Clyta
had a very dark complexion. According to family history, she was adopted
by the Walker family who lived near Ellis, Idaho - in the Pahsimeroi Valley.
Legend has it that her blood family were from a gypsy clan that was living
nearby. Her stepdad and mother, Joseph and Harriet Walker, had a baby that
was stillborn. In order to offer comfort to his grieving wife, Walker
bartered with the gypsy clan and got baby Clyta. She was raised in the
Walker family and became one of their own.
Clyta had a photographic memory. She could recite whole books in the Bible word-for-word and was famous for her ability to recite poetry. She loved Tennyson, Longfellow, and others. She would read over their works one time, put the words to a familiar song in her mind, and memorize the whole piece word-for-word. My grandfather, Harry, tells of his mother reciting poetry for hours on end and instilling the love for literature in him, in spite of their backwoods lifestyle.
The picture above shows Clyta on her wedding day in 1910.