Image by cliff1066™ via Flickr

Rcently i was looking up some articles on Samuel Clemens, known to most as mark twain.  In my  hometown of Hickman KY he is one of the most famous characters to have passed through our small town, and i was looking to see if, in any of the information on him on line, might have mentioned my hometown. (Hickman is mentioned in his book ‘life on the Mississippi” and it is said that he stayed in a hotel in the area at one time). 

i did not find anything on my hometown but i found out some very sad truths about this man of literaturethat i did not know.  Samuel Clemons, who was a man of many trades and many lifestyles, lost a lot of important people in his life before his own death in 1910.  Twain was the sixth child in a family of seven, but sadly only three of his siblings lived past their 20s. 

 Henry, who died in a riverboat explosion died at 20 years old (July 13, 1838 – June 21, 1858); . His sister Margaret (May 31, 1830 – August 17, 1839) died at the age of 9 when Twain was three, and his brother Benjamin (June 8, 1832 – May 12, 1842) died at 10, three years later. Another brother, Pleasant (1828–1829), died at six months, only his brother Orion and his sister Pamela lived longer lives, they died at the age of 72  and the age of 82,respectively. 

Mark Twain’s father,John Marshall Clemens (August 11, 1798 – March 24, 1847),died atthe age of 49.

Sadly this was not the end of Samuel Clemens loss of family.

mark twain married his wife olivia of 34 years , their only son langdon died of diphtheriaat 19 months. Olivia then gave birth to three daughters, Susy who died at the age of 24 (1872-1896) ,jean who died at the age of 29drowned in the bathtub on December 24, 1909 after having an epileptic seizure (1880–1909). Clara (1874–1962),who lived to be 88 years old, was a contralto concert singer.

As  her   father’s only surviving daughter, managed his estate and guarded his legacy after his death.   On August 19, her only child, Nina, was born in Connecticut at Stormfield. Nina, the last known lineal descendant of Mark Twain, died January 19, 1966 in a Los Angeles hotel. She had been a heavy drinker, and bottles of pills and alcohol were found in her room.                               

 . All of the Clemens family are buried in Elmira’s Woodlawn Cemetery.