Who is Clara Loomis in the book, Wayward: A Novel?

Clara Loomis is based on the real-life historical figure of Matilda Joslyn Gage. She also bears some similarities to other historical figures, such as Margaret Sanger and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Clara Loomis originally arrived in Syracuse in the 1800s, in order to be part of a planned utopian community called the Oneida Community. She eventually left the community in order to pioneer ideas of female sexual freedom and female reproductive autonomy. However, she also harbored problematic ideas similar to later harmful movements such as eugenics. Sam works as a guide/curator in a historical house in Syracuse where Clara Loomis lived for much of her life.