Jean Clemens
Encyclopedia
Jane Lampton Clemens, usually known as Jean Clemens, (July 26, 1880–December 24, 1909) was the youngest of the three daughters of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name Mark Twain
, and his wife Olivia Langdon Clemens
. She was born in Hartford, Connecticut. She died near Redding, Connecticut
by drowning in a bathtub following a heart attack thought to be related to her epilepsy
, at her father's home in Stormfield.
, Jean Clemens, like her mother, was a kind-hearted person and particularly fond of animals. She founded or worked with a number of societies for the protection of animals in the various locations where she lived.
from age fifteen, which her father attributed to a head injury she had suffered at age eight or nine. The family spent years seeking cures in the United States and Europe. Twain also attributed her mood swings and sometimes erratic behavior to her uncontrolled epilepsy.
Olivia Langdon Clemens tried to include her daughter in family life despite her illness, but after Olivia's death in 1904 it was left to Twain and Jean's older sister Clara Clemens
to manage her and the difficulties her illness caused. Twain's secretary, Isabel Lyon
, claimed that on two occasions in 1906 Jean physically attacked Katy Leary, a maid for the family, and said she had wanted to kill her. In her 2004 biography Dangerous Intimacy: The Untold Story of Mark Twain's Final Years, historian Karen Lystra questioned the accuracy of Lyon's account of Jean's violent behavior and suggests that Lyon manipulated a separation between father and daughter because Lyon hoped to marry Twain. Jean was sent to an epilepsy colony in Katonah, New York
in the fall of 1906 and her father denied her requests to come home, fearing that he could not care for her. Twain fired Lyon and her new husband in 1909, claiming they were both guilty of embezzlement, and permitted Jean to return home in April 1909. Jean and her father seemed to get along well together, though Jean found her father stubborn and temperamental.
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
, and his wife Olivia Langdon Clemens
Olivia Langdon Clemens
Olivia Langdon Clemens was the wife of the famous American author, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain.-Early life:...
. She was born in Hartford, Connecticut. She died near Redding, Connecticut
Redding, Connecticut
Mark Twain, a resident of the town in his old age, contributed the first books for a public library which was eventually named after him.-Government:...
by drowning in a bathtub following a heart attack thought to be related to her epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
, at her father's home in Stormfield.
Character and early life
According to Mark Twain's AutobiographyMark Twain's Autobiography
Autobiography of Mark Twain or Mark Twain’s Autobiography refers to a lengthy set of reminiscences, dictated, for the most part, in the last few years of American author Mark Twain's life and left in typescript and manuscript at his death...
, Jean Clemens, like her mother, was a kind-hearted person and particularly fond of animals. She founded or worked with a number of societies for the protection of animals in the various locations where she lived.
Epilepsy
She had epilepsyEpilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
from age fifteen, which her father attributed to a head injury she had suffered at age eight or nine. The family spent years seeking cures in the United States and Europe. Twain also attributed her mood swings and sometimes erratic behavior to her uncontrolled epilepsy.
Olivia Langdon Clemens tried to include her daughter in family life despite her illness, but after Olivia's death in 1904 it was left to Twain and Jean's older sister Clara Clemens
Clara Clemens
Clara Langhorne Clemens Samossoud, formerly Clara Langhorne Clemens Gabrilowitsch , was the daughter of Samuel Clemens, who wrote as Mark Twain. She was a contralto concert singer and, as her father's only surviving daughter, managed his estate and guarded his legacy after his death.She was...
to manage her and the difficulties her illness caused. Twain's secretary, Isabel Lyon
Isabel Lyon
Isabel Van Kleek Lyon was Mark Twain's secretary for most of his final years. While in this position, she gained significant influence over Twain's personal and business affairs. Twain fired her in 1909 for reasons that remain in dispute.-Mark Twain's secretary:Lyon was born in Tarrytown, New...
, claimed that on two occasions in 1906 Jean physically attacked Katy Leary, a maid for the family, and said she had wanted to kill her. In her 2004 biography Dangerous Intimacy: The Untold Story of Mark Twain's Final Years, historian Karen Lystra questioned the accuracy of Lyon's account of Jean's violent behavior and suggests that Lyon manipulated a separation between father and daughter because Lyon hoped to marry Twain. Jean was sent to an epilepsy colony in Katonah, New York
Katonah, New York
Katonah, New York is one of three unincorporated hamlets within the town of Bedford, Westchester County, New York, United States.-History:Katonah is named for Chief Katonah, an American Indian from whom the land of Bedford was purchased by a group of English colonists...
in the fall of 1906 and her father denied her requests to come home, fearing that he could not care for her. Twain fired Lyon and her new husband in 1909, claiming they were both guilty of embezzlement, and permitted Jean to return home in April 1909. Jean and her father seemed to get along well together, though Jean found her father stubborn and temperamental.