Clara Jane (McIntire) McCleery (1855 - 1902)

Born 22 May 1855 in High Prairie, La Salle, IL

Ancestors

Wife of Thomas William McCleery — married 4 Mar 1883 in Baylis, Pike County, Illinois

Descendants

Died 22 Feb 1902 at age 46 in Baylis, Pike County, IL

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Biography

Clara was a teacher in Pike County, Illinois

Clara was a Mother.

Clara (McIntire) McCleery was an Illinoisan.

Clara Jane McIntire was born in Illinois in 1855. Her parents were John D. and Adaline Hutton McIntire. She taught school for several years in Pike Co., Illinois. Clara ended her teaching career when she was 27 and married Thomas McCleery. Together, they had five children, but one died as an infant. Her surviving four children were : Charles Addison "Mac", Pearl, Kyle and Harry.

McCleery Family

The picture of her with her family shows a large home in the background. The family ran from this house on Thanksgiving Day in 1901 due to a fire. This fire caused the loss of all their possessions. Clara had her gold pocket watch pinned to her dress.

An even worse tragedy came. Mid February of 1902 Clara took the horse and buggy to see her brother, who had a child die of some kind of flu type illness, and shortly after she returned home she came down with the same type of illness and died on 22 Feb 1902. She was only 46 at the time, and Mac was 17, Pearl was 15, Kyle was 6 and Harry was only 3. Clara was greatly loved and missed by her husband and children, and her husband never remarried. Her husband and her children moved to Morris, Oklahoma about 1907, but it was her husband’s wish to be buried next to her in Illinois.

The reason that these photos survived the fire was because Clara’s mother and several members of her family gave her things. A cousin even gave her only daughter, Pearl, the family quilt after Clara’s death, and the watch that she was wearing when she escaped the fire was later engraved and given to her daughter.

Headstone for Clara and Thomas McCleery

Sources

• "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6HT-73Y : 11 June 2019), Clara J McIntire in entry for John D McIntire, 1870.

• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MXKW-VDN : 13 August 2016), Clara Mcintire in household of J D Mcintire, New Salem, Pike, Illinois, United States; citing enumeration district ED 192, sheet 582B, NARA mic...

• "Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/QK9L-MCBC : 3 March 2016), Thomas W Mccleary and Clara Mcintire, 04 Mar 1883; citing Pike, Illinois, United States, county offices, Illinois; FHL microfilm 1,315,808.

• "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MSH7-5K4 : accessed 2 September 2019), Clara J Mc Cleery in household of Thomas Mc Cleery, New Salem Township Baylis village & New Salem town, Pike, Illinois, Uni...

• "Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q292-L4J9 : 5 November 2017), C. Mcintire in entry for C.A. McCleery and M.A. St Clair, 25 May 1906; citing Pekin, Illinois, Illinois, United States,...

• Find A Grave: Memorial #54787408 memorial page for Clara Jane McIntire McCleery (22 May 1855–22 Feb 1902), Find a Grave Memorial ID 54787408, citing Baylis Cemetery, Baylis, Pike County, Illinois, USA ; Maintained by Bob & Nancy Cannon (contributor 46739623) .

Footnotes

• Original Marriage certificate

• Newspaper Obituary