Mark Twain was from Florida

Today is Mark Twain's 171st birthday. Born on this day in Florida, Missouri in 1835 as Samuel Clemens.

We are fully aware of Twain's impact on literature. Tom Sawyer was published in 1875 and Huckleberry Finn in 1885. What many may not know is that Twain was a world traveler. He was a newspaper correspondent and traveled to Hawaii and covered international locations. He wrote of his experiences in The Innocents Abroad (1869).

Personally, the one thing I find interesting about Twain and his background is his place of birth. He was born in a town named for a state in central Missouri. Quick research on Florida, Missouri does not reveal much. Probably because the township of Florida has only 9 people living there. That is correct...9 people. There are 3 men and 6 women, and the average age is 29.5 (US Census, 2000). My guess is that most of the time the tourists out number the residents.

In Twain's autobiography he refers to Florida as a "wee village." He also stated, "The village contained a hundred people and I increased the population by 1 per cent. It is more than many of the best men in history could have done for a town."

This is a photograph of Mark Twain's home in Florida, Missouri. It's interesting to look at this image, and think about Twain and his impact.

To help you celebrate Twain's birth, I am offering two links that provide additional information.

The Mark Twain House and Museum is the home owned by Twain from 1874 to 1891 in Hartford, CT. http://www.marktwainhouse.org/

Twain Quotes is a simple to navigate site with Twain's quotes organized by subject. http://www.twainquotes.com/quotesatoz.html

Image Credits:

Portrait of Clemens from VANITY FAIR magazine courtesy of Dave Thomson (Thanks, Dave...Cool Site: http://www.twainquotes.com)

Thank you to the Paris (MO) Chamber of Commerce for allowing me to use the image of Twain's birthplace.