Clara Barton was born on December 25, 1821, in North Oxford, Massachusetts. Clara's parents were Sarah and Captain Stephen Barton. His father was a member of the local militia and an elected official. She was the youngest of six children. As a young girl, Clara was very shy and did not have many friends aside from her siblings. She was only ten years old when her brother was seriously injured falling from a rafter in their unfinished barn. Clara then decided to treat her brother. It took his brother three years to regain his health. This experience helped her overcome her shyness and was the first step in her medical career. Clara began teaching in schools at the age of 18. She then opened a free school in Bordentown, New Jersey. She soon learned that she could not be principal of the school she founded because the position went to a man. Devastated, Clara decided she needed a serious change and moved to Washington DC. Clara moved to Washington, D.C. in 1855 and began working in the United States Patent Office as a clerk. She was the first woman to work in a...