottish caps, scoring five times.