Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, was an American author and humorist. He is best known for his novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), the latter of which has been called "the Great American Novel."
Twain was born in Florida, Missouri, in 1835. He grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, a town on the Mississippi River that served as the inspiration for the setting of his novels. Twain left school at the age of 12 to work as a printer's apprentice. He later worked as a riverboat pilot, a journalist, and a lecturer.
Twain began his writing career in 1852, publishing humorous sketches in newspapers and magazines. He achieved national fame with the publication of The Innocents Abroad (1869), a travelogue of his trip to Europe and the Holy Land.
Twain's most famous works are The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. These novels are considered classics of American literature. They are both coming-of-age stories that explore the themes of childhood, friendship, and adventure.
Twain died in Redding, Connecticut, in 1910.
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Family Overview
Samuel Clemens was born to an influential man in Missouri. His influence no doubt encourages his children.
His death when Samuel was only 11 years of age had a profound impact on him.
Unfortunately, this would not be the only tragedy to befall Mark Twain.
He lost three siblings at young ages and one that he never knew.
After marriage, he would only have one child that would survive him and his wife. The other three passed at young ages.
Family Tree Chart
Parents:
John Marshall Clemens (1798-1847) - He was a lawyer and a judge. He was born in Virginia, and he moved to Missouri with his family when he was a child. He was a stern but loving father, and he taught his children the importance of hard work and self-reliance.
Jane Lampton Clemens (1803-1890) - She was a homemaker and a midwife. She was born in Kentucky, and she moved to Missouri with her family when she was a child. She was a kind and patient mother, and she encouraged her children to be curious and independent.
Spouse:
Olivia Iona Louise Langdon (1845 - 1904) - She met Samuel Clemens in December 1867 through her brother Charles. On their first date, they attended a reading by Charles Dickens in New York City. Clemens, ten years older than Olivia, courted her throughout 1868, mainly by letter. She rejected his first proposal of marriage. They eventually married and had four children. When she died, it devastated Clemens.
Children:
Olivia Susan Clemens (1872 – 1890) - She was the eldest child of Mark Twain and Olivia Langdon. She was a bright and talented child, and she showed promise as a writer. She died of spinal meningitis at the age of 18.
Langdon Clemens (1874 – 1875) - He was the second child of Mark Twain and Olivia Langdon. He died of diphtheria at the age of 8 months.
Clara Langdon Clemens (1877 – 1962) - She was the third child of Mark Twain and Olivia Langdon. She was a talented musician, and she studied music in Europe. She never married and devoted her life to caring for her father after her mother's death. She is the only child who survived him.
Henry "Hank" Langdon Clemens (1880 – 1884) - Also known as Hank, he was the fourth and youngest child of Mark Twain and Olivia Langdon. He died of diphtheria at the age of 3 years and 9 months.
Siblings:
Orion Clemens (1825 - 1897) - He was involved in writing and law for many years. He married and had one child with his wife.
Pamela Ann Clemens (1827 - 1904) - She married and had one child. She lived until the age of 76.
Pleasant Hannibal Clemens (1828 - 1829) - He was the only one of Clemens's brothers and sisters for whom no birth or death dates were entered in the family Bibles. He was born after Pamela and before Margaret Clemens, late in 1828 or early in 1829, and died at three months of age.
Margaret Clemens (1830 - 1839) - She died very young.
Benjamin Clemens (1831 - 1842) - He died at 10 years of age.
Henry Clemens (1838 - 1858) - He died at the age of 20 and was the youngest of Samuel's siblings. Henry was killed in a boiler explosion aboard a steamboat, having been badly scalded in the explosion of the Steamboat Pennsylvania on June 12, 1858. He died of his injuries the next day.