Claytor, Mrs. Malissa

Malissa Myers, born in Caldwell County, Missouri, grew up attending local public schools before marrying Thomas Claytor on December 5, 1879, at the age of eighteen. The couple farmed rented land in Missouri before moving to California in 1883, where Thomas initially spent two years working on the A. A. Webber ranch west of Selma. They eventually purchased their own property, but a devastating fire destroyed their house, household goods, and wheat crop without insurance coverage. Despite this heavy financial loss, Thomas built a beautiful new farmhouse for the family in 1906 located south and east of Selma. Thomas later passed away on July 23, 1915, leaving behind his wife and their surviving children, Ella, Grover, and Thomas.

Following her husband passing, Malissa Claytor demonstrated remarkable resilience by continuing to manage their well-improved forty-acre ranch, which featured extensive plantings of peaches, apricots, Thompson seedless, and muscat grapes. To supplement their income, she successfully operated a millinery shop directly out of her residence on the ranch for fourteen years. Her persistent hard work and membership in the Peach Growers Association positioned her to fully clear the property mortgages with her 1919 crop yield. As a respected member of the community and a Democrat in national politics, her dedication allowed her to secure clear title to a highly valuable estate. Their children also established roots in the area, with Ella marrying J. E. Hedges and Grover operating his own nearby ranch alongside his wife Bessie Todd.