The Beginning Was Marked by Loss

Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809, the second child of actors David and Eliza Poe. His father disappeared from the family while Edgar was still very young. In December 1811, his mother died of tuberculosis, leaving Edgar, his brother William, and his sister Rosalie orphaned.

Two-year-old Edgar was taken into the Richmond home of John and Frances Allan. Although Poe took Allan as his middle name, John Allan never legally adopted him. The relationship between foster son and foster father would remain complicated throughout Poe's young life

1809–1811 Boston → Richmond

1809 — Born in Boston

1811 — His Mother Dies

1811 — A New Home

Edgar Poe was born January 19, 1809, to actors David and Eliza Poe.

Eliza Poe died in Richmond on December 8, 1811. Edgar was only two years old.

Edgar was taken into the household of John and Frances Allan in Richmond.

An archival ink sketch of a 19th-century schoolhouse interior with wooden desks, a quill pen resting on an open book, and soft light streaming through a multi-pane window.
An archival ink sketch of a 19th-century schoolhouse interior with wooden desks, a quill pen resting on an open book, and soft light streaming through a multi-pane window.

1812–1825

The Richmond Years

The Allan Household

Growing Up in Richmond

After his mother's death in 1811, Edgar was taken into the Richmond household of John and Frances Allan. Frances became an important maternal figure in his childhood, while his relationship with John Allan remained complicated. Although Allan raised Edgar as his son, he never formally adopted him.

1826–1829

Education, Debt & Independence

Poe entered the University of Virginia in 1826, where he studied ancient and modern languages. His time there was brief and financially difficult. Without sufficient funds to cover his expenses, he accumulated debt and left the university after less than a year. His growing independence from John Allan would become an increasingly important part of his young adulthood.

1826
1826–1827
1827–1829

University of Virginia

Debt & Conflict

A New Direction

Poe entered the University of Virginia in February 1826. He studied Latin, Greek, French, Italian, Spanish and other subjects while also developing a reputation for literary ambition.

Poe's expenses at the university exceeded the financial support available to him. His debts contributed to increasing tension with John Allan, whose relationship with Poe had already become strained.

Seeking independence, Poe left Richmond for Boston in 1827. He enlisted in the army under the name Edgar A. Perry and published his first collection, Tamerlane and Other Poems.