The Unprosperous Life Of Edgar Allan Poe
(This is just a short biography of Edgar Allan Poe)
Edgar Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809. That makes
him Capricorn, on the cusp of Aquarius. His parents were David and Elizabeth
Poe. David was born in Baltimore on July 18, 1784. Elizabeth Arnold came to the
U.S. from England in 1796 and married David Poe after her first husband died in
1805. They had three children, Henry, Edgar, and Rosalie.
Elizabeth Poe died in 1811, when Edgar was 2 years old. She
had separated from her husband and had taken her three kids with her. Henry
went to live with his grandparents while Edgar was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. John
Allan and Rosalie was taken in by another family. John Allan was a successful
merchant, so Edgar grew up in good surroundings and went to good schools.
When Poe was 6, he went to school in England for 5 years. He
learned Latin and French, as well as math and history. He later returned to
school in America and continued his studies. Edgar Allan went to the University
of Virginia in 1826. He was 17. Even though John Allan had plenty of money, he
only gave Edgar about a third of what he needed. Although Edgar had done well
in Latin and French, he started to drink heavily and quickly became in debt. He
had to quit school less than a year later.
Edgar Allan Poe in the ARMY?
Edgar Allan had no money, no job skills, and had been
shunned by John Allan. Edgar went to Boston and joined the U.S. Army in 1827.
He was 18. He did reasonably well in the Army and attained the rank of sergeant
major. In 1829, Mrs. Allan died and John Allan tried to be friendly towards
Edgar and signed Edgar's application to West Point.
While waiting to enter West Point, Edgar lived with his grandmother and his aunt, Mrs. Clemm. Also living there was his brother, Henry, and young cousin, Virginia. In 1830, Edgar Allan entered West Point as a cadet. He didn't stay long because John Allan refused to send him any money. It is thought that Edgar purposely broke the rules and ignored his duties so he would be dismissed.
Edgar Allan Poe as a writer
In 1831, Edgar Allan Poe went to New York City where he had
some of his poetry published. He submitted stories to a number of magazines and
they were all rejected. Poe had no friends, no job, and was in financial
trouble. He sent a letter to John Allan begging for help but none came. John
Allan died in 1834 and did not mention Edgar in his will. In 1835, Edgar finally got a job as an editor of a newspaper
because of a contest he won with his story, "The
Manuscript Found in a Bottle". Edgar missed Mrs. Clemm and
Virginia and brought them to Richmond to live with him. In 1836, Edgar married
his cousin, Virginia. He was 27 and she was 13. Many sources say Virginia was
14, but this is incorrect. Virginia Clemm was born on August 22, 1822. They
were married before her 14th birthday, in May of 1836. In case you didn't
figure it out already, Virginia was Virgo.
On September 27, Poe left Richmond for New York. He went to Philadelphia and stayed with a friend named James P. Moss. On September 30, he meant to go to New York but supposedly took the wrong train to Baltimore. On October 3, Poe was found at Gunner's Hall, a public house at 44 East Lombard Street, and was taken to the hospital. He lapsed in and out of consciousness but was never able to explain exactly what happened to him. Edgar Allan Poe died in the hospital on Sunday, October 7, 1849.
In 1845, Edgar Poe became an editor at The Broadway
Journal. A year later, the Journal ran out of money and Poe was out of a
job again. He and his family moved to a small cottage near what is now East
192nd Street. Virginia's health was fading away and Edgar was deeply distressed
by it. Virginia died in 1847, 10 days after Edgar's birthday. After losing his
wife, Poe collapsed from stress but gradually returned to health later that
year.
Edgar's Death
In June of 1849, Poe left New York and went to Philadelphia,
where he visited his friend John Sartain. Poe left Philadelphia in July and
came to Richmond. He stayed at the Swan Tavern Hotel but joined "The Sons
of Temperance" in an effort to stop drinking. He renewed a boyhood romance
with Sarah Royster Shelton and planned to marry her in October.
On September 27, Poe left Richmond for New York. He went to Philadelphia and stayed with a friend named James P. Moss. On September 30, he meant to go to New York but supposedly took the wrong train to Baltimore. On October 3, Poe was found at Gunner's Hall, a public house at 44 East Lombard Street, and was taken to the hospital. He lapsed in and out of consciousness but was never able to explain exactly what happened to him. Edgar Allan Poe died in the hospital on Sunday, October 7, 1849.
