Clarissa Harlowe “Clara” Barton was born in a small North Oxford farmhouse on Christmas day 1821. She was raised in the Universalist tradition and attended the Oxford Universalist Church founded by the Rev. Hosea Ballou. A timid, bashful child, Clara grew into a courageous, compassionate leader known the world over for her work as a Civil War battlefield nurse and founder of the American National Red Cross – yet ironically she did not recognize her own selfless bravery.