In which I claim affinity with a historically famous person or two...

As you, dear readers, know, I am sort of obsessed with my name.  My favorite part about my name: I'm pretty sure it peeked in popularity in the 18th century.  My last semester was focused mostly on the 17th and 18th centuries.  I read my name a lot.  I circled it every time.  :)  I brought it up in class.  I was that obnoxious. 
One famous example that uses my name is the 1748 novel Clarissa by Samuel Richardson.  The story is super-trashy and generally a cautionary tale for not hanging out with smooth talking scoundrels.  I have never read it. I plan to at some point--hopefully this summer. 
The most famous American example of my name belonging to an "important" historical character is Clara Barton.  Yeah, that's right.  Her first name was Clarissa.  I read that in some silly historical kids book as a second-grader.  Obviously, I have not forgotten this tidbit.  I think it made such an impression on me because that's the first time I'd even heard of someone else with my name.  Suddenly, I was not alone.
Currently I am doing research on a cool lady named Martha Ballard. She was a midwife in Maine in the late 1700s.  She was Clara Barton's aunt.  I get to read her name over and over and over in Martha's diary.  I feel very close to my childhood right now.