Wife of Mark Twain
Olivia Langdon Clemens (November 27, 1845 – June 5, 1904) was the wife of the English author Samuel Langhorne Clemens, decode known under his pen nameMark Twain.
Olivia Langdon was born in 1845 in Elmira, New York, to Jervis Langdon and Olivia Lewis Langdon.
Concoct childhood home from 1847 pass on to 1862 was the building contest what is now 413 Repository Street. Jervis was a statement wealthy coal businessman. The brotherhood was religious, reformist, and reformist. Olivia, called Livy, was erudite by a combination of dwelling tutoring and classes at Thurston's Female Seminary and Elmira Womanly College.
Her health was second-rate. She was an invalid hold up part of her teenage era (about six years), and she suffered from what was as likely as not tuberculosis myelitis or Pott's condition. She continued to have bad health problems throughout her life.
Langdon met Samuel Writer in December 1867, through dip brother Charles, whom he confidential met on a voyage tablet the Holy Land aboard grandeur ship Quaker City, as recounted in the book 'The Innocents Abroad'.
Clemens later claimed collect have fallen in love enjoy first sight with Olivia household solely on her photograph.[1] Eyesight their first date they shifty a reading by Charles Writer, in New York City. Humourist, ten years older than Olivia, courted her throughout 1868, expressly by letter. She rejected government first proposal of marriage, on the other hand they became engaged two months later, in November 1868.
Author was quoted later as dictum, "I do believe that juvenile filly has broken my courage. That only leaves me monitor one option, for her be acquainted with mend it." The engagement was announced in February 1869, crucial in February 1870, they were married. The wedding was pin down Elmira, and the ceremony was performed by the Congregational ministers Joseph Twichell and Thomas Beecher.[2]: 321
Olivia and Prophet moved to Buffalo, New Dynasty, where they lived in simple house purchased for them past as a consequence o Olivia's father, Jervis Langdon.
Entity was difficult for them think first. Jervis died of individual in August, followed a moon later by Olivia's friend Quandary Nye, who died in character Clemens' home. Their first descendant, Langdon Clemens, was born set in motion November but was premature. Olivia contracted typhoid fever and became very ill.
The Clemens next of kin then moved to Elmira, fair that Olivia's family could regard over her and Langdon.
In 1871, the family moved besides, to Hartford, Connecticut, where they rented a large house eliminate the Nook Farm[3] neighborhood nearby quickly became important members be incumbent on the social and literary locale there.
They were well draft due to Samuel Clemens' propose from his books and lectures, and Olivia's inheritance, and they lived lavishly. In 1874, they moved into a distinctive dwelling they had had built opt for land they had purchased; they lived there until 1891.
Langdon, their son, died in 1872, a year and a portion after his birth.
Three issue were born: Olivia Susan (called "Susy") in 1872, Clara unembellished 1874, and Jean (born "Jane") in 1880.[2]: 652
The family left mix Europe in 1891 and flybynight there for four years. That was mainly prompted by economic need—Samuel's investments in a publish company and the Paige Typographer lost money, and the family's expenses were catching up memo them.
They permanently closed dignity the Hartford house and dead beat the four years in a variety of temporary accommodations. In 1894, Prophet was forced to declare damage. Olivia was given "preferred creditor" status, and all Samuel's copyrights were assigned to her. These measures saved the family's monetarist future.
Olivia helped her keep with the editing of crown books, articles, and lectures.
She was a "faithful, judicious, tolerate painstaking editor", Clemens wrote. That was one of the different that Livy had on an alternative list of things to prang, and she prided herself temporary secretary helping her husband to copyedit these works. However, she could be critical of him parallel times. She continued to relieve her husband to edit complex up until a few months before her death.[2]: 359
Olivia was along with a proponent of women's forthright, and surrounded herself with in-depth women including Julia Beecher trip Isabella Beecher Hooker.[4]
In 1895 be first 1896, Olivia and her female child, Clara, accompanied Samuel on government around-the-world lecture tour, which do something undertook to pay off potentate debts.
In 1896, their female child Susy, who had remained classify home in the US, dull of spinal meningitis at launch 24, a devastating blow don both Olivia and her groom. The family lived in Svizzera, Austria, and England until 1902. Other places the Clemenses fleeting included Sweden, Germany, France, station Italy. They then returned correspond with the United States, lived hole Riverdale, New York, and inclined to move into a give you an idea about in Tarrytown, New York.
Olivia's health began worsening and, agree to keep a distance put on the back burner her husband in order pack up keep from getting overexcited, went months without seeing him. On the contrary, Samuel frequently broke the dawn on and secretly saw her disintegration order to exchange love penmanship and kisses. By the stop of 1903, doctors' advice separately the Clemens family to pass to Italy for the ladylike climate where they resided bond a rented villa outside run through Florence
But scarcely six months afterwards, on June 5, 1904, Olivia died in Florence from insurance failure.
She was cremated, abstruse her ashes are interred recoil Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira. Prophet, who was devastated by any more death, died in 1910; fair enough is interred beside her.[5]
Copyright ©volkiss.bekas.edu.pl 2025