Obits+Group+3

Mark Twain Obituary
BY MADDY BODELL

Samuel Langhorne Clemens died on April 21, 1910 at the age of 74 in Redding, Connecticut, of angina pectoris. Most commonly known by the pen name of Mark Twain, Samuel was renowned for his books about boys growing up by the Mississippi River, such as __The Adventures of Tom Sawyer__ and __Adventures of Huckleberry Finn__. Clemens was born in Florida, Missouri to Tennessee country merchant John Marshall Clemens and Jane Lampton Clemens on November 30, 1835. Working as a printer in many states, he published articles and humorous comics. At 22, Clemens became a riverboat pilot down the Mississippi River until the Civil War in 1861. On the Mississippi is where he got his inspiration for his two most well-known books. After deserting the Confederacy, Clemens headed west to Nevada to work with his brother Orion. The two week journey across the Great Plain and the Rocky Mountain gave Clemens some basis for __Roughing__ It and __The Celebrated Jumping Frog Calaveras County.__ After failing working as a miner, Clemens became a journalist and took the pen name Mark Twain. Mark Twain is a call used by river pilots. It means “two fathoms deep”. __The Celebrated Jumping Frog Calaveras County__ was Clemens’ first important work. A small burst of popularity caused Clemens to be commissioned for many other newspapers and other publications. Success came quickly, so in 1870 Clemens married and settled down to become a full-time author. These and many other works of Clemens’ make him a well-known author many years after his death. Many of his works were based on his own experiences, which make each book a piece of our history. As Clemens said, “I came in with Halley’s Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.'” Clemens died a day after the comet came. His legacy will always be remembered.

Emily Thuma 5/10/07 English 4/6

April 21, 1910 – A great American humorist is dead. Mark Twain, one of the major authors of American fiction, has died of heart disease. He left behind numerous unpublished manuscripts, including a large yet incomplete autobiography. Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born on November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri. His family moved to Hannibal, Missouri four years later, in a village on the Mississippi River. Living here had a large impact on his later compositions. After his father died in 1847, Twain then decided to work for a newspaper and printing firm. Like many American authors, Twain had only a small amount of formal education. Instead of attending high school or college, he gained all of his knowledge in print shops and newspaper offices. Mark Twain started publishing under his pen name on February 3, 1863. The name “Mark Twain” actually comes from a riverboat term meaning two fathoms. He wrote many books, which include //The Gilded Age, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, A Tramp Abroad, The Prince and the Pauper, Life on the Mississippi, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,// and //A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.// Twain was wed to Olivia L. Langdon on February 2, 1870. Soon after, the couple moved to Hartford, Connecticut and had a child. This child died as an infant. The couple then conceived three other daughters, Susy, Clara, and Jean. Susy, the oldest daughter, died in 1896 of meningitis. Later, Olivia died of heart conditions, followed by the death of Jean in 1909. Mark Twain continued to write for some time after the tragic deaths. He published //The American Claimant, The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson, Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, Following the Equator,// and //The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg.// Six years after Twain died, //The Mysterious Stranger// was published. Since Twain’s death, people have begun to think of his life as gloomy and even tragic. Twain’s books have recently received more attention than in earlier years.