Day By Day Dates

June 30 Tuesday – In the morning, Sam and Paine traveled to Portsmouth, N.H. for the dedication of the Thomas Bailey Aldrich Memorial Museum, an event staged by Lillian Aldrich.

The New York Times, July 1, p. 16 covered the event:

MEMORIAL TO T. B. ALDRICH

———

Notable Speakers at Opening of Poet’s Home as Museum.

July – Sometime during the month a lawn party was held by the Mark Twain Library Association at Harry A. Lounsbury’s home. Another party at the same location was held in August [MT Library minutes copied by Tenney, Nov. 15, 1981].

Amo Umbstaetter and Elizabeth Atwood wrote from Lovell, Maine to thank Sam for his letter and autographs. Signed, “Your little friends” [MTP].

July 1 Wednesday – Sam and Albert B. Paine were still in Boston at the Hotel Touraine, staying the third night there [July 5 to Sturgis]. According to Paine:

Clemens did not wish to hurry in the summer heat, and we remained another day quietly sight- seeing, and driving around and around Commonwealth Avenue in a victoria in the cool of the evening. Once, remembering Aldrich, he said:

July 2 Thursday – Sam and Albert B. Paine left Boston at 8 a.m. for N.Y. [June 29 and July 2 to Quick]. Later, in Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to daughter Jean.  

July 3 Friday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to John M. Howells, who had designed Sam’s new home in Redding.

July 4 Saturday – Sam’s A.D. for this date continued to focus with “spectacular venom” (Hill 209) against Lillian Aldrich for the June 30 Memorial of her late husband, which Sam attended.  

Harper’s Weekly ran an anonymous article, “Mark Twain’s New Home at Redding,” p. 24, 29. Tenney: “On the purchase of the land, building of the house, and the neighbors. Illustrated with photographs of the house, local scenes, and MT playing billiards with Albert Bigelow Paine” [45].

July 5 Sunday – In Redding, Conn. Sam began a letter to Dorothy Sturgis which he mislaid, found and finished on July 14. The July 5 portion: Sunday noon.

July 6 Monday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Collier’s Weekly.

July 7 Tuesday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Margaret Blackmer.

July 8 Wednesday – Sam’s guestbook    has the following entries (also noted in IVL TS 54):

Name Address Date Remarks

Frederick Leigh New York City July 8-9 Staff of Harper & Bros.

F.A. Duneka  “        “        “   “  “8-9

Note: Major Frederick Leigh was Treasurer of Harper’s.

William Dean Howells, in Kittery Point, Maine, wrote to Sam.

July 9 Thursday – Sam’s A.D. for this date continued to focus with “spectacular venon” (Hill 209) against Lillian Aldrich for the June 30 Memorial of her late husband, which Sam attended.  

Sarah S. Collier (Mrs. Robert J. Collier) wrote from Racquette Lake in the Adirondacks, N.Y. to thank Sam for his invitation to stay with him, “but I am settled here for the summer, and don’t expect to leave till some time in September” [MTP].

July 10 Friday – Sam’s guestbook   has the following entries (also noted in IVL TS 54):

Name Address Date Remarks

Mrs. Quick Plainfield, N.J. July 10-17 Remained until

Dorothy Quick M.A.  “        “        “   “  “ “ -17       July 18

Frances Paine Redding, Conn.   “  “ “ -17

July 11 Saturday – The New York Times, “Topics of the Week,” p. BR385, led off with the following paragraph about Elinor Glyn and Mark Twain:

July 13 Monday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Mary B. Rogers (Mrs. H.H. Rogers, Jr.).

July 14 Tuesday – In Redding, Conn. Sam finished the mislaid July 5 letter to Dorothy Sturgis.

TEN DAYS LATER

It has long been my impression that this letter went to the mail at the time it was written. But that was a mistake. It got mislaid, & had turned up by accident this morning.

July 16 Thursday – Jeanne E. Wier for the Nevada Historical Society wrote to inform Sam that he’d unanimously been given honorary membership in their annual meeting on June 8. She added that she felt RI was the best history of Nevada yet written [MTP].

Clemens A.D. for this day is listed by MTP.  

July 17 Friday – Frank N. Doubleday for Doubleday, Page & Co. wrote to Sam that he was sending “some books for your library at Redding.” He declined the invitation from Miss Lyon to spend a night but he and the wife were taking a steamer for France next Tuesday. He offered to send their “bang-up photographer,” Mr. A.R. Dugmore, to take colored pictures of the Redding house [MTP].

July 18 Saturday – Sam’s guestbook   shows the following entry (also noted in IVL TS 54):

Name Address Date Remarks

Margery Hamilton Clinton 29 (?) East 57th, New York July 18-24 (?) *

* Sam added the following in the Remarks column next to Margery’s entry:

July 20 Monday – In Redding, Conn. Sam replied to the July 7 request by Edward Verrall Lucas.

Dear Lucy: / My permission to include the Tom Sawyer extract in your series, you have, straight from the bat, as the worldlings say. My secretary will ask the Harpers to add their permission, & forward it to the Mac Millans or to you.

Love & all good wishes to you & to Punch & that dear little fairy./  Sincerely Yours … [MTP].

July 22 Wednesday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Margery H. Clinton at 39 E. 57   N.Y.C.

July 23 Thursday – George M. Robinson, Clara’s tour manager, wrote to Isabel Lyon c/o Clemens: “Will you kindly send me a check for $75., in accordance with our understanding. I am sending out two thousand circulars with letters enclosed. Will send you a copy of the circular to-morrow. I think it a vast improvement on last year’s issue” [MTP].

July 24 Friday – Sam, Ralph Ashcroft, and Zoheth S. Freeman played billiards from 9:30 p.m. till after midnight [July 27 to Quick]. Note: Freeman, at this time Vice-President of Liberty National Bank, N.Y. Along with Jervis Langdon II, and Edward Loomis, Freeman would be an executor to Sam’s estate.

Sam’s new guestbook:

Name Address Date Remarks

Mrs. Grace Hill Freeman (“Sheba”) New York July 24-26

Z.S. Freeman (her property) “        “

July 25 Saturday – Sam sent a brief note to Miss Dorothy Butes, who was sailing home to England: “Goodbye you dear child, and a happy voyage / SL Clemens” [MTAq 188].

Mary Desha wrote from Washington, D.C. anxious to “establish kinship” to Clemens through her great grandmother Katherine Montgomery. A photo of a woman is in the file [MTP].

Note: on the letter, but not by IVL: “ans’d  9/7”

John M. Howells wrote from Onteora Park, NY to Sam.

July 26 Sunday – Jean Clemens’ 28th birthday.

Isabel Lyon’s journal: Today when the King and Sheba and Zoe [Mr. & Mrs. Zoheth Freeman] were driving and passed a cemetery, Sheba said that the King reverently lifted his hat from his beautiful head and after a moment Sheba reached over and touched his beautiful hand in sympathy.

July 27 Monday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Dorothy Quick.

Dorothy dear, I miss you. It seems a long time since you were here. Louise has been here once, for a few minutes, & we have had a five minutes’ glimpse of Frances; Frances [Paine] went back home to her father’s house the day you went away.