From Richard's memoirs, recovered from his original WordPerfect files
My brother, Arthur William Clarke, was born in Colton on 22 April 1916 and died in Colton on 22 July 1916.
He is buried in the Hermosa Cemetery in Colton. I have the Grant Deed that was granted to Dad that states as follows:
“Deed No. 104, Lot No. 1/2 Lot 64, Block One, as per map of record in the office of the County Recorder of San Bernardino County, State of California, in Book 28 of maps at pages 68, 69, 70, 71 and 72, and known as Tract Number 1980.”
It is signed by Walter A. Pfunder, President of Board of Trustees and Olive Phillips, City Clerk. It was notarized on 10 August 1929 by Marion M. Hook, Notary Public in and for said County and State.
According to my sister, Bette, Arthur died of a bowel obstruction. Dr. Whitmer told Mother he would be okay but he apparently didn't examine him closely. Mother wrote to her sister, Florence, (Auntie Doctor) and told her of his symptoms and Florence diagnosed it as a bowel obstruction. Meanwhile Mother took Arthur to a doctor in Redlands who also diagnosed it the same as Florence and proceeded to operate, but it was too late and Arthur died. Bette says this was the reason Dad had no use for doctors.
Arthur was born about one year and eight months after Bob was born and about one year and two months before I was born. He died, of course before I was born, so we never so much as saw each other. Bob and I were never very close as brothers and I have often wondered what kind of relationship Arthur and I would have had if he had lived. I feel that we would have been quite close as brothers. In any event, I look forward to meeting him in the next life with great anticipation and the expectation of developing a fine relationship.
Mary Manning, an old Nursing companion of Mother's, who we called Aunt Mary, wrote the following to Arthur at the time of his birth:
Kennedy, New York
April 28th 1916“My Dear Master Arthur:-
Allow me to send greetings to welcome you to the land of Sunny California, and also to congratulate you on the choice of a Mother and home. You should have been a girl and your name Mary Ellen, but I'll forgive you until I see you and will tell you what I think about you then.
Lovingly,
Your Aunt MaryP.S.
On receipt of this letter please take enclosed bill directly to bank and deposit to your account.”
NOTE: Mary Manning married Spencer Langdon Blodget. He died 29 December 1934 at Los Angeles, California. Mary died 19 June 1950 at Los Angeles, California. She was cremated and the Urn taken to Bakersfield to be placed in the Blodget family plot.