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Edgar Allan Poe is Born
He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and was the second oldest son. -
Poe's Sister is born
Poe's sister Rosalie is born. Shortly after her birth, David Poe the children's father deserts the family. -
Poe's Parents Die
His father abandoned their family in 1810, and his mother died a year later from pulmonary tuberculosis. -
Edgar's First Poem
This poem, named "Poetry" was most likely incomplete and never printed in Poe's lifetime. Its two lines were found written on a page of some of John Allan's financial records. This is the earliest surviving manuscript in Poe's own hand. -
Poe's brother dies
His elder brother Henry had been in ill health, in part due to problems with alcoholism, and he died on August 1, 1831. After his brother's death, Poe began more earnest attempts to start his career as a writer. -
Poe enlists in the US Army & shortly after his first book is published
Poe was unable to support himself, so he enlisted in the United States Army as a private on May 27, 1827, using the name "Edgar A. Perry". He claimed that he was 22 years old even though he was 18. He released his first book, a 40-page collection of poetry titled Tamerlane and Other Poems, attributed with the byline "by a Bostonian". -
Poe marries his 13 year old cousin, Virginia Clemm
Poe then 26, obtained a license to marry his 13-year-old cousin Virginia Clemm. They were married for eleven years until her early death, which may have inspired some of his writing. -
Poe writes his first novel "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym
This rousing sea adventure follows a New England boy, Pym, who stows away on a whaling ship with its captain's son, Augustus. The two boys, who find themselves repeatedly on the brink of discovery or death, witness many hair-raising events, including mutiny, savagery, cannibalism, and frantic pursuits. -
Poe's story collection "Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque" is published in 2 volumes
In 1839, the collection Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque was published in two volumes, though he made little money from it and it received mixed reviews. It's a collection of previously published short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. -
Poe publishes the poem, "The Raven"
In January 1845, Poe published his poem "The Raven" to instant success. It tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow fall into madness. -
Poe's wife Virginia dies of tuberculosis at their home in the Bronx
His wife died of tuberculosis two years after its publication. They were married for eleven years until her early death, which may have inspired some of his writing. -
Edgar Allen Poe Dies
On October 3, 1849, Poe was found delirious on the streets of Baltimore. Poe was never coherent long enough to explain how he came to be in his dire condition and, oddly, was wearing clothes that were not his own.
