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Edgar Allan Poe is born
Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, MA -
Poe's Sister is born
There is no solid documentary evidence for this claim. All we know is that she was born long enough after the mysterious disappearance of her mother Eliza's husband, David Poe, for questions to arise about the child's paternity. -
Poe's Parents Die
Poe's mother, Eliza Poe, died on December 8, 1811, while his dad, David Poe Jr, died on December 11, 1811, before Poe was even 3 years old. John and Frances Allan raised him as a foster child in Richmond, Virginia. -
Poe writes his first poem
He writes his first poem, Tamerlane. -
Poe enlists in the U.S. Army and shortly after his first book is published
Edgar Allan Poe enlists in the army under the alias of Edgar A. Perry, claiming to be a twenty-two-year-old clerk from Boston. He first served at Fort Independence in Boston Harbor and was later moved to Fort Moultrie in Charleston, South Carolina, and then Fort Monroe, Virginia, usually earning around $5 a month. -
Poe's older brother dies
Edgar's brother, William Henry Leonard Poe, died on August 1, 1831, in Baltimore, MD. -
Poe marries his thirteen year old cousin, Virginia Clemm
Edgar Allan Poe marries his cousin, Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe. The two first met in 1829, when Clemm was seven years old -
Poe writes his first novel "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym"
"The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym" is Poe's first and only complete novel. The work relates the tale of the young Arthur Gordon Pym, who stows away aboard a whaling ship called the Grampus. -
Poe's story collection "Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque" is published in two volumes
It was published by the Philadelphia firm Lea & Blanchard and released in two volumes. The publisher was willing to print the collection based on the recent success of Poe's story "The Fall of the House of Usher". -
Poe Publishes the poem, "The Raven"
Poe published "The Raven" on January 29, 1845. The poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. -
Poe's wife Virginia dies of tuberculosis at their home in the Bronx.
The disease and eventual death of his wife had a substantial effect on Edgar Allan Poe, who became despondent and turned to alcohol to cope. -
Edgar Allan Poe Dies
The death of Edgar Allan Poe on October 7, 1849, has remained mysterious: the circumstances leading up to it are uncertain and the cause of death is disputed. On October 3, he was found delirious in Baltimore, Maryland, in great distress, and in need of immediate assistance. He was taken to the Washington College Hospital, where he died at 5 a.m. on Sunday, October 7. He was 40 years old. Poe was never coherent enough to explain how he came to be in this condition.
