Jerry Summers
Was Mark Twain conceived in Tennessee?
Much is known about the life of the famous humorist and author Samuel L. Clemens, aka Mark Twain, but his parents John and Jane Lampton Clemens were the biological parents of five children born in Jamestown, Fentress County, Tennessee.
Their sixth son who is recognized as one of America’s greatest icons whose career included also being a printer and journalist, a steamboat pilot, a gold silver miner, a newspaper editor, author and publisher, was born on November 30, 1935 in Florida, Missouri.
John Marshall Clemens (1798-1847) was a lawyer and he and his bride of one year Jane settled in the town of Jamestown, Tennessee and in 1825 their first son, Orion, was born.
By 1827, in addition to producing more children, John became active in the development of the community and was elected circuit clerk of the court.
Twain’s father had come from a prominent Virginia family that owned both land and slaves in the Commonwealth and subsequently moved to Columbia, Kentucky and at the age of 21 became a licensed attorney.
On May 6, 1823 the family moved to Fentress County and in addition to practicing law and serving as court clerk, John operated a general store and also was a county commissioner and acting attorney general.
From 1832-1835 John was the postmaster in Pall Mall, Tennessee and also was an unsuccessful land spectator. He built the local jail and courthouse.
Sometime in the spring of 1835 the family moved to Florida, Missouri where their famous son would be born on November 30, 1835.
According to some authorities John and Jane Clemens were still residing in Frentess County only five months and twelve days prior to the birth of their sixth child, Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain).
Thus brings up the issue that has divided the American public both prior and subsequent to the United Supreme court decision of Roe v. Wade (1973) dealing with the subject of abortion as to whether a person’s age be determined from the moment of conception.
If you are an anti-abortion advocate then it becomes obvious that Mark Twain’s mortal existence began in Jamestown, Tennessee.
When the family moved to Missouri in the spring of 1835 they took with them Jamie the house girl and slave along with their five children leaving behind 75,000-100,000 acres of land.
In Jamestown there is a Mark Twain American Legion Post 137, A Mark Twain Park, and there is a 10-room boutique hotel owned and operated by Sharon Garrett, the gracious widow of lawyer Skidmore Garrett at 104 S. Main Street at the corner of Highway 127 and Highway 52 on the town square. (931) 879-5475.
John Clemens erroneously believed that with his wealth in property he had secured a rich future for his many children.
However, this assumption proved to be false and in spite of leading a grandiose lifestyle, the anticipated great wealth faded away.
John in the meantime built an elaborate and elegant residence and played the role of an aristocrat wearing expensive clothes in the rural community and his wife dressed in calico dresses while their neighbors wives’ dresses were homespun.
After several unsuccessful ventures and suffering from ill health, John accepted a promising invitation from the husband of his wife’s sister, Patsy, by John A. Quarles, to move to Florida, Missouri.
John Q. offered his in-laws a partnership in his store and encouraged John C. to renew his practice of law which he had previously left in Tennessee. They later moved to Hannibal, Missouri in 1839 but John’s business ventures continued to be unsuccessful.
He was active in civil matters and would become a county judge and steamboat and railroad commissioner.
The Clemens had five sons and two daughters.
John died in March of 1847 from pleurisy and pneumonia.
Hypothetically the following question has to be asked, If the State of Missouri should concede that Mark Twain was born a citizen of Tennessee could his bust or statute be allowed to be placed in the Tennessee Capitol in light of his family and his personal background dealing with slavery and under the present day movement to eradicate history and the memory of anyone who had anything to do with that subject?
Perhaps Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn will be next to be abolished from the literary world?
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Jerry Summers
(If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com)
Mark Twain