Related to mark twain??

Question

i was just on the phone with my sister when she told me that my grandmother told her that my mothers great great uncle was mark twain!

how do i find out if this is possibly true?

my grandmother and grandfather aren't around anymore,

and i have little family.

thank you for all answers!:)

Answer 1

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910),[1] better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American humorist, satirist, lecturer and writer. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which has since been called the Great American Novel,[2] and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He is also known for his quotations.[3][4] During his lifetime, Twain became a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists and European royalty.

In 1871,[20] Twain moved his family to Hartford, Connecticut, where starting in 1873 he arranged the building of a dramatic house for them, which local admirers saved from demolition in 1927 and eventually turned into a museum focused on him. There Olivia gave birth to three daughters: Susy (1872-1896), Clara (1874-1962)[21] and Jean (1880-1909). The couple's marriage lasted 34 years, until Olivia's death in 1904.

During his years in Hartford, Twain became friends with fellow author William Dean Howells.

Answer 2

If you had used his actual name instead of his pen name, there might have been a chance.

Answer 3

You might get lucky. Go to

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/...

Enter

Surname = Clemens

Given name = John

Birth year = 1798

(This is Samuel Clemens' father. If he is your ggg uncle, one of his brothers or sisters is your ggg grandparent.)

Check the boxes "Has descendants" and "Has Sources". Search. For each one you find, click on the name, then, when you get the entry, click on "Descendancy".

Now, here is the trick. We genealogists hide details about living people, and recently living people. So, for instance, if a lady is a widow, we'll mark her husband living just to keep her privacy.

Living people are usually on the data bases as "Living Jones" and "Living Smith". BUT - you know, or can find out, your grandmother's maiden name. If she was Paige Turner and married Don Brakes, and you see, in the third or fourth generation, "Living Turner" + "Living Brakes", there is a good chance that is your grandparents.

If you find them, look at the sources and see if you can verify them. That means check them against the original records; look up the same data in an on-line data base, or write off for obituaries, death certificates, etc.

Answer 4

ancestry.com!

Answer 5

It seems possible (not guaranteed) that someone has done some actual research which means they traced YOUR ancestry back to find a connection.  If they have done so (and if it is reliable), then you won't need to do the searching.

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/...

this is one of several hundred files for Samuel Langhorne Clemens and family .. this page shows his parents and sisters. Each of the files can be different, and no guarantee of valid for any. You still have to check facts to see if you do descend from the same John Clemens and Jane.

You do have other lines, which may be unresearched. We can help get you going on that.

http://rwguide.rootsweb.ancestry.com/

that's me on the left side. *grin*

Answer 6

That should be pretty easy to figure out.  In order for him to be your mother's great-great uncle, means that one of his siblings must be your mother's great-grandparent.  Your mother should know who her great-grandparents are (her grandparents parents).  Research Samual Langhorne Clemens and see if the name of any of his siblings matches the name of any of your mother's great-grandparents.

IF this is true, then he would be your g-g-g-uncle, and be the brother of one of your g-g-grandparents.

Answer 7

The easiest way to find out is to join Ancestry.com, which has a link that notes if you are related to anyone famous once, of course, you have done enough work to establish an accurate family tree that extends for multiple generations backwards in time.  According to Ancestry.com, I'm distantly related to Mark Twain, too, so hello cousin.

Answer 8

The Mormon church keeps excellent ancestral records. You might give them a shot. It's free, and you can actually sit down and talk with someone. I did a good bit of family research awhile back and they were the most helpful. My family isn't Mormon but they still had lots of the info.

Give it a shot. Whether or not you are related to Mark Twain, you may find that your own story is even more interesting. Family research is tons of fun, but also lots of work.