The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-01-17
BENNINGTON CO. ANCESTORS
Asa Stratton Who Died at Richand,
Mich, January 4.

Asa Stratton VINO Died at Rlchland,
Mich, January a.
The following from the Kent
(Ohio) Courier Of January will be
of interest to some of the older res
idents of the southern half of Ben
nington county for the reason that
Asa STATIONS ancestors came from
this vicinity:
"A telegram to Postmaster w. w.
Reed, Wednesday, announced the
death that morning of his uncle Asa
Stratton, from Bright's disease, at
his home at Richland, Mich. Mr..
Stratton almost SO years of age spent
nearly all his early life in this town
ship and his recollections Of early
days and affairs in Kent and vicinity
are of great interest to those of the
present age. He leaves a brother,
Samuel, in Denver; three sisters, Mrs
Susan A. Burt of Kent, Mrs. Clara C
Reed of Akron, and Mrs. Melissa
Woodland of Plainwell, Mich. DR. and
Mrs. Reed, Mrs. Burt and Mrs. Reed
went to Richland yesterday to attend
the funeral this morning.
Asa Stratton was born in Perry,
n. Y, February "a, 1928. Eight years
later the family came through the
wilds to Franklin township north of
Franklin Mills, and settled on a farm
of 1870 acres near the Cuyahoga, Here
they contended with the difficulties
of the time. The father, Joseph
Stratton, suffered from rheumatism
and the wife and family worked no
bly, to clear and pay for the farm, in
the end acquiring a handsome prop
erty. Asa secured most OF his educa-
ton In a three months term of select
school He threshed with the fail,
hunted wild pigeons at night with his
fathers perforated tin lantern, lit
with tallow candle, plowed with OK
en- and underwent all the many ex-
.periences that came to boy In the
real pioneer days.
He remembered seeing Black
Hawk on one of his visits to Stand,
ing Stone and he had often run to-
wards Brady leap, he and his play
mates trying to step In the Brady
footprints" cut in the sand rock by
the Indians who saw the leap made
by the flying spirit" as they called
him. He remembered going to the
AXE. standing on the fallen tree from
which Brady leaped and lived by the
use of the historical reed, after being
wounded. Asa and his playmates Of
ten received a choking in trying to
emulate the feat of the famous Indi-
an fighter at the lake, though they
never attempted to leap across the
river.
"Mr StrattOn remembered hearing
his father and John Brown discuss
religious and slavery questions. He
heard the afterwards famous Abolit.
ionist make the prophecy that men
will live to see the day when blood
will flow down these hills as do the
rivulets today and all because of sla-
very" He rode to Kent on one oc.
casion with John Brown and always
suspicioned that slave was hidden
in the canyassed portion in the rear
of the covered wagon.
He also worked for Marvin Kent
and remembered that Mr.. Kent own
err of the famous John Brown ware
house, lost much Of 1t which visitors
carried away as souvenirs after
Brown was hung at Harper's Ferry.
ASA Stratton made the first apple
pairing machine used in this section.
He and his brothers and sisters drove
to parties in their OK cart. At one
time 80 cousins. all Olins, attended
the same school. Once he was invit-
ed on sleigh ride and needed new
trousers. His mother, working most
of the night, woye the cloth, spun the
thread and had the needed apparel
ready for the following day
Asa made his first money working
year for Marvin Kent at SIS a
month, spending but So and saving
$175-a goodly sum in those days. He
made money in the sheep business.
In the early SOS he went to Michi-
gan. From there he went to Chicago
then but a handful OF houses in a
quagmire. He next went to Milwau-
kee and then TO Cheboygan. He was
sick on the boat and passengers,
thinking he had cholera, refused to
let him ride In the coach to Cheboy-
gan Falls. Determining not to be
left, he took Off his shoes, placed
them in his carpet bag and chased
after the coach eight miles to the
Falls where he visited his sister. Not
liking Wisconsin, he returned to Kent
bought farm and on May 4, 1851
married Eliza b. Foster. That fall
they sold ont and went to Michigan,
locating near Richland, where by
hard work and good business sagaclty
he acquired n great deal OF land.
Mrs Stratton died January 10,
1895. She was the mother OF If chill.
dren and was a most excellent woman
Three years later he married Miss
Sara Parmalee, principal of the Rich
land schools. Mr.. Stratton travelled
a great deal and made large sums Of
money in legitimate speculations In
stock grain and land
-Four years ago he lost nearly all
his fortune IN the Rlchland bank fail
uro. In closing his history, publish
ed last spring in the Galesburg
(Mioh) Argus and reproduced In the
Courier at that time. he said
II have come to the conclusion that
the friendship OF friends and the low,
of children Is better than gold