By CINDY LADAGE
Illinois Correspondent

ROCHELLE, Ill. — Portions of the Herbert Ferguson estate were sold on May 14 in Rochelle by Bearrows Real Estate and Auction Co. The highlight of the auction was the sale of Graham Bradley tractors.

“(Ferguson) came to Franklin Grove from a Northern (Chicago) suburb. He made his way as a roofer,” said Roger Schnell of Franklin Grove, Ill.

Schnell and his brother are tractor collectors, who are involved with the Living History Antique Equipment Assoc. He said the assocition once honored Ferguson. “He did work with our antique tractor club before we moved,” Schnell added.

An avid collector, Ferguson designed a building that served as both living space and storage for his tractors and tools. The Schnell brothers helped him when he moved to the area. “He had a love of Graham Bradleys,” Schnell said. “I don’t know why he especially chose them, except maybe because they are rather rare.”

Graham Bradley tractors were sold through the Sears catalog and were built from 1937-39. “Graham Bradley used Continental Motors; they were well sought after,” Schnell added.
Ferguson was a Korean War Veteran. Schnell remembered that Ferguson drove John Eisenhower, President Dwight Eisenhower’s son, as part of his service time.

Besides the Graham Bradley tractors, a Centaur tractor, an array of tools, garden tractors and other related items also hit the auction block. “This is our 31st year,” John Bearrows shared. “I started in 1975.” Besides Bearrows Josh Hickey is a partner in the auction company.

The auction was in a building built specifically for sales northwest of Rochelle. A 10 percent buyer’s premium was used to cover the cost of overhead. Offering indoor auctions during inclement weather is a choice that many customers appreciate.

Bearrows has known he wanted to be in the auction business for many years.
“When I was five years old, my grandpa took me to a benefit auction at church and I thought it was the neatest thing I’d ever seen,” he said.

After high school graduation Bearrows said he went to auction school in Kansas City. “It has been a great life,” he added.

Schnell shared, “Bearrows & Auction Co. is also a realty company, too.”
He pointed out the antique tractor connection Bearrow’s Auction Co. has. “John’s dad, Clyde, had a 65-horsepower Case steam engine,” Schnell explained.

The Ferguson auction officially began at 9 a.m. By 10 a.m., the online auction joined, and the items switched from the tools to the tractors.
“We are selling the tractors as is,” auctioneer John Bearrow’s told the crowd.
The first Graham Bradley, a 1938 model, sold for $3,100. The second Graham Bradley was advertised as a 1938 model, but was actually manufactured in 1939.

“There is a broken chain,” Bearrows shared about this tractor which was sold for $3,250.

An online bidder won the third Graham Bradley, another 1938 model, for $2,800. The last of the complete Graham Bradleys, also a 1938 tractor, and had a hydraulic pump and cylinder. This tractor sold for $3,500.

The Centaur tractor, which the auctioneer believed was rebuilt, sold for $1,300. Two partial Graham Bradley tractors sold for $1,800 and $2,100. There were also two David Bradley tractors - one with a plow and another with a snow blower - sold along with a Titan mower and a Kubota lawn tractor.
For more information about Bearrows Real Estate & Auctions call 815-562-5113 or visit www.bearrows.com