Born July 7, 1888, Nashville, Illinois
Died January 19, 1965, Solo, Missouri.
VIEW FAMILY SHEET
From "The Evilsizer Heritage" by Ivan P Evilsizer 1978
Clarence went to school for six years and then got his first job in 1900 when he was twelve years old. His first job was working on a farm and he made $8.00 per month. When he was about thirteen years old he went to work in the coal mines near Nashville, Illinois where he continued to work until after his marriage in 1908. Soon after his marriage to Ora Belle Martin they moved to Pueblo, Colorado where Clarence worked as a fireman on the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. After several years and an extended trip into the Northwest they moved to Muskogee, Oklahoma where Clarence operated a wholesale grocery supply house. His next move was to Franklin County, Missouri where he took up farming and this is where they spent the depression years of the 1930s. In 1937 he and his family moved to Marble Falls,Texas. During World War II, Clarence worked as a carpenter, helping to build Army Bases in several locations in Texas. He and his family then returned to Missouri for about four years at which time they again returned to Texas. Clarence and his wife eventually settled in Arlington, Texas about 1949. Here they spent their remaining years together in a little white house under a large Texas Pecan tree. Clarence's wife, Ora, passed away in 1964 and Clarence went to Florida with his youngest son, Ivan, and spent a month visiting with Ivan and his wife, Helen, in Jacksonville, Florida. At the end of this month, he decided to spend a few days with his second son, Charles, on his farm near Solo, Missouri. After arriving in Solo, Missouri he passed away within two or three days, having attained the age of 77 years.
SEES THE DEVIL
It would be a mistake not to include some of the narratives related by Clarence to his children and grandchildren. When Clarence was five or six years old, he and another small boy from a neighboring farm were digging a hole with spoons when suddenly they both looked at one another, wide eyed and. took off running for home Clarence told the writer that they had seen the devil in the bottom of the hole. He had all of the standard equipment expected of the Devil, a long forked tail, horns and carried a pitchfork The boy who had been playing with Clarence was found dead in his bed the next morning with no apparent reason for his death.
SETS RECORD
During the days that Clarence worked in the coal mines, the coal was loaded into hopper cars with a large scoop shovel. Clarence and his brother, John, set a record for the amount of coal loaded in a seven hour shift - - forty-one tons.
MEETS JOHN L. LEWIS
John L. Lewis, who later became a powerful political figure as the president of the United Mine Workers of America was a minor union official in the early days of the union and was working out of the St. Louis office. During a visit to the mines where Clarence and his brothers were working, Mr. Lewis took it upon himself to criticize some work being performed, at which time. Clarence’s brother, James Walter picked a shovel and hit him over the head with it and knocked him out cold,
COVERED WAGON TRIP
Clarence and his wife, Ora, took a train to Twin Falls, Idaho early in the year of 1914, having been married only a little over five years. In Idaho they purchased a team of horses and a covered wagon and began a journey which finally ended in Green River, Utah three months later. It was during this trip that Clarence and his wife, Ora, were camped in a canyon by a small stream in northern Utah. Sometime after midnight. they were awakened by the sound of several horses and a lot of yelling. Clarence looked out of the back of the wagon and saw a group of 10 or 12 Indians circling their wagon. The Indians kept yelling “Come out, you Irishman”. After several minutes of this yelling and running around, the Indians settled down and came to the wagon to talk. They laughed considerably at the fright shown by Clarence and Ora because of their little joke. It seems they had been into town and gotten some firewater and were on their way home when they had sighted the Evilsizer wagon.
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HOBO
In his younger days, Clarence had to utilize a common means of transportation in those days known as “riding the rails”. During one such occasion in Colorado, Clarence was riding on top of a boxcar situated
only four or five cars back of the engine. Suddenly Clarence noticed a tunnel directly ahead. There was no time to do anything except lie flat on top of the boxcar. As the train passed through the tunnel the hot cinders from the engine came back on top of Clarence and he bore the scars of the burns all of his life.
