Barton Family Papers

Asa Barton (1799-1871) was born in Vermont. He was a Justice of the Peace for Ludlow for many years and served in the Vermont Legislature (1853-1854). His obituary mentions surveying and architecture work while census records list his occupation as farmer. He also worked as the associate editor of the local Ludlow paper The Genius of Liberty as well as being a writer. He was an abolitionist. He was married twice, to Lyndia Lawrence (1801-1844) in 1827 and Olive Francis Hale (1812-1872) in 1845. Asa and Lyndia had five children:

Horace (1825-1902) worked as a farm laborer in Vermont. He married Emelie Heald (1835-1914) in 1857. They had six children.

Wesley Barton (1827-1906) worked as a blacksmith in 1850 before traveling to California with his brother Ralph in 1852. He married Maria Briggs (1836-1862) in 1860 and Marcia R. Briggs (1840-1918) in 1863. Maria and Marcia were the daughters of Noah Briggs (1803-1884) and Emily Hale (1806-1874). Wesley had seven children.

Ralph A. S. Barton (1829-1858) worked as a farm laborer in Vermont before traveling west to California with Wesley in 1852. He married Emily Sears (later Fuller) (1833-1909) in 1857.

Lucia E. Barton or Lucie (1835-1878) attended the Black River Academy in Ludlow, Vermont. She traveled to Michigan in 1853 and worked as a teacher there for a short time before returning to Vermont. In 1860, she married Isaiah Parker (about 1833-1864). By 1866, she had a shop in the Newport, New Hampshire area. By 1871, she was remarried and living in St. Louis, Missouri. She had three sons.

Richard L. Barton (1841-1886) worked as a farm laborer in Vermont.

Their cousin, Abby Maria Hemenway (1828-1890) is also represented in the collection. She was the daughter of Asa's sister, Abigail Dana Barton (1798-1866) and husband Daniel Sheffield Hemenway (1795-1870). Abby Maria attended Black River Academy and became a teacher, including a short time in Michigan with her cousin Lucia. Abby Maria was an author, poet, and early female publisher. Her uncle Asa and cousin Lucia appear in her first work, Poets and Poetry of Vermont. She is best known for creating the Vermont Historical Gazetteer, a five volume set of local Vermont history published between 1867 and 1891. Her uncle Asa Barton wrote the entry for Ludlow.