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Poe was born in Boston, the second child of two actors. Thus orphaned, the child was taken in by John and Frances Allan of Richmond, Virginia. They never formally adopted him, but Poe was with them well into young adulthood.
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Rosalie was the third daughter and younger sister of Edgar.
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His father abandoned the family in 1810, and his mother died the following year.
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Poe self-published his first book, Tamerlane and Other Poems, in 1827.
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In 1827, around the time he published his first book, Poe joined the U.S. Army. Allan helped Poe get an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Poe excelled at his studies at West Point, but he was kicked out after a year for his poor handling of his duties.
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Poe's older brother also died of tuberculosis.
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Edgar Allan Poe lived in Baltimore, where his father was born, with his aunt Maria Clemm and her daughter, his cousin Virginia. He began to devote his attention to Virginia, who became his literary inspiration as well as his love interest. The couple married in 1836 when she was only 13 years old.
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Poe published some of his own works in the magazine, including two parts of his only novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym.
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Poe published Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, a collection of short stories. It contained several of his most spine-tingling tales, including "The Fall of the House of Usher," "Ligeia" and "William Wilson."
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Edgar Allan Poe’s poem "The Raven," published in 1845 in the New York Evening Mirror, is considered among the best-known poems in American literature and one of the best of Poe's career. An unknown narrator laments the demise of his great love Lenore and is visited by a raven, who insistently repeats one word: “nevermore.” In the work, which consists of 18 six-line stanzas, Poe explored some of his common themes — death and loss.
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The same age when Poe’s mother and brother also died — Virginia passed away from tuberculosis.
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Edgar Allen Poe died on October 7, 1849. His final days remain somewhat of a mystery. Poe left Richmond on September 27, 1849, and was supposedly on his way to Philadelphia. On October 3, he was found in Baltimore in great distress. Poe was taken to Washington College Hospital, where he died four days later. His last words were "Lord, help my poor soul."
