Clarissa (Clara) Harlowe Barton was born December
25, 1821, in North Oxford, Massachusetts. Her mother and father were very
busy people. Her father, Captain Stephen Barton, was a farmer and horse breeder.
Her mother, Sarah Barton, managed the household and taught Clara good habit.
Clara was the youngest out of 5 children, her 2 brothers and 2 sisters helped
her with her education. Dorothy, her sister, taught her spelling, Stephen
taught her math, Sally taught her geography and David coached her at sports.
When Clara started school at age 4, she was very smart; she could spell 3
syllable words. She thought school was very easy. She studied subjects like
philosophy, chemistry, and Latin. At 17, Clara became a teacher in Massachusetts
then she went and taught at many different schools. At the age of 29 she entered
Liberal Institute in Clinton, New York (an advanced school for female teacher)
Then Clara accepted a teaching job in New Jersey. Later she was fired by the
school board and then hired a man.
Clara moved to Washington dc, where she worked as a clerk in the U.S. Patent
Office. When the Civil War started, Clara signed up to be a volunteer. She
sold supplies like medicine and bandages to wounded soldiers. In 1864 Clara
was given the permission to send letters to search for missing soldiers.
In 1869 Clara had worked herself to a physical breakdown. She took her doctor’s
advice and took a trip to Europe. When she went back to the U.S. she started
the Red Cross. She became the president of the Red Cross. Clara Barton goal
for the Red Cross was to provide relief during peace time. During the time
she was president she provided help with disasters like famines, floods, and
earthquakes.
Clara Barton died on April 12, 1912, from complications of a cold. She was
about 91 years old.
For more information visit the following links:
http://www.americancivilwar.com/women/cb.html
http://www.galegroup.com/free_resources/whm/bio/barton_c.htm
http://www.greatwomen.org/women.php?action=viewone&id=17