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John F. Stratton

John F. Stratton (1832-1912) was one of the best-known names in the manufacture of brass instruments in the latter half of 19^th century America.  He was born on 14 September 1832 in West Swanzey, NH, and trained as a musician during his childhood.  At the age of 14, he was apprenticed to a machinist in North Chelmsford, CT., but left after a few years for Hartford, CT, where he made a living and opened a small music store on Asylum St. and as conductor and leader of the Hartford Cornet Band.  He closed his business in 1857 as a result of the panic of 1857 and moved to NYC.

 Stratton moved to NYC in 1857, and initially worked as a musician and conductor of Stratton’s Palace Garden Orchestra.  In early 1859, Stratton combined his knowledge of music and machining to establish a brass-instrument factory, which proved an immediate success.  During the Civil War, his company received many contracts from the federal and state governments to outfit Union Army regimental and brigade bands as well as sale orders to supply instruments to other dealers for resale in their stores.  For a short time in late 1865 into 1866, Stratton was in partnership with John Howard Foot, who had bought out the interests of Rohe and Leavette, his former employers in 1863.

 In 1866, Stratton reversed immigration patterns and established a brass-instrument factory at Markneukirchen, Saxony (Germany).  It is likely that all his brass instrument manufacturing after 1866 was done in Germany.  In 1883, Stratton sold his German shops.  He died in Brooklyn, NY in 1912.  His firm continued in business under his son until 1914.

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