Clara Belle Lariz was born on February 23, 1917, in Key West, Florida, to Clara Dena Knowles (1879-1961) and Manuel Andres Lariz (1875-1947).
NOTE: Clara’s middle name is spelled alternately ‘Bell’ and ‘Belle’ on documents.
Her brother Andrew Woodrow (Bubby) was born on July 3, 1919, in Key West, Florida, when Clara Belle was 2 years old.
HALF- SIBLINGS on father’s side
- Bernaldo Domingo b. January 16, 1895, in Key West, Florida (PARENTS: Manuel Andres LARIZ and Leonora Pazos Gonzales)
- Mercedes b. July 7, 1897, in Key West, Florida (PARENTS: Manuel Andres LARIZ and Leonora Pazos Gonzales)
- Leonora “Nora” b. 1904 in Key West, Florida (PARENTS: Manuel Andres LARIZ and Leonora Pazos Gonzales)
HALF- SIBLINGS on mother’s side
- Rosina Violet b. December 27, 1896, in Key West, Florida. (PARENTS: Enrique Manuel RODRIGUEZ and Clara Dena KNOWLES)
- Manuel Canizares Rodriguez b. 1902 (PARENTS: Manuel RODRIGUEZ de CANIZARES and Clara Dena KNOWLES)
- John Andrew Rodriguez b. 1903 (PARENTS: Manuel RODRIGUEZ de CANIZARES and Clara Dena KNOWLES)
- Anna Maria b. 1906 (PARENTS: Manuel RODRIGUEZ de CANIZARES and Clara Dena KNOWLES)
- Clarie b. September 22, 1911, in Florida (PARENTS: Manuel RODRIGUEZ de CANIZARES and Clara Dena KNOWLES)
In 1920, Clara lived with her parents and siblings at 1023 United St in Key West, Florida. Her father worked as a cigarmaker.
In 1930 and 1935, Clara lived with her parents and brother, Andrew (Bubby) at 1120 Margaret St in Key West.
Clara Belle married Jose Evelio Garcia Bello in Monroe, Florida, on November 19, 1936.
They had four daughters:
- Jane Ann was born on April 26, 1938, in Key West, Florida.
- Josephine was born on July 20, 1940, in Key West, Florida.
- Delores Matilda was born on November 28, 1942, in Key West, Florida.
- Rosamaria (Rosemary) ‘Meme’ was born on December 11, 1947, in Key West, Florida.
From the memoirs of Josephine Garcia:
“Mummy always had a smile for everyone, and she loved to sing. She also loved to walk, and we never had any problem talking her into going for a walk. At Christmas time we would pick a different street every night and walk down it to see the Christmas lights. The town always had a contest to see who could put up the best Christmas display. We could never afford a tree and lights so these walks were very special.
I remember a time when my mother stood up for me – she always did that. We used to play baseball with the neighborhood kids, and we would use a bat to determine who got to be captain. One boy pushed me and told me girls couldn’t be captains, so I took my fingernails and scratched him. Well, his mama came charging up to our house and threatened to beat up my mother. My mother stood on the porch and said, “Come on then. Your son started it, my daughter finished it. If you want to start something, I’ll finish it.”
In 1940, Clara and her husband, Evelio lived with her parents and their daughter, Jane, at 1227 Royal St in Key West. Her father and husband worked for the WPA doing general labor.
In 1945, Clara and Evelio (Joseph) lived at 913 Watson St in Key West with Clara’s parents, Manuel and Clara Dena. The couple’s daughters, Jane, Josephine, and Delores also lived there.
In 1950, Clara is listed as a patient at Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee, Florida.
She spent time off and on there from 1948 to 1952, receiving shock treatments and other types of therapy.
Chattahoochee is located on the far northern border of Florida. It touches the Georgia border and is only a few miles from the Alabama border.
Originally called Florida State Hospital for the Insane, the hospital became nationally known when the O’Connor v. Donaldson case in 1975 went to the Supreme Court. Due to this case, mental institutions around the U.S. were forced to revise their practices.
There are several books and even a movie depicting the horrors of medical practices at the hospital. Clara Bell would have been there during the time of the worst of it. I have noted on several death certificates that many elderly people were sent there due to dementia, Alzheimer’s, etc.
Clara Belle and Evelio (Joe) divorced in 1953.
You can read more about this institution and find links to patient records, etc. here Exploring Chattahoochee (Florida State Hospital).
In 1965, Clara was living in Greenville, S.C., near Josephine and Delores, when a cyst was discovered on her pituitary gland. The doctors decided to remove the cyst and scheduled the operation for the next day. Overnight, the cyst burst, and Clara Belle died on November 11, 1965. Josephine recalls, “When Mummy died, we found a handkerchief in her pocket that had my father’s initials on it. She loved him until the day she died.”
Clara Belle was laid to rest at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Greenville, South Carolina, Section H.
SOURCES
1920 United States Federal Census; 1930 United States Federal Census; Florida State Census, 1867-1945 (1935); 1940 United States Federal Census; 1945 United States Federal Census; 1950 United States Federal Census; Florida Marriage Collection, 1822-1875 and 1927-2001; Florida Divorce Index, 1927-2001; South Carolina, U.S., Death Records, 1821-1972; USGENWEB: Report of Inspection & Survey of Florida State Hospital, Chattahoochee, Gadsden Co., FL; USGENWEB: 1961 Report: Findings on Conditions at Florida State Hospital, Chattahoochee, Gadsden Co., FL; USGENWEB: Testimony from Patients, Florida State Hospital, Chattahoochee, Gadsden Co., FL; USGENWEB: Testimony from Attendants, Florida State Hospital, Chattahoochee, Gadsden Co., FL; USGENWEB: Testimony from Physicians, Florida State Hospital, Chattahoochee, Gadsden Co., FL; Personal memoirs of Jane and Josephine Garcia.
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