The youngest of five children in a middle-class family, Clara Barton was born on Christmas Day 1821 in Oxford, Massachusetts. Although she was educated at home, Clara began teaching school herself at the age of fifteen in various elementary schools in Massachusetts and New Jersey between the years 1836 and 1854. Prior to the Civil War, Clara's most noteworthy achievement was the establishment of a free public school in Bordentown, New Jersey. Additionally, her only medical experience prior to the war was when she cared for her invalid brother David for two years.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Clara lived in Washington, D.C., where she worked at the U.S. Patent Office. Following the Baltimore Riots, upon the 6th Massachusetts Regiment arriving in Washington, it was Clara who organized a relief program for the soldiers, starting her lifelong career as a nurse and humanitarian.
She was the organizer and founder of the American Red Cross. A great biography that shows her care and concern for the welfare of others.
https://www.aboutfamouspeople.com/article1044.html
International Level: International Guru / Political Participation: 1089 100%
I work for a law firm in Worcester, Massachusetts, which was founded by Clara Barton's cousin Ira Moore Barton in 1822. We are the oldest law firm in Worcester. My Firm is very proud of it's history and shared the connection to Clara Barton with me my first day at work.
International Level: Diplomat / Political Participation: 320 32%
I have a little book that has 100 people who shaped America in it, and she's one of them. It gives little snippet information. They always give two little odd ball facts at the end of the summary.
President Lincoln put Barton, known as the Angel of the Battlefield, in charge of locating missing men from the Union army- and she found thousands.
She convinced America to sign the Geneva Agreement in 1882, which provides rules for the fair treatment of those wounded or killed during war.
Can you imagine having such a big impact on the world? The president knew her, and she had a hand in so many things in our history. That's so amazing to me. Especially doing all this at a time when women being active outside the home wasn't looked upon with grace.