In my last post, Who Is Clara Badger?, I mentioned that Clara Badger, birth mother of my grandfather’s foster sister, Eva Johnson, had married Howard William Day and given birth to four children – one daughter, a son, and twin boys. One of the twins, Earl, died at the end of November 1924, at the age of six months, and Clara died a month later. What happened to the other children – Eva’s half sister and brothers?
Clara and Howard’s oldest child, Clara Marie Badger (not to be confused with Clara Margaret Badger, who is the subject of this series), was born on February 5, 1922 probably in Indianapolis. Her birth came just 24 days after her parents, Clara Margaret Badger and Howard William Day were married in Marion county. Little Clara lost her mother when she was not quite 3 years old. In the 1930 census, she is living in the home of Anne Day in Beech Creek, Greene county, Indiana. (Anne was never a “Day” – she was Howard’s “adoptive” mother and there was no blood relation.) In the same household was Anne’s brother, Henry Chilian, and Clara Marie’s brothers – Harold and Verle. Anne is listed as the children’s grandmother. Their father, Howard Day, is not living in the household. When Clara was just a tad over 16, she married Frederick A. Garringer in Marion county on June 5, 1938. Two years later, the couple is found in the 1940 census living at 2449 Van Buren Street in Chicago. Their residence was one of several in an apartment building. They rented their apartment for $13 a month and was a few blocks from Lake Michigan. She is age 18 and he is listed as age 25. Clara only completed the 8th grade but her husband had finished one year of high school. Both of them worked for a wet wash laundry. He was the night watchman and she was a “shaker.” In 1940, they are also listed in the directory for Indianapolis living at 2828 Clifton, Apt. 7, and listed Fred’s occupation as a laborer. I don’t know if they moved back to Indy from Chicago or vice versa. Clara Marie (or “Marie” as she was frequently called) and Fred had a son and a daughter.
Marie and Fred’s son, Fred Arnon Garringer Jr. was born on November 14, 1940 in Indianapolis and died on August 27, 2014. He and his wife had five children and twelve grandchildren.
Their daughter, Mary Margaret Garringer was born on October 4, 1942. She married John R. Atkins. Mary died on December 3, 1986 in Martinsville, Indiana.
Clara Marie Day Garringer died on January 18, 1997. Her husband, Fred A. Garringer died 16 years earlier on May 13, 1981. They are both buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.
(photo of Clara Marie Day Garringer originally shared on Ancestry.com by Elizabeth Day Martin – no infringement intended or implied)
All My Branches Genealogy 
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Hello! I’m Nancy Garringer Ferguson. Clara and Howard Day were my Great Grandparents. Clara Marie was my Grandmother – Fred is my father, who just recently passed. Such an interesting article. I do know that at some point the family lived in Fortville, IN. My father, Fred, said when they moved back from Gary, IN they lived on a farm in Fortville. My Grandma, Marie, married three times. When she passed, she had reverted back to her second married name – Reynolds. She is buried in Floral Park in Indianapolis. Howard “Day” Daley is buried in Crown Hill with Ella. Ella was Fred’s sister. So she was my Grandmother’s sister-in-law and step-mom. I have tried to find where Clara is buried. Some of the Badger’s are buried in Crown Hill, but I can not locate her place of burial. I found Anna Chilian in Washington Park. Verle moved to Michigan and that is where he is buried. He had children and I do believe they live in that area. I have a photograph of Clara that was my grandmother’s. I can ask my mother where it is if you would like for me to take a picture and post for you. I never remember any talk of Eva – but I’ll ask my mom. Families do love their secrets! I really never have figured out why my G-Gpa changed his last name. However, thanks for the very interesting reading. Also, their is a mystery that one of the Badger men was involved in some sort of murder – maybe Edward – there is a new thread!