Clara Gear Hobbs was living in Galena, Illinois when she married. She vowed to go with her husband, Dr. J.C. Hobbs, when he enlisted with the 12th Iowa Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. She is believed to be the only woman who enlisted during the Civil War with the knowledge and consent of military authorities. J.C. Hobbs enlisted in September 1861 and was discharged in April, 1862 at St. Louis, Missouri. He also served regiments from Tennessee and Wisconsin. At the conclusion of the war the couple settled in Andrew, Iowa and then Maquoketa, Iowa where J.C. Hobbs continued to practice medicine until deciding to become a Methodist missionary minister in southwest Missouri.
From the description of Autobiography of Clarissa Emily Gear Hobbs, 1912? (State Historical Society of Iowa, Library). WorldCat record id: 276309111
