-
Samuel L. Clemens was born
On November 30, 1835, Samuel L. Clemens, now recognized worldwide as Mark Twain, was born. Samuel was born in Florida, Missouri but raised in Hannibal, Missouri along with his 6 brothers and sisters. -
Tragic Event at John Clemens' office
One evening in the year of 1844, Samuel went into his father's office and discovered the dead body of a California emigrant. It was determined that he was murdered out of cold blood after getting into an argument and left there. On another occasion, in January of 1845, Samuel had witnessed a man being shot and killed by a store merchant. This would later be his inspiration to Bogg's murder in the book "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". -
Tragic Events that Sparked Inspiration
A few years after Samuel had witnessed the shooting of a man, he saw his close friend die by drowning in the river. Only a few short days later, he noticed a fugitive slave's body in the same river. It turns out that a man named Bence Blankenship had been secretly aiding the fugitive, and was caught. Samuel took this awful situation and used it as an influence to how the character Huck would help a fugitive slave. -
John Clemens dies.
On March 24, 1847, Samuel's father died of pneumonia when he was just 11. John's death had caused a great amount of grief and hardships on the family, considering that he was the primary money maker, working as a judge and lawyer. Without any money to support the family, the Clemen's were placed under severe financial stress and were barely able to keep any food on their table. -
Odd Jobs
After his father's death, Samuel worked many odd jobs to help support himself and his family. In 1848, when he was just 13, he was able to become an apprentice to Joseph P. Ament's Missouri Courrier. He stayed at the Ament's house and was able to work alongside Mr.Ament himself. It was scarce living, but he was able to continue his education and continue to create mischief. -
Samuel Works for Orion
In 1851, Orion, Sam's older brother, bought the Hannibal Journal and employed two of his brothers, Samuel and Henry. Thanks to his apprenticeship with Joseph Ament, he was more than skilled at being a typesetter, he contributed sketches and articles. While his brother was away in 1852, Samuel substituted as the editor. While he was in charge, he frequently signed his sketches using different names. Some examples are Snodgrass or Josh. This eventually led him to choose the name Mark Twain. -
Samuel Clemens Becomes Mark Twain
At the age of 17, Samuel leaves Hannibal and quits working for his brother. For nearly 20 years, he works as many different occupations. At the age of 37, he one day remarks that he discovered that he is a "literary person". Although he wanted to see the world in his own perspective and views, he was unable to pursue his writing career. He worked as a typesetter for a brief period of time before he traveled to New York City to work at a large printing shop. -
Mark Works with Horace Bixby
Twain spent many years traveling. He traveled from New York to Philidelphia, then to Washington D.C. and back to New York. He was very restless and continued to wonder around with no real motives. While in New York, he used his time to take on a new perspective of life. In 1857, Twain booked a steamboat ticket to South America to try to find inspiration. During his time on the boat, he found a more immediate opportunity and convinced the steamboat captain to take him on as an apprentice.
