Family Tree Tuesday – Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic. He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through his writing alone which resulted in a financially difficult life and career. He had enlisted in the United States Army as a private on May 27, 1827 using the name “Edgar A. Perry” claiming he was 22 years old when he was actually 18. Poe served at fort Independence in Boston Harbor. He released his first book of poetry that same year, Tamerlane and Other Poems, which did not receive any attention. In 1845 he published his poem, “The Raven”, to instant success. Poe is best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, he was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre.

Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts to English-born actress Elizabeth Hopkins Poe and actor David Poe, Jr. Elizabeth Poe was a stage actress in London from 1791 to 1795. David Poe, Jr. was an American actor, he abandoned his family in 1810 and Elizabeth died a year later from consumption leaving Edgar Allan Poe and his siblings orphaned at a young age. Poe had a younger brother, William Henry Leonard Poe who was a sailor and amateur poet, and a younger sister Rosalie Poe who was the only one out of the siblings that lived to old age.

Poe married his first cousin Virginia Clemm when she was 13, she was the daughter of David Poe, Jr.’s sister Maria Poe.

Did you know Edgar Allan Poe’s grandfather David Poe, Sr. served as a soldier in the American Revolution? He was known to George Washington and was often called “General Poe”.

Check out Edgar Allan Poe’s family tree and see if you’re related to him!