Olivia Langdon Clemens
From Mark Twain in the German Language Press
Olivia (Livy) Louise Langdon was born on 27 Nov. 1845 in Elmira, N.Y., as the second child of Jervis and Olivia Lewis Langdon. Her father was a wealthy man who owned a flourishing coal business (see Rasmussen et al. 2:641) enabling his family to live in considerable comfort.
Olivia Langdon’s health was frail throughout her life and over the years there has been a lot of speculation on the nature of her illness. A reasonably well supported assumption is that she had Pott’s Disease (tuberculosis of the spine), probably starting from age 14 (see Rasmussen et al. 2:642). She spent some of her teenage years receiving extensive treatments for her condition.
In his autobiographic dictations, Samuel Clemens included the story of how he first fell in love with Olivia merely by seeing her picture, an ivory miniature which her brother, Charles Jervis Langdon, showed to him during the Quaker City Excursion in 1867. Later that year, at a Quaker City Christmas reunion in New York, Olivia Langdon and Samuel Clemens first met in person at a dinner and Clemens proceeded to court her over the following year, visiting her in Elmira and writing her numerous letters (see Rasmussen et al. 2:642). Olivia Langdon refused a first marriage proposal but eventually accepted a second one. The marriage ceremony followed on 2 Feb. 1870.
The couple initially moved to Buffalo, NY, where Jervis Langdon bought them a house and had it furnished and staffed as a wedding present to his daughter and her husband (see MTE 156). Yet, Buffalo did not turn out to be a happy place for Samuel and Olivia Clemens. Olivia’s father died in August 1870 and her first son, Langdon, was born prematurely after a near-miscarriage in November. Both of these events seriously impacted her health; she contracted typhoid fever as did Langdon, and - only a year after moving to Buffalo - Samuel Clemens decided to take her back to her family in Elmira (see Rasmussen et al. 2:642). Their son Langdon did not survive infancy; he died in 1872.
The young family’s next home would be in Hartford, Conn., but regular stays at Elmira would remain part of their family life for years and all three of the Clemens daughters were born on Quarry Farm in Elmira: Olivia Susan (Susy) in 1872, Clara in 1874, and Jane Lampton (Jean) in 1880.
Olivia Clemens accompanied her husband on numerous voyages, probably most notably his world lecture tour from 1895-1896, and the family lived abroad on multiple occasions (see MTE 157). When Olivia Clemens’ health began to decline dramatically in 1902, the family sought out warmer climates to accommodate her. During this time, Olivia was often isolated from her family - a recommendation by her doctors to keep her from any stressors and excitement. A move to Florence, Italy, in 1903 was also intended to support her health. On 5 June 1904 she died there, presumably from heart failure; her remains were transported to Elmira and buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.
Throughout her life, Olivia Clemens supported her husband, in their daily private life as well as in matters of his career. She was a proof-reader and editor of his works and of course managed the family’s home life. Financially, her inheritance from her father was the main source of the family’s wealth for many years. The money enabled them to live comparatively lavishly and gave Samuel Clemens the opportunity to publish according to his own pace and interests, as well as to invest in various business enterprises (see Rasmussen et al. 2:643). In 1894, when one of these businesses - the publishing house Charles Webster & Company - went bankrupt, Olivia Clemens was recognized as a primary creditor and had her husband’s copyrights assigned to her name, saving them from falling to someone outside the family (see Rasmussen et al. 2:586).
Article Pages
linked to Olivia Langdon Clemens (38)- IA-034 • Der trauernde Humorist • 11 Jan 1910
- IL-040 • [MT arrives in New York] • 20 May 1895
- IL-051 • [MT arrives in Southampton] • 5 Aug 1896
- IL-061 • [MT arrived in Vienna] • 20 Oct 1897
- IL-089 • [MT at Garden party and “Savage Club” banquet] • 14 Jun 1899
- IN-014 • Mark Twains Gattin gestorben • 7 Jun 1904
- IN-015 • [MT arrives in New York] • 13 Jul 1904
- IN-016 • [Funeral service for Olivia Clemens] • 15 Jul 1904
- IN-017 • Mark Twains Einladung • 15 Sep 1904
- MD-060 • [MT’s financial situation] • 6 Jun 1885
- MD-088 • [Sermon delivered via telephone] • 13 Jan 1891
- MD-096 • [W. W. Phelps invites to dinner] • 28 Nov 1891
- MD-102 • Amerika in Berlin • 6 Feb 1892
- MD-103 • [MT departing from Berlin] • 7 Mar 1892
- MD-233 • Unser Humorist • 1 Dec 1901
- MD-234 • Unser Humorist • 2 Dec 1901
- MD-263 • [MT travelling to Naples] • 25 Oct 1903
- MD-266 • "Mark Twain's" Frau krank • 6 Dec 1903
- MD-275 • Mark Twain's traurige Heimreise • 30 Jun 1904
- MD-339 • Mark Twain todt • 22 Apr 1910
- MD-340 • Mark Twain's Tod [continuation of MD-339] • 22 Apr 1910
- MD-341 • Mark Twain’s Tod • 23 Apr 1910
- MD-343 • Zur letzten Ruhe • 24 Apr 1910
- MD-345 • Mark Twain zur Ruhe gebettet • 25 Apr 1910
- MN-004 • [MT attends dinner in Berlin] • 26 Nov 1891
- MO-004 • [MT’s financial situation] • 26 Jun 1885
- NE-006 • [On European doctors] • 7 Sep 1894
- NE-011 • [MT and family arrive in Vienna] • 22 Oct 1897
- NE-013 • Mark Twain’s Kravatte • 18 Nov 1897
- OH-045 • Der trauernde Humorist • 27 Jan 1910
- OH-048 • Mark Twain’s Leiche beigesetzt • 25 Apr 1910
- PA-010 • [Death of MT's wife] • 16 Jun 1904
- SD-013 • [MT attends dinner in Berlin] • 3 Dec 1891
- TX-034 • Mark Twains Rückreise nach der Heimath • 12 Jun 1899
- TX-038 • [MT back in New York] • 23 Oct 1900
- TX-047 • [Olivia Clemens taken ill] • 13 Nov 1902
- TX-054 • [Death of Olivia Clemens] • 7 Jun 1904
- WI-009 • [Death of Olivia Clemens] • 10 Jun 1904