STRATTON, James
James STRATTON, deceased, was for many
years one of the leading agriculturists and respected citizens
of Marshall county. He came
from over the sea, his birth occurring May 29, 1820, at Ramsay,
new Fenn, Huntingtonshire, England, and was the fifth in the
family of ten children born to John and Sarah (WOOLEY) STRATTON.
When thirteen years of age he accompanied them on their
emigration to America, coming in a colony who had
clubbed together to make the trip. In Vanderburg county,
Indiana, near Evansville, the father purchased land on the old
state road, and there spent his remaining days, dying in August,
1845. He brought enough gold with him from
England,
which, if judiciously invested, would have made him a rich man,
but he settled in a thicket upon a tract of land which would
take a lifetime to clear and develop.
Amid pioneer scenes James STRATTON grew to
manhood, with no school advantages, all the education that he
received being obtained in the schools of his native land before
coming to the United States. The children were all kept busy by
aiding in the development and improvement of the farm, where
James remained until nineteen years of age, when he obtained
work in a brickyard in
Evansville. On the death of his father he
came into possession of eighty acres of land, but, owing to its
being heavily mortgaged, derived but little benefit therefrom.
In 1846 Mr. STRATTON became acquainted with
Miss Marcia CHALCRAFT, of Posey county, Indiana, who was on a
visit to a sister in
Evansville, and on the 24th of December
of that year they were joined in marriage. She was born in
Tillford, near Fanham, Surrey, England, November 13, 1826, and
was nearly twelve years of age when she came with her parents,
James and Mary (EAD) CHALCRAFT, to the new world. They located
in Posey county, where the father had come two years previously
and rented land, but in 1844 he removed to Edwards county,
Illinois, where he spent his remaining
days. Mrs. STRATTON obtained a good education for those early
days, which she has greatly supplemented by an extensive course
of reading in later life, and would often read aloud to her
family on the current issues and events.
In 1853 Mr. STRATTON, with his wife, two
children and mother, came to Marshall
county by way of the Ohio,
Mississippi
and Illinois
rivers to Lacon, where they landed on the 19th of March. By team
they proceeded to
Bennington
township, where he located a land warrant, and also purchased
government land at two dollars and a half per acre, in all a
tract of one hundred and twenty acres, to which he later added
eighty. He was an energetic, enterprising man, but never enjoyed
robust health.
Ten children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
STRATTON, of whom nine are still living: Ruth Ann, widow of
William BALL, by whom she had four children: James Henry, who
died at the age of eight years; William R., whose sketch appears
elsewhere in this volume; David M., of Memphis, Missouri, who is
married and has four children; Mary E., wife of Marion J.
FRENCH, who lives near Wenona, Marshall county, and by whom she
has three children; Sarah E., wife of John LITCHFIELD, of
Toluca, by whom she has two children; Louise Marcia, wife of
Frank CARITHERS, of Bennington township, by whom she has three
children; Ada Naomi, wife of Robert LITCHFIELD, by whom she has
four children; and James Lemuel and Emma M., both at home.
Politically, Mr. STRATTON was originally a
whig, and later supported the republican party. He passed away
October 2, 1892, and was laid to rest in the
cemetery
of Rutland, Illinois. It is but just and merited praise
to say that, as a citizen, he was honorable, prompt and true to
every engagement, as a man he held the honor and esteem of all
classes of citizens, and as a husband and father he was worthy
of all imitation. He was a man of the time, broad-minded,
public-spirited and progressive, and in his daily life and
action was ever genial and affable. Mrs. STRATTON was always his
close companion, aiding and cheering him in his work, and was
truly a model helpmeet. Like her husband, she is surrounded by
many warm friends and has the respect of all who know her.
Extracted May 2011 by Norma Hass from
The Biographical Record of Bureau, Marshall and Putnam Counties, Illinois, 1896.
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