About Samuel Clemens

Samuel L. Clemens aka Mark Twain Author, Lecturer and Humorist

Samuel was named for his grandfather and the Clemens’ family friend from Virginia, “Langhorne”. Samuel was born in Florida, Misasouri but grew up in Hannibal, Missouri along the Mississippi River. Missouri was a slave state. Samuel was a sickly child for the first 7 years.

John M. Clemens (Samuel's father) died of pneumonia on March 24, 1847, his son Samuel was age 11. John was age 49. His father’s early death may have caused great emotional trauma to the boy.

In 1848, after his father’s sudden death in 1847, the family was somewhat destitute. Samuel became a printer’s apprentice for the Missouri Courier. By 1851, he was a typesetter and started writing articles (including “A Gallant Fireman”) for the “Hannibal Journal” / “Hannibal Western Union". The newspaper was owned by his older brother, Orion Clemens.

Samuel by June 1853, moved to St. Louis, MO living with his sister, Pamela (married to William Moffett) then two months later moved to New York City to work as a typesetter. He also worked later in Philadelphia, PA and Cincinnati, Ohio. He became a self-educated young man, reading material at the public libraries in the large cities. By the spring of 1854, he traveled back to the Mississippi region, he continued reading all types of books.

In 1857 while traveling on a riverboat to New Orleans (and possibly a trip to South America)he talked with its captain. The captain would train Samuel to be a riverboat pilot for the fee of $500. Samuel knew he could make good money as a boat pilot on the Mississippi River. He canceled any plans for a trip to south America and started his lessons.

Samuel traveled the 1,275 miles of the Mississippi, up and down for 18 months, learning the skills to be a pilot. In June 13, 1858, the streamer “Pennsylvania” was destroyed by an explosion and onboard was his brother, Henry, who died of inhaled stream and severe burns a few days later. Samuel had secured the job on the doomed streamer for Henry. This fact highly distressed Samuel.

Samuel earned his license as a pilot by April 1859. It paid well ($250 a month) and he ran boats (including the “City of Memphis” up and down the Mississippi until the Civil War broke out in April 1861. During his time on the river, he did little writing, mostly descriptive letters to his family. For just two weeks Samuel served with a Confederate unit, Marion Rangers before they disbanded.

From July to August of 1861, Samuel went with his older brother, Orion to Carson City, Nevada where Orion would serve as territorial secretary of Nevada. Samuel helped him for a short time as a clerk (paid $8 a day) then decided he would pan for silver. With no wealth located he became a reporter for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise in 1862.

In 1863 he started using the pen name ‘Mark Twain' which meant ‘two fathoms deep’. He wrote humorous articles along with local news items. Some of his stories were reprinted in other newspapers in other states. In Carson City he met his mentor, the popular humorist Artemus Ward, who recognized Clemens' talent and encouraged him to write 'as much as possible.'

Samuel met Olivia Langdon in 1867, introduced by her brother, a friend of Samuel's. The couple's first date was to hear a reading by Charles Dickens in New York City. They married in February 1870.

Olivia contracted typhoid fever around 1872 but recovered. She always had health problems even in her youth. Samuel and Olivia did have four children between 1870 and 1880. Their only son, Langdon died in 1872.

Mark Twain's writings were very popular and he was now making a good deal of money.

His writings over the years reflected his time along the Mississippi: The Gilded Age (1871) Old Times on the Mississippi (1874), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), Life on the Mississippi (1883), Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), Pudd'nhead Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins (1893.

Samuel always gave credit to his mother, Jane: his sense of humor, his prompt, quaintly spoken philosophy, these were distinctly her contribution to his fame.

The Clemens family lived in Europe for 4 years starting in 1891 where Samuel lecturered.

Mark Twain did a European lecture tour from 1895-1896.

In 1903, Olivia’s doctors advised her to take up residence in the warm climate of Italy, prompting the Clemens family to move to a villa outside Florence. She died June 1904.

Twain's secretary, Isabel Lyon, was fired along with her new husband in 1909, claiming they were both guilty of embezzlement. Twain's daughter, Jean, came to assist her father in his home in Conn. She died at his home on Dec. 24, 1909 of a seizure.

When Mark Twain died on April 21, 1910 in Conn., he only had his one daughter, Clara and her husband, remaining of his immedidate family. Clara did have a daughter a few months later, named 'Nina'.

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Samuel L. Clemens Samuel Clemens, Where: [location?], When: 1860, Comments: 0. [details]

Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens) Samuel Clemens, Where: [location?], When: 1871, Comments: 0. [details]

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