When you think of famous people who are associated with West Virginia, who comes to mind? Homer Hickam. Katherine Johnson. Brad Paisley. Jennifer Garner. George Washington. Booker T. Washington. Chuck Yeager. Stonewall Jackson. Devil Anse Hatfield. Mary Lou Retton. Don Knotts. We could go on and on. But there’s one name that would most likely remain notably absent from this West Virginia-friendly list, no matter who we were to ask: Mark Twain.

Yet this famous American author and creator of classic characters like Tom Sawyer and his friend Huckleberry Finn deserves a spot on the list, even though Mark Twain himself never actually lived in West Virginia.
Alvin Langdon Coburn / Wikipedia
No, it was Twain's grandfather who lived here - his father's father, Samuel Clemens.
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And if you know much at all about Mark Twain, you know that "Mark Twain" isn't his real name. It's just a pen name.
Wikipedia/Public Domain

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Twain's real name is Samuel Clemens. That's right, two Samuel Clemens; the world-famous Mark Twain was named after his paternal grandfather.
Wikipedia/Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain)
Samuel Clemens, the grandfather, raised his family in West Virginia (at the time, it was still Virginia) with his wife Pamela by his side. One of his sons was Twain's father, John Marshall Clemens.
Google Maps Street View
The Clemens family lived in Lakin, which is located north of Point Pleasant, right along the Ohio River. Not only did Grandfather Sam Clemens live here in this small Mason County riverfront farming community, though; he also died here in a tragic house-raising accident in 1803.
Google Maps
Mark Twain's father, John Marshall, was just 5 years old when Samuel Clemens was killed. Years later, as a young man, Twain's father headed west, met and married Twain's mother, and raised a family of his own (including Twain) in Missouri. That means that, though Twain never met his namesake, his family connection to West Virginia is undeniable. 

Did you know about the tie between Mark Twain and West Virginia? Have you ever driven through Lakin? Next time you are in the area, watch for the historical marker that gives information about the Clemens family. It’s along Ohio River Road just north of State Farm Road. In the meantime, read up on another famous West Virginia literary connection here.

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