Asa was born on July 6th, 1890. Asa's father was Alonzo Farnell and his mother was Lena Garth. His paternal grandparents were Edwin Farnell and Harriet Ambler. He had two brothers and two sisters, named Edwin, Everett, Harriet and Marion. He was the second oldest of the five children. He died at the age of 8 in 1898.