Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his primary pen name Mark Twain, is arguably the most famous American author of all time. Samuel L. Clemens was born November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri. He was the sixth of seven children of Jane Lampton Clemens and John Marshall Clemens. When Samuel was four years old, in 1839, he and his family moved 35 miles east to the growing port city of Hannibal, Missouri. Sam's father was a judge who built Hannibal a two-story house in 1844 (Official Mark Twain Biography Site,1). As a boy, Samuel was confined to this house most of the time due to his poor health. Fortunately, though; At nine years old, Sam was free of his illnesses and could attend a private school, swim, fish and play with the other children. The boys often played outside along the Mississippi River where they pretended to be pirates for fun, which is reflected in Clemens' writings (Official Mark Twain Biography Site,1). The Clemens family never had much money and generally struggled financially. When John Clemens, Samuel's father, died of pneumonia in 1847, the family's situation became even worse (University of Missouri, 2). After completing fifth grade, Samuel left school to work as a printer's apprentice for a local newspaper. Sam worked as a composer for his older brother, Orion, who owned a newspaper business in Hannibal (The West, 1). At age 18, Samuel headed east, where he worked at several different newspapers and found some success as a writer. In St. Louis, Clemens found work as an apprentice riverboat pilot. By 1858, Samuel was a licensed riverboat pilot. It was while Sam was working on the river that he came up with his new, more famous name. In the river shipping industry, the term "Mark Twain" means two...... middle of paper...... where he lived until he moved to Redding, Connecticut in 1908. In 1909, Samuel's second daughter was married. Later that year, his youngest daughter died of an epileptic seizure. Four months later, on April 21, 1910, Samuel Langhorne Clemens died at the age of 74. On the night of his death, Samuel fulfilled his prophecy that he would die on a night when Halley's Comet was visible, as it was the night of his birth (The West, 2). Works Cited "A life lived in a world in rapid evolution: Samuel L. Clemens‚ 1835-1910. » Welcome to the Mark Twain House and Museum. May 6, 2014. “Mark Twain Biography Official Website.” » May 5, 2014. Shmoop editorial team. "Mark Twain's Timeline of Important Dates." » May 6, 2014 “The West”. New Perspectives on the West, Samuel Clemens. PBS. May 6, 2014.University of Missouri “Samuel L. Clemens (1835 - 1910). » Samuel Langhorne Clemens (MarkTwain). May 6 2014.