Clara's family probably traveled to Utah in 1861 or 1862. The first documentation to place him in Utah is a rebaptism performed for her father, Charles, on 21 September 1862 in the Coalville Ward. Further research is needed to verify the year of travel and identify the name of the company she and her family traveled with.

Different sources give Clara's birth year either 1852 or 1853. 1853 was used due to Coalville Ward records, she was age 7 in 1860 census, and her obituary gives 1853.