Clara Barton

Background

Her father was Stephen Barton, who was a horse breeder and farmer, and her mother, Sarah Barton, managed the household while they both founded the Universalist Church in Oxford. Stephen also served as a captain in the French and Indian War.

Clara, the youngest of five children, got an early start in nursing when she was 11 years old. Her brother, David, fell from a rafter in the barn, and Clara nursed him for 3 years administering all his medicines. This formed her foundational interest in nursing.

As she continued to develop an interest in nursing, Clara may have drawn inspiration from stories of her great-aunt, Martha Ballard, who was a midwife for the town of Hallowell (later Augusta), Maine. She helped deliver nearly one thousand infants between 1777 and 1812, and in many cases administered medical care.

During the American Civil War Clara tended to the wounded, and even lobbied the U.S. Army bureaucracy to bring her own medical supplies when serving soldiers on the battlefield. She even gained permission to travel to the front lines, and in 1864 was appointed by Union General Benjamin Butler as the “lady in charge” of all hospitals at the front of the Army of the James.

In 1865 President Abraham Lincoln placed Clara in charge of the search for missing Union Army men. She became known as “The Angel of the Battlefield”. She was instrumental, along with Sally Louisa Tompkins of Virginia, in developing nursing as a skilled profession during the Civil War.

Origin of the American Red Cross

While delivering lectures around the country about her war experiences, Clara Barton met Susan B. Anthony, and got involved in the suffrage movement. In addition, after meeting Frederick Douglas she became an advocate for civil rights.

While in Geneva, Switzerland in 1869, she was introduced to the Red Cross, and upon returning to the United States, she initiated a movement to establish recognition for the International Committee of the Red Cross in the United States. She succeeded under the administration of President Chester Arthur by emphasizing the need of the new American Red Cross for crises other than war. The American Branch of the Red Cross was founded on May 21, 1881 in Dansville, NY.

Subsequent to this she opened the first American International Red Cross headquarters in Turkey in 1896. She also assisted in providing humanitarian aid to Armenian provinces, and worked in Cuban hospitals in 1898 when she was 77. Clara’s last field operation was in 1900 providing relief to survivors of the Galveston hurricane. She resigned as president in 1904 at age 83. She died on April 12, 1912 at age 90 in Glen Echo, Maryland.

The Barton Center for Diabetes Education, which educates and supports children with diabetes and their families, operates the Clara Barton Birthplace Museum located in North Oxford, Massachusetts. Clara’s home in Glen Echo, Maryland was established as a National Historical Site in 1975. This is one of the first National Historic Sites dedicated to the accomplishments of a woman.

Clara Barton exemplified many of the qualities of a positive role model such as courage, compassion, community service, commitment and willingness to confront all obstacles and challenges. When rearing children, these are vital qualities to instill. There are many parenting resources to utilize, but the most basic is to expose children to individuals who have actually made a difference in the world by their positive presence. And Clara definitely qualifies.

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