Clara (Miars) Barker - 123rd Birthday - October 12, 1896

My maternal grandfather's oldest sister is celebrating her 123rd birthday today!  Aunt Clara is remembered very fondly in our family for her many visits to her family home when her nieces and nephews were growing up.

Relationship to me: Clara is a brother of my grandfather, Robert T. Miars.

Clara Mable Miars was born on 12 Oct 1896 in Elm Grove Township, Tazewell County, Illinois.  She was the third child and oldest daughter of Frank and Katie (Saltonstall) Miars.  Her home for all of her growing up years was the Miars homestead and farm.  By the time Clara was born her grandparents and great grandparents had lived there for more than 70 years.  There were to be nine total children in her family so no doubt her days were filled with chores in and out of the house.

Miars Sisters about  mid 1920s

When she was about 21 years old, her family moved to Jubilee Township, Peoria County, Illinois.  Clara seems to have made the move also but during the 1920s she was to return to Pekin and Tazewell County to live and work off and on.

On 30 June 1927, in Pekin, Illinois, Clara married Virgil Barker.  They made their married home with her husband's parents at 707 Summer Street in Pekin.  This was to be their home for the rest of their lives.  They had no children.  Virgil worked for the Peoria, Pekin Union Railroad as an engineer.

Virgil and Clara (Miars) Barker  - ca. 1940s

Later on, around the 1940s, she started a catering business with her friend, Mary Lohnes.  This was to be a business partnership for over 20 years.  They catered countless weddings and parties of all kinds.  She also catered some events for Senator Everett Dirksen as well.

Aunt Clara would come to the Brimfield and Elmwood homes of her parents and siblings for visits a few times each year.  My mom recalls that each August at about the time that school was starting a package would arrive from her that contained school supplies for her and her sisters.

She was a tall woman her walked rather stately.  She had very beautiful white hair as I recall.  There was an air of regalness about her too.

She retired from her catering business around 1967 or 1968.  Her health started to give way in the early 1970s and she died on 28 July 1975.

I was 13 years old when she died and went to both the visitation/viewing and also to the funeral.  I remember there was a disagreement between her husband who wanted her to be buried with her wedding rings and her sisters wanted them removed before the burial and given to her nieces.  The rings went with her to the grave.

Happy Birthday, Aunt Clara!

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