Edgar Allan Poe

The Early Years

Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston Massachusetts on January 19, 1809 to David Poe Jr. and Elizabeth Hopkins. His parents were both traveling actors and both died when Poe was really young. Poe's father actually abandoned him and his mother in July of 1811 and died on December 11, 1811. Poe's mother had passed away only three days earlier of TB. At the age of two, Poe and his two siblings were alone. Poe went to live with John Allan who lived in Virginia and was a successful tobacco merchant. Allan never legally adopted Edgar, put to show his appreciation Edgar took the name Allan as his middle name. Poe's brother and sister went off to live in separate places. It seems luck didn't run in the Poe family, Poe's brother William died shortly after and his sister Rosalie went insane. When Poe was only five years old he was reciting poetry and a teacher of his said that he was born a poet.

Through the years of 1815 and 1820, Poe lived in England and attended Manor School. He then went on to attend the University of Virginia, but was quickly expelled because he was gambling to try and raise spending money and he hadn't paid back his debts. Allan disowned him at that point and Poe enlisted in the Army using a fake name and age. In 1826, asked Elmira Royster to marry him and she accepted, but the engagement was broken off by Elmira's parents. He enlisted as Edgar A. Perry on May 26, 1827. Poe's foster mother's dieing wish was for Poe and Allan to forget their pasts and reconcile. Poe did so for her sake. He then went on to attend the Military Academy at West Point. Poe started neglecting his orders in hopes of getting discharged and he got his wish. Allan was not happy and disowned him until his death on March 6, 1831. Poe then went to live with his aunt, Maria Clemm, and her daughter Virginia in Baltimore, Maryland. There he fell in love with Virginia and on May 16, 1836, Poe married her. Virginia was only 13 at the time AND Poe's first cousin.


His Work