Please consider these ten facts to expand your appreciation for this important and influential woman. Clara Barton was a nurse and founder of the American Red Cross. 1839-1850. Nurse to her brother David Barton (1808-1888) while he recovered from a serious fall. Clara donated her time to the Red Cross in Switzerland which gave her the inspiration to form the American Red Cross. In 1869 Clara Barton traveled to Geneva, Switzerland as a member of the International Red Cross. Clara Barton Biography, Life, Interesting Facts. Clara Barton was the youngest of five children in a Massachusetts farming family. Clara Barton started a professional career as an educator and later patent clerk before venturing into nursing during the American Civil War. Born on December 25, 1821, she became the first president of the America Red Cross after founding it on May 21, 1881. Clara Barton (1821-1912) 1821, Dec. 25. On the battlefield she was known as "The Angel of the Battlefield" and a Civil War nurse and on the front lines of the battlefield. Accomplishments; Legacy; Photos; Clara Barton was a daughter, sister, teacher and nurse. Taught in local public schools near Oxford, Mass. As a child, Clara Barton heard stories of wartime from her father, and, for two years, she nursed her brother David through a long illness. She was ten years younger than the next-youngest sibling. Clara Barton summary: Clara Barton is best known as one of the founders of the American Red Cross and as a pioneer in the field of nursing. She began teaching at 17, which led to her opening up a school. After working in the U.S. Patent Office, she volunteered as a nurse in the Civil War. 1851. Born Clarissa Harlowe Barton, Oxford, Mass., youngest child of Stephen Barton (1774-1862) and Sarah Stone Barton (1783-1851) 1833-1835. She was also a supporter of the women’s suffrage movement and dedicated her life to helping people.. Clarissa "Clara" Harlowe Barton was born December 25, 1821, in North Oxford, Massachusetts, to Captain Stephen and Sarah (Stone) Barton. Accomplishments Clara wrote three books including The Red Cross-In Peace and War, Story of The Red Cross-Glimpses of Field Work, and The Story of My Childhood. Accomplishments Contribution to society Blog clara barton. An educator and humanitarian, Clarissa “Clara” Harlowe Barton helped distribute needed supplies to the Union Army during the Civil War and later founded the disaster relief organization, the American Red Cross.. Born on December 25, 1821 in Oxford, Massachusetts, Barton was the youngest of Stephen and Sarah Barton’s five children. Clara Barton was one of the most prominent medical volunteers in the Civil War and helped revolutionize battlefield medicine well after it ended. Fact #1: Barton had little to no practical medical experience before the outbreak of the war. She was also a teacher for twelve years. She served as the organization’s first president until 1904 and continued her tradition of philanthropy as a volunteer in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. In 1880 the American Red Cross was established, the culmination of a decade of work by Barton.