Clarissa Barton, 99, of Oxford, Massachusetts, passed Tuesday, April 12, 1921. Clarissa was born to Stephen Barton, and Sarah Barton, December 25, 1821, in Oxford, Massachusetts.

Clarissa received a degree from The Clinton Liberal Institute in 1851. Clarissa was a hospital nurse in the American Civil War, a teacher, and patent clerk until she retired in 1904. Nursing education was not very formalized at that time and she did not attend nursing school, so she provided self-taught nursing care.  She didn't have any children but she loved her nieces and nephews as if they were her own.

Clarissa(Clara) Had two sisters (Sarah Barton Vassal and Dorothea Barton) and two brothers (David Barton and Stephen Barton).  She would want to be remembered for her time founding the American Red Cross.

Clara loved the color red. David Barton taught his youngest sister to ride a horse, a skill she loved and enjoyed throughout her long life. She also loved pets. She named her first dog Button. In her later years, she developed a special fondness for felines. A painting of her cat Tommy hangs in the dining room of her home at Glen Echo, Maryland, now the Clara Barton National Historic Site.