California Genealogy and History Archives
Biographies
of
Sacramento County
|
DR.
MARION F. AND MRS. SARAH E. CLAYTON The
city of Sacramento and indeed the entire surrounding country owes so
much to the ability and influence of Dr. Marion F. Clayton and his
estimable wife, Mrs. Sarah E., that it would be difficult to enumerate
their wonderful accomplishments here for the benefit of the residents
and especially the children of this part of the country. Their
benevolence, their charitable, unselfish labors to secure better
conditions in the homes and hospitals, their untiring effort toward
furthering the interests of all hygienic movements, were the means of
bringing about a wonderful improvement, and their memories shall be ever
held in high regard by all who were recipients of these benefactions. A
suitable monument has been erected by their loving children to their
memory, but it was not necessary that this material thing should be done
to hold them dearly, for their work and its excellent results is one of
the most fitting monuments they could have. The
life of Dr. Clayton is filled with interesting events, for his
experiences were many, and his coming to a new country opened up a newer
and larger field of work than one of his profession is accustomed to
handle. Born in Knox county, Ohio, in 1826, he spent his early days in
Crawford county, that state, receiving his elementary education there.
He matriculated at the Eclectic Medical College, in Cincinnati, Ohio,
from which he graduated in 1855, and began active practice in
northeastern Indiana, where he remained for about four years. Reports
were constantly being brought from the west, and eager to see a new
country, equipped with his professional knowledge to aid him in securing
a position in the working world there, he came overland with ox and
horse teams in 1859. It was a hard, long trip, and during his travels he
had many opportunities to practice his profession, as there was much
sickness and necessity for his services. He suffered many trials, not
the least of which was the death of his horse when he was two hundred
miles from human habitation, thus being forced to tramp the remainder of
the journey, and on September 15, 1859, he arrived at Placerville,
barefoot, almost naked and nearly starved. Dr.
Clayton immediately found a great deal of work to do. His first patient
was a man suffering from a gunshot wound, whom he found in a very
precarious condition, but through his skill as a surgeon he saved his
life, and this was the foundation of his wide and most successful career
in this section of the country. After eight laborious years at
Placerville, Dr. Clayton removed to Sacramento and opened an office on J
street between Fifth and Sixth streets, which place he occupied for two
years, rendering valuable service to the citizens there. In January,
1870, Mrs. Clayton and their four children came from the east, and the
doctor about this time purchased the Pacific Water Cure and Health
Institute, which was situated at the corner of Seventh and L streets and
was at that time a beautiful home, surrounded by shade trees, and fitted
in every way for the care of the sick. This establishment was most
excellently equipped with every modern appliance for the purpose, being
arranged for the giving of Turkish, Russian, electric and medicated
water and vapor baths. This institute the doctor operated for many
years, until his death, and he met with gratifying success, as he had
the benefit of his many years' professional experience, and the
exceptional natural power to administer to the sick. When
the State Eclectic Medical Society was organized Dr. Clay- ton was one
of the promoters, and served as its president and vice-president several
terms. For three years he was a member of the State Eclectic Board of
Medical Examiners, being its chairman for two years. He was a strong
prohibitionist, and during the campaign of 1888 was a member of the
state executive committee of the Prohibition party. He owned
considerable land in Eldorado county, which proved a good investment. Mrs.
Sarah E. Clayton, wife of Dr. M. F., was a most suitable wife and
helpmeet for such a worthy man. Her career has been quite as full of
experiences which tended toward the welfare of the sick and unfortunate
as was his, and there are many of her achievements which are today the
material evidences of her unfailing effort to give of the best that was
in her, and her unselfishness and thoughtfulness will never be forgotten
by many who received from her generous heart and hand. Born December 7,
1826, in Delaware, she was of Welsh and English extraction, her parents
being Rev. John T. and Harriette Davis. Rev. John T. Davis was born in
Wales, and was a Methodist minister in Ohio, his service in the ministry
covering a period of fifty years. Mrs. Clayton's family removed from
Delaware to Ohio in 1830, finally settling in Bucyrus, Crawford county.
From 1846 to 1851 she taught school, at which time she was married to
Dr. Marion F. Clayton, and they were the parents of four children:
Hattie C, wife of A. J. Gardiner, of Sacramento; Mrs. Clara M. Crawford;
Frank W., of Seattle; and Willis M., deceased. The last named, Willis
M., was accidentally killed while in London, England, in 1881. During
the Civil war Dr. W. H. Davis, brother of Mrs. Clayton, went to the
front as surgeon in an Iowa regiment, and his death occurred at
Pittsburgh Landing in 1862. Mrs. Clayton was the secretary of the
Sanitary Commission at Fostoria, Ohio, for five years, and she considers
that period the most important and possibly the most useful of her life,
as the duty then of a sanitary commissioner was as constant and as
arduous as that of the soldier on the battlefield. Soon after her
arrival in Sacramento, in 1870, she found the old county hospital at the
corner of Tenth and L streets to be a very unsanitary place, poorly
supplied with conveniences of any sort for the inmates, and badly in
need of attention in many ways. She persuaded the supervisors with the
influence of the press to build a new hospital three miles east of the
city, and upon its completion Dr. G. A. White was made its
superintendent. She then appealed to the citizens of the city for
reading matter, and so generous was the response that in a short time
the institution had a large and valuable library for their new hospital.
Among the books donated was a Greek Bible two centuries old, and this
rare volume was probably the most valuable book given. It is a most
unfortunate fact to relate that the new building was burned soon after
completion, and the entire contents destroyed. This
was, however, only one of the many invaluable accomplishments of Mrs.
Clayton. As one of the managers of the Protestant Orphan Asylum of
Sacramento, in 1873, it was her duty to look after the children who had
been taken out of the home on trial, pending- adoption. She served as
director of the board of this asylum for fifteen years, and in her
capacity as manager had many difficulties to encounter, but she was
thoroughly capable of handling the matter at hand, and going before the
legislature, procured several laws governing this work. By her earnest
endeavor she soon had an almost perfect system established, by which the
homeless wards were found comfortable and permanent homes with worthy
people, and the law of the land assisted in the work. With others she
after- ward founded the Sacramento Foundlings Home, now the Sacramento
Children's Home, of which she was a director at the time of her death,
on October 28, 1911. Too much cannot be said in praise of such a woman
whose entire life had been given to help others, and whose every thought
had been to comfort the sick and help the needy. No problem too hard for
her to solve, no task too hard to undertake, if it was to benefit
deserving ones she was ready to make the attempt. It may well be said of
her: Well done, thou faithful servant ! Mrs. Clayton was an ardent worker in the First M. E. Church, on Sixth street, and it was from this religious home that she was conveyed to her last resting place. Her husband had preceded her to the grave, having passed away April 28, 1892, mourned by many friends. In 1910 their daughter, Mrs. Hattie C. Gardiner and her husband, A. J. Gardiner, erected in Sacramento on the site of their old home, the Hotel Clayton, in honor of her father and mother. It is a five-story reinforced concrete and brick structure, with steel frame, and built on concrete pile foundation, and is elaborately finished in every detail. It is considered by builders the best building in the citv and one of the most artistically constructed. |
|
Source: Transcribed by Peggy Hooper 2011 |