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Poe is Born
Edgar Poe is born in Boston to Elizabeth Arnold Poe and David Poe, Jr. The couple already has one son named Henry. -
Poe's Sister is Born
Poe's sister Rosalie is born. Around this time, his father walks out on the family, leaving Poe's mother to care for the three children on her own. Making matters worse, Poe's mother soon falls ill with tuberculosis. -
Parents' Death
Elizabeth Arnold Poe dies of tuberculosis in Richmond, Virginia. Within days, David Poe also dies of tuberculosis. With no parents to take care of them, the three children of the family are split up. Henry goes to live with his paternal grandparents. A Richmond couple, John and Frances Allan, take in Edgar as a foster child. Rosalie is taken in by another Richmond family named Mackenzie. Both Edgar and Rosalie adopt their foster families' names as their middle names. -
Allan Family moves to England
The Allan family sails to London, where Edgar enrolls in school -
Back to America
Five years after leaving for London, the Allan family moves back to Richmond, VA. -
First Poem
A fifteen-year-old Edgar Allan Poe pens his first known poem: "Last night, with many cares & toils oppres'd,/ Weary, I laid me on a couch to rest." -
Off to College
Poe enrolls midway through the academic year at the University of Virginia -
Splits with Allans
After racking up a $2,000 gambling debt while at college, Poe gets into an argument with his foster father, when he refuses to give him money to settle the debt. Poe leaves college and the Allans. He moves to Baltimore to join his aunt, cousin, and older brother Henry. -
U.S Army and Published Author
Poe enlists in the U.S. Army under the name "Edgar A. Perry." Shortly after, his first book—a poetry collection entitled Tamerlane and Other Poems—is published. The author is listed only as "A Bostonian." -
Foster Mother Dies
Poe's foster mother, Frances Allan, with whom he was still close, dies in Richmond. Her death only further separates Poe and the Allan family, leaving John Allan to eventually fully disown Poe. -
Appointed to West Point
Poe is appointed to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. A few months later he publishes his second book of poetry, Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems. -
Poe Enrolled at West Point
Poe enrolled as a cadet officer at West Point. While enrolled at West Point, he published a third book of poems. -
End of West Point and Beginning of Writing Career
Tired of the military, Poe successfully attempts to get himself kicked out of West Point. When he stops going to classes and chapel, Poe is court-martialed and dismissed. He publishes several anonymous short stories plus another book of poems. -
Brother Dies
Poe's older brother Henry dies after a battle with alcoholism. This causes Poe to attempt to stop drinking. -
"MS. Found in a bottle"
After winning a contest, Edgar Allan Poe's "MS. Found in a Bottle" is published. -
Takes Job as Southern Literary Messenger
Poe takes a job as editor of the Southern Literary Messenger magazine. He publishes critical reviews of other writers' work as well as his own stories and poems. -
Poe Gets Married
This is the reported date of Poe and his first cousin's secret marriage.Their only public ceremony was in Richmond on May 16, 1836, when they were married by a Presbyterian minister named Rev. Amasa Converse. Poe was 27 and Virginia was 13, though her age was listed as 21.This marriage bond was filed in Richmond and included an affidavit from Thomas W. Cleland confirming the bride's alleged age. -
First Novel
Poe's first novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, is published. -
Magazine Editor
Poe is hired as an editor at Burton's Gentleman's Magazine. -
Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque
Poe's story collection Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque is published in two volumes. -
Editing Again
Poe begins as an editor at Graham's Magazine, where he works until May 1842. The magazine runs Poe's short story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," the first-ever entry in a genre now known as the detective story. -
Virginia Falls Ill
One day while singing at the piano, Virginia starts to bleed from the mouth, a symptom of untreated tuberculosis. Her illness only gets worse over the next few years -
Lecturer
Poe begins delivering lectures on poetry. He is a popular lecturer, frequently speaking to packed audiences. -
Off to New York
Poe, his wife, and her mother move to New York City, where he gets a job at the New York Evening Mirror. -
The Raven
Poe publishes the poem , The Raven in the New York Evening Mirror. It is wildly successful, bringing the writer the fame and fortune that have long eluded him. -
Virginia's Death
Poe's wife Virginia finally dies of tuberculosis at their home in the Bronx. Poe has been so despondent during the final months of her illness that friends thought he was going insane. The loss of his wife sends Poe into a downward spiral of alcoholism. -
Engaged
Poe proposes to a poet named Sarah Helen Whitman, who agrees on the condition that he quit drinking. Poe can't live up to the promise, and Whitman calls off the engagement a month later. -
Engaged Again
Poe convinces his childhood sweetheart, Elmira Royster Shelton, to become his fiancée. He even joins the Sons of Temperance, an organization that forbids drinking. Fate would have other plans... -
Poe's Death
After being found unconscious in a Baltimore gutter, Edgar Allan Poe is taken to the hospital and pronounced dead of causes still unknown. His last words were reportedly him helplessly crying "Lord help my poor soul." He is buried at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Baltimore.
