Clara M. Waterman, The Beauty of the Family

Clara M. Waterman was my first cousin three times removed. She was the daughter of Jason C. Waterman and Josephine Lovina Waterman. Yes, they both had the same last names. Jason and Josephine were first cousins. Their fathers, David Bassett Waterman and Asher Waterman were brothers. Asher was my third great-grandfather.

Jason and Josephine married on 1 December 1858 in Scioto County, Ohio. Jason divorced Josephine and married his second wife in 1877. There's a whole other story about the divorce and subsequent marriage of Jason to his second wife, and what happened to Josephine. But that will wait until a future post.

Clara was the only child born to Jason and Josephine Waterman. It was said that Clara was "the beauty of the family." ¹

Clara was "raised by L. C. Crary of Middleport, Ohio." ² I assume this was the case because of the circumstances surrounding Jason's divorce and what happened to Josephine. I found Clara living with the Ludowic Crary family in the 1880 census for Middleport, Meigs, Ohio. ³ Lodowic was Clara's first cousin. He was the son of Jason's sister, Eunice Waterman.

Clara M. Waterman was born on 4 September 1862 in Ohio. ⁴  She married Thomas Henry Gates on 7 May 1885 in Meigs County, Ohio. ⁵

Clara and Thomas were the parents of six children:

1. Charles Frank Gates (1887-1956)
2. Mary (Mae) Eunice Gates (1889-1959)
3. Helen Josephine Gates (1891- ?)
4. Edith Margaret Gates (1894 - 1976)
5. Frank Jason Gates (1897 - 1985)
6. Child Gates (? - Before 1900)

Clara's husband, Thomas, was from Pennsylvania. Sometime after their wedding they settled in Pennsylvania. All of their known children were born in Pennsylvania and the 1900-1930 U.S. federal census records show their family living in Bridgewater, Beaver, Pennsylvania. I have yet to identify their sixth child and where he or she was born.

Clara passed away on 16 December 1937 in Bridgewater, Beaver, Pennsylvania. ⁶ She was 75 years of age at the time of her death.

Clara was born during the American Civil War and lived to see many things during her lifetime including inventions such as the automobile, telephone, radio, talking motion pictures, and even Kellogg's Cornflakes. She was 54 years old when America entered WWI and was 56 years of age when the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving women the right to vote.

I wish I could see a photo of Clara. As "the beauty of the family" I wonder what she looked like.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2019 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 Jacobus, Donald Lines, and Edgar Francis Waterman. The Waterman Family. Vol. 2. Page 595. Salem, MA: Higginson Book, 1942.^↩
2 Jacobus, Donald Lines, and Edgar Francis Waterman. The Waterman Family. Vol. 2. Page 595. Salem, MA: Higginson Book, 1942.^↩
3 1880 U.S. census, Meigs, Ohio, population schedule, Middleport, Page 11; Enumeration District: 0116; Page 232C (stamped), FHL microfilm: 1241374; dwelling 100, family 115, Clara Waterman; image, Ancestry.com. (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 March 2019); citing Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. NARA microfilm publication T9, 1454 rolls.^↩
4 Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1944 Clara M. Waterman Gates. File No. 114381; [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Image 1943 of 3780. Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/^↩
5 "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013," Clara M. Waterman and Thomas Henry Gates; database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9392-91NR-J?cc=1614804&wc=Q6SP-WSX%3A121348301%2C121637101 : 15 July 2014), Meigs > Marriage records 1879-1885 vol 7 > image 337 of 349; county courthouses, Ohio. Accessed 8 March 2019.^↩
6 Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1944 Clara M. Waterman Gates. File No. 114381; [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Image 1943 of 3780. Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/^↩