Edgar Allen Poe By savcas Jan 19, 1809 poe's birth Jan 19, 1809 Period: Jan 19, 1809 to Oct 7, 1849 poes life Dec 8, 1811 real parents death Feb 28, 1829 Death of Foster Mother May 16, 1836 marriage Jun 5, 1838 first novel Jan 30, 1847 poe's wifes death Oct 20, 1848 poe proposes to Sarah Helen Whitman Whitman calls off the engagement a month later Oct 7, 1849 poe's death