Mark Twain American Author Samuel Langhorne Clemens Born

Mark Twain: American Author

Samuel Langhorne Clemens • Born in Florida, Missouri, on Nov. 30, 1835. • Sixth child of John and Jane Clemens. • In 1839, the family moved to nearby Hannibal, where Clemens spent his boyhood years.

Clemen’s Childhood • Violence was commonplace, and young Sam watched much death. • At the age of 10 he watched a slave die after a white overseer struck him with a piece of iron. • Many of the Clemen’s stories stem from events in his life.

Death of John Clemens: Changes in Sam’s Life • Father died when Clemens was 11. That ended his formal education. • John Clemens had many jobs. When he died unexpectedly, the family became almost destitute

Life in Hannibal

Life as a Journalist • Newspaper career began in Hannibal. • To help the family, he quit school and began working at a newspaper. He set print type. • In 1848 he was an apprentice for the Missouri Courier.

Life as a Journalist • By age 16, Sam was working for his brother Orion's Hannibal Western Union. • He continued at the Western Union, occasionally taking stints as editor in Orion's absence. In 1852, Sam published several sketches in Philadelphia's Saturday Evening Post.

Dreams of Steamboats Clemens had a strong tie to the Mississippi River, along which his town was located. • Boyhood dream was to become a steamboat pilot. • He worked for various papers until he and his brother, Henry, ran away to become cub pilots on the Mississippi

The River is Calling • 1858 -becomes a cub riverboat pilot. • Clemens brother Henry dies that same year in a riverboat explosion. • 1859 -earns steamboat pilot license. • 1861 -pilot career ends when the Civil War closed the Mississippi River.

“Mark Twain” • Here he thought of the pen name Mark Twain. • Mark twain is a river measurement. • It means two fathoms deep or 12 feet of water.

The Civil War • Sam joined the Confederate Army. • After the war he headed west to look for gold. • He wrote “Jim Smiley and his Jumping Frog. ”

Personal Life • He married Olivia Langdon. • They had 4 children. • Langdon, the only son, died as a toddler. • Susy, Twain’s favorite daughter, died from spinal meningitis at 24. • Jean died at the age of 29. • Olivia died in 1904.

Twain’s Travels

Clemens Later Years • Clemens traveled extensively, at one point spending a couple of years living in Europe. • These travels inspired much of his writing. • In the late 1800 s he began lecturing throughout the United States.

Mark Twain: The Later Years

Twain’s end • Mark Twain died April 21, 1910. • How old was he? • He is best known for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and Life on the Mississippi.