1958 Ford 861 Tractor

How close are you to a Tractor Supply Co., or Ford Tractor dealer? You need to get your hands on a shop manual. These are good:
Amazon.com: I and t Shop Service: Ford (Fo-20) (9780872880924): Intertec: Books

With a positive ground you will hook positive to ground and negative to wherever it is supposed to hook up. My advise is to get the manual and go through the wiring diagrams and be sure that you have it all hooked up correctly. The good thing here is that there is very little electrical system to go over...

Now, will the engine turn over? Just no spark?
C

The engine will turn over but there is no spark at the points.