Sam and Nina - Side-by-Side

Sam and Nina, side-by-side. The two never met but I thought it would be neat to have a comparison photo of them. There are not many photos of Nina Gabrilowitsch in circulation. This one is published at Hannibal Free Public Library (Hannibal, MO) from the collection of Mark Twain Home & Museum (Hannibal, MO).

Thank you to Vic Fischer from the Mark Twain Forum for sharing this information.

View full image and description of Nina at the Hannibal Free Public Library web site.

Nina was Clara's daughter, Sam's Granddaughter.

Mark Twain Library Launches Web Site on 99th Anniversary of Twain's Death

And we didn't even know it!

We launched the revised web site: http://www.marktwainlibrary.org at 3pm today and it wasn't until 8pm that I realized today was a special day times two!

Sam died on April 21, 1910.

Life was not a valuable gift, but death was. Life was a fever-dream made up of joys embittered by sorrows, pleasure poisoned by pain; a dream that was a nightmare-confusion of spasmodic and fleeting delights, ecstasies, exultations, happinesses, interspersed with long-drawn miseries, griefs, perils, horrors, disappointments, defeats,humiliations, and despairs--the heaviest curse devisable by divine ingenuity; but death was sweet, death was gentle, death was kind; death healed the bruised spirit and the broken heart, and gave them rest and forgetfulness; death was man's best friend; when man could endure life no longer, death came and set him free.

- Letters from the Earth

Read more Twain Quotes at TwainQuotes.com

Stormfield House Rebuilding Crew 1925

Stormfield House Rebuilding Crew at Clambake Picnic at Deep Hole in the Summer of 1925.

Front Row: L to R

William A. Reynolds, George W. Banks, William Banks, Lawrence W. Banks, Bernard Gagnon, Al Busser, Arthur Burr, Mason (Name Missing), William Busser, Sr.

Back Row: L to R

John Whitehead, William Busser, Jr., Clinton B. Hull, Steven Harker, Erwin Henderson, William J. Gagnon, George S. Banks, G. Samuel, Ricks, Oliver C. Banks, Jesse Banks, Mason (Name Missing)

Just as a point of information, George S. Banks was the Deputy Sheriff who, with the help of others, caught the two gentlemen who robbed Stormfield. His son, William Banks, was the General Contractor on the rebuilding of Stormfield, and his grandson, Lawrence Banks, was responsible for getting the giant mantle (which had been given to William Banks as partial payment for the construction work)into the hands of the Mark Twain House in Hartford. All are present in this photograph.

Many thanks to Gary Banks for forwarding this photo and the information associated with it!!