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Poe Biography

Poe’s Early Life

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Young Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Poe was born on January 19th, 1809 to traveling actors Eliza
and David Poe. When Edgar was a baby, David abandoned the family,
leaving Eliza to support three young children. In a devastating turn,
Eliza contracted tuberculosis and spent the last few months of her life
in Richmond. She died on December 8th, 1811 at the age of 24,
leaving behind her three children. Two-year-old Edgar was taken in by
Richmond couple John and Frances Allan. Edgar was never officially
adopted, a cause and result of constant tensions between him and his
foster father. He did not take their last name, but instead he became
Edgar Allan Poe. As a teenager Poe enjoyed the life of the elite upper-
class. 

In 1824, a young Edgar Allan Poe was a part of a junior honor color
guard that escorted the Revolutionary War General Marquis de
Lafayette around Richmond, Virginia. Lafayette and the color guard
stopped at Richmond’s Old Stone House to visit the Ege family, who
had assisted in the American Revolution. Poe stood guard on the front
steps of the house. 98 years later, the Old Stone House became the
Poe Museum.

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The Old Stone House
At the age of 17, Edgar traveled to Charlottesville to attend the
University of Virginia (UVA). He left behind a fiancé, Elmira Royster,
who promised to wait until after graduation to marry. Edgar almost
immediately ran into trouble at UVA. Although he was a talented
student, he had arrived at college with only $110 for tuition. UVA’s
tuition was three times that, so he decided to gamble to raise the rest
of the funds. Instead, Edgar generated $2,000 worth of debt. After just
a couple months at UVA, he returned to Richmond disappointed and
continued to feud with his foster father. To make matters worse,
Elmira had become engaged to someone else. While Edgar was off at
UVA, Elmira’s father had intercepted Edgar’s letters and steered her in
the direction of another man who promised to be a successful
businessman and a respectable citizen, something Edgar could not
promise. 

Poe then moved to Boston. He didn’t stay long, but during that time
he published his first book of poetry “Tamerlane and Other Poems”
under the pseudonym “A Bostonian.” When Poe  was 18 he joined the
army under the name “Edgar Perry.” Poe did exceptionally well in the
army, rising to the rank of sergeant major in just two years. He then
went to West Point, where once again he did well academically, but
ran into financial issues. Poe was court marshalled for extreme
dereliction of duty. He then moved to Baltimore. 

In Baltimore Poe lived with several relatives, including his aunt Maria
Clemm and her daughter, Virginia. Poe lived in Baltimore for four
years, during which time he shifted from writing poetry to short
stories. One publication that took special interest in him was the
Southern Literary Messenger based in Richmond, Virginia. Poe
published “Metzengerstein” which is considered his first horror story,
and “Berenice” which was so graphic and terrifying that the magazine
received multiple complaints from readers. Editor Thomas White
offered Poe a job on the staff of the Messenger . Poe agreed and
moved back to Richmond. 

Poe’s Literary Career

Soon after Poe joined the Southern Literary Messenger, he and White
began to have issues, the root of which perhaps came from Poe’s
drinking. Poe invited his aunt and cousin, Maria and Virgina to live
with him in Richmond. One year later, Poe and Virginia then got
married. She was 13, he was 27. This is an unlikely pairing and there is
much debate about the nature of their relationship. Poe often
referred to Virginia as “sissy” (sister) and Maria as “Muddy” (mother).
Although many people today presume their relationship was familial,
we ultimately will never know what happened in their marriage behind
closed doors. Virginia and Maria had a stabilizing effect on Poe. He
seemed to be more responsible and happier during the years when
they were with him.
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Edgar Allan Poe

In 1837 Poe left the Southern Literary Messenger and Richmond.

Starting in 1838 while living in Philadelphia, he enjoyed his prime
years of literature. Poe wrote “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the “Masque of the
Red Death,” “The Black Cat,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Gold
Bug,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Murders in the Rue
Morgue,” and more.

 “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” is particularly important because it

was the first modern detective story. Poe was the first to write about
an eccentric genius who solves mysterious crimes. Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle cites Poe’s character, C. Auguste Dupin, as the literary
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Death Portrait of Virginia Clemm Poe

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The Tell-Tale Heart

inspiration behind his character, Sherlock Holmes. Poe was also an

early pioneer of science fiction. Interestingly, the majority of his
stories are comedies. 

Poe wrote in many genres, but his contribution to horror is what

makes him famous today. Poe revolutionized the genre. He was one of
the first to involve deep, intuitive, psychological horror. He often
wrote stories where the true monster was the capacity for evil that is
inside each person, and what happens when that evil is acted upon. 

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The Raven

Poe’s most famous piece is “The Raven.” Once published, in the early
months of 1845, this poem made him an overnight success. Before
the publication, Poe was well known in literary circles, but because of
“The Raven” Edgar Allan Poe became a household name. Although Poe
only made around $15 from the publication of “The Raven,” its
international success created financial opportunities like taking on
literary clients and giving lectures and recitations. Poe was the first
American writer to live completely off of his earnings from writing. But
for most of Poe’s adulthood, he struggled to financially support
himself and his family.

Unfortunately, by this time, his wife Virginia began exhibiting

symptoms of tuberculosis. She was sick for several years and died in
1847 while the couple lived in New York. Virginia was 24 years old
when she died. Poe never emotionally recovered from the death of his
wife. It was evident that he relied on her for mental and emotional
support. Poe began to drift back south towards the city of his
childhood: Richmond.

The Death of Edgar Allan Poe

While in Richmond, Poe rekindled his childhood romance with Elmira
Royster Shelton, who was then a wealthy widow. At the dismay of her
children, she and Poe once again became engaged in 1849. Poe
planned to move permanently to Richmond to be with Elmira. He
planned a trip to New York to bring Maria (his mother-in-law) back to
Richmond. He was also planning to see a client in Philadelphia on the
way up the coast. 
Poe’s last day in Richmond was on
September 26th, 1849. Elmira was
worried about his health. After his
bout of cholera, his health had
been quite fragile. She
encouraged Poe to visit his doctor
who is also a friend. Poe did, but it
was primarily a social visit. He had
a late meal at Sadler’s Restaurant.
And at 4am on September 27th,
1849, Poe boarded a ship headed
for Baltimore. From September
27th until October 3rd, there is no
record of his whereabouts. 
Elmira Royster Shelton
On October 3rd, an election day,
Poe was found delirious in a
tavern called Gunner’s Hall in Baltimore. He appeared drunk, wearing
someone else’s clothes and was taken to Washington University
Hospital. For the next four days he was in and out of consciousness,
sometimes being alert, sometimes screaming at nothing and no one.  

Edgar Allan Poe died on October 7th, 1849. The doctor labeled his
cause of death as “phrenitis” (inflammation of the brain) which was
commonly used when the true cause of death was unknown. Because
of these mysterious circumstances, and the persona of Poe, there is
much speculation about the true manner of his death. There are over
26 published theories on his demise, so far.
Poe’s death, although untimely and unfortunate, was quite the fitting
end for a writer who created stories of true horror and mystery. Even
in death, Edgar Allan Poe created a mystery that would live on forever.

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Edgar Allan Poe
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Poe for everyone, evermore.

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