Clemens is born in Florida, Missouri. 1839 The Clemens family moves to Hannibal, Missouri, on the Mississippi River. 1847 His father, John Marshall Clemens, dies March 24. 1849-1851 Apprentices with Joseph Ament, printer; sets type for the Hannibal Courier. 1853 Leaves Hannibal for St. Louis; spends August in New York City; visits Philadelphia. 1857 Meets Horace Bixby, the riverboat pilot, who agrees to take him as an apprentice. 1858-1859 Apprentices as a “cub” pilot; receives his license April 9, 1859. 1861 In June, joins the Marion Rangers, a group of volunteers sympathetic to the Confederate cause. The unit disbands after two weeks. In July, travels with his brother Orion to the Nevada Territory. 1862 Joins staff of the Virginia City, Nevada, Territorial Enterprise. 1863 In three “Letters from Carson,” he first uses the pen name “Mark Twain.” 1864 Moves to San Francisco and works as a reporter for the Morning Call. Publishes sketches in the Golden Era and the Californian.
