Clarissa "Clara" J. Shaifer (b. Briscoe) (1825-1895) was born in Claiborne County, Mississippi, and died in Lamont, Mississippi. In 1845 she married Henry F. Shaifer. He was a planter and farmer who later became a real estate and insurance agent. Sometime prior to 1860 they moved across the Mississippi River to St. Joseph, Louisiana. Several years later they moved back to Mississippi and remained there for the rest of their lives. Shaifer read Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures to her son, H. Frazer Shaifer, inspiring him to write to Mary Baker Eddy in May 1886 to inquire about Christian Science treatment. In November 1886 Shaifer herself wrote to Eddy to order several of Eddy's published works that she saw advertised in The Christian Science Journal.

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