Cyril Clemens collection, 1888-1982

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Summary

Creators:
Clemens, Cyril, 1902-1999
Abstract:
A collection of material collected by Cyril Clemens related to Mark Twain and the International Mark Twain Society.
Extent:
0.25 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Cyril Clemens collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of correspondence, photocopies, printed material, and ephemera; the material is related to the International Mark Twain Society and the Clemens family. The correspondence includes typewritten letters from Arthur H. Chamberlain, editor of Overland Monthly/Out West magazine; the majority of the correspondence consists of photocopies of letters from famous people including Winston Churchill, Robert Frost, Gerald Ford, and Ernest Hemingway, as well as photocopies of letters from Clara Clemens, Olivia Clemens, and Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain). The ephemera includes printed material, photocopies, article offprints, magazines, and newspaper clippings about Mark Twain, Cyril Clemens, and Robert J. Burdette.

Biographical / historical:

Cyril Coniston Clemens (1902-1999) was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the only son of James Ross Clemens and Katharine Boland Clemens; Cyril was the third cousin twice removed of Mark Twain. He attended Georgetown University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Washington University in St. Louis in 1928, and a master's degree in history in 1949. Clemens was independently wealthy and devoted his working life to the literature and life of Mark Twain; in approximately 1923 he founded the International Mark Twain Society. In 1933, Clemens married Nan Shallcross and they had one son, Samuel Clemens. Cyril Clemens died in Kirkwood, Missouri on May 16, 1999.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Cyril Clemens, 1969-1982.
Processing information:

Processed by Gayle M. Richardson and a finding aid created in May 2025.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Cyril Clemens collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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