2. TheEarlyLifeofEdgarA.Poe
• Born in Boston in 1809 to
Elizabeth Arnold Poe and David
Poe.
• Both of his parents were actors,
however, his mother was
considered the better of the two.
• David Poe abandoned his family
while Poe was just a young boy.
3. • Poe was orphaned, along with his older brother and infant sister
in 1811. His mother died of tuberculosis in Richmond, Virginia.
• Poe’s mother, Elizabeth, died December 8, 1811, in Richmond,
Virginia.
• Poe was taken by John and Frances Allan.
• John Allan was a successful merchant.
4. Thenewfamily
• The Allans raised Poe but never formally
adopted him.
• Poe attended the University of Virgina and did
very well in Latin and French. However, John
Allan refused to pay Poe’s gambling debts, and
Edgar Allan Poe had to drop out of college.
5. • Due to fights with his foster-father, Poe went to
Boston. While there, he wrote a book of poetry,
Tamerlane and Other Poems.
• In an attempt to support himself, Poe enlisted in the
Army.
• In 1829, Frances Allan died of tuberculosis. John
Allan and Poe briefly reconciled their differences.
6. • John Allan helped Poe receive an appointment at the
U.S. Military Academy in West Point.
• Poe realized that literature, not the military, was his
true “calling” and tried to get out of West Point.
• John Allan refused to give Poe permission to resign
(drop-out).
• Poe was court-martialed for refusing to report for class
or duty.
7. Thenewlife
• Poe moved to Baltimore, where he lived with his
very poor aunt, Maria Poe Clemm and her young
daughter, Virginia.
• In 1835, he accepted the position of editor and
married his thirteen year old cousin, Virginia.
• In 1838, Poe moved his family to Philadelphia
where he worked as an editor for Graham’s
Magazine. He wrote some of his most famous
stories: “Fall of the House of Usher,” “Murders in
the Rue Morgue,” “The Gold-Bug” and others.
• In 1842, Virginia became ill with tuberculosis.
8. • In 1845, “The Raven” was published
• In 1847, Virginia died of tuberculosis.
• For the next two years, Poe continued to write poetry and
short stories.