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The way an author writes depends a lot on the type of life they have led. You can’t expect a man who has spent his life in tragedies to write a rom-com. Therefore, if you are getting into the works of Edgar Allan Poe, you must know of the circumstances that preceded them. The unexplained death of Edgar Allan Poe’s older biological brother is one such thing that his fans are mostly aware of. However, if you are one of the oblivious ones, don’t worry, this article is for your rescue.
It is a truth well known that Edgar Allan Poe’s life was nothing less than tragic. After all, there was a reason behind him writing so many grotesque stories. The inspiration might have been from his own life. Though not many people have unravelled all the mysteries regarding his short-lived life. However, I have tried unveiling the hidden gems of the existence of Edgar Allan Poe which will hopefully also provide an insight into his creative process.
1. The Seed of the Tragedy of Edgar Allan Poe
On January 19th, 1809, Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston Massachusetts in the home of two actors. Their names were David Poe and Elizabeth Poe. Though like Edgar Allan Poe’s life, this monumental event of his life was also not much separated from melancholy. Edgar Allan Poe’s birth was soon succeeded by the breakage of his home.
His father, David Poe, left the family when Edgar Allan Poe was nothing but a year old. This was his first introduction to his companion for life, trauma.
2. The Backstory of Edgar Allan Poe’s Name
It is believed that Edgar Allan Poe got his name from a character with the same name in Shakespeare’s famous King Lear.
Supposedly, his parents were acting in the said play at the time of his birth. If all of this is to be believed then, one can say that his name was a bad omen for the life of Edgar Allan Poe. since the play was a sad tragedy in itself.
3. The First Encounter of Edgar Allan Poe with Death
Soon after David Poe abandoned the family for worse, Elizabeth Poe stepped up to be the breadwinner. However, the very next year, Elizabeth Poe died because of consumption. Consumption was what we know as tuberculosis now.
It was a disease that would return in Edgar Allan Poe’s lifetime and again to suck the life and happiness out of it.
Edgar Allan Poe and his older brother, William Henry Leonard Poe were orphaned now. They did not even have the slightest idea as to what their lives were about to become.
4. Adoption of Poe
Shortly after their mother’s death, Edgar Allan Poe was separated from his siblings William Henry Leonard Poe and their younger sister.
The reason for this separation was the adoption of Edgar Allan Poe by a wealthy tobacco merchant and his wife. Their names were John Allan and Francis Allan (the foster mother) respectively.
They provided Edgar Allan Poe with a house, a family and a family name. Though the foster family never really officially adopted Edgar Allan Poe, they did bestow their family name upon him.
However, life was still not a bed of roses for Edgar Allan Poe. His foster father, since he was a businessman, wanted Edgar to do the same. As a result, there were many clashes between John Allan, the foster father and Edgar Allan Poe.
Though Allan Poe wanted to be a revolutionary in American literature from a young age only. He dreamt of being a writer and poet and therefore, would not listen to anything else.
5. Poe’s First Romance
In 1826, at the age of 17, Edgar Allan Poe fell in love with a girl named Sarah Elmira Royster.
Though soon after he left for the University of Virginia. Edgar Allan Poe continued writing letters to Sarah Elmira Royster and kept a long-distance relationship still.
However, her father disapproved of the relationship. He made sure to destroy every one of Poe’s letters before they even got to her.
6. Financial Distress in His Life
Where Edgar Allan Poe was facing problems in his love life, his financial life was not going smoothly either.
His ill fortune continued as John Allan sent Poe to the University of Virginia with only one-third of the money required to study there.
Because of this, Edgar Allan Poe had to resort to methods like gambling to get money. This further led him to the deep wells of debt.
Even after witnessing all of this, John Allan refused to help Edgar Allan Poe in covering the debts. This is believed to be the time when Edgar Allan Poe started showing concrete signs of depression and manic episodes.
7. All Hell Broke Loose
Edgar Allan Poe used to burn his furniture to survive the cold months of those Virginia winters.
These harsh conditions forced Edgar Allan Poe to drop out of college before the year ended.
However, the home was not a better place for him too. He returned to receive the news of the engagement of Sarah Elmira Royster to another man.
To say that Edgar Allan Poe was heartbroken would be an understatement.
8. A Period of Brief Sunshine
The continuous bickering between John Allan and Edgar Allan Poe led him to join the United States Army.
Quite ironically his period of serving in the army was the first time Allan Poe ever felt true peace in his life.
This was the same time he published his first book, Tamerlane and Other Poems”. Also, in just two years, Allan Poe was promoted to the rank of Sergeant Major for artillery.
For the first time in his life, Edgar Allan Poe was truly happy. Though it was just a matter of time before the bad times returned.
9. The Return of Death and Cold
Just after the warm winter afternoon of Edgar Allan Poe’s life, the cold returned.
On February 28th, 1829, Edgar Allan Poe’s foster mother, Frances Allan died. It was just John Allan and Edgar Allan Poe left in the Allan family now.
In an attempt to flee the company of John Allan, Edgar Allan Poe declined the appointment to the Military Academy in New York.
Therefore, Edgar Allan Poe moved to Baltimore to live with his aunt Maria Clemm and her daughter Virginia Eliza Clemm in March of 1831.
Edgar Allan Poe was reunited with his older brother William Henry Leonard Poe only to be separated from him forever.
10. Unexplained Death of Edgar Allan Poe’s Older Brother
On August 1st, 1831, William Henry Leonard Poe, the older brother of Poe died. This was the third death that Edgar Allan Poe was witnessing.
Henry Poe was taken away by consumption. This was the second time tuberculosis had taken away someone dear to Edgar Allan Poe. The streak would only continue in the future.
Some also say that his brother Henry was also an alcoholic. He might have passed away in the same bed that he shared with his brother.
Regardless of the reason, Edgar Allan Poe was deeply shaken by this death.
11. Edgar Allan Poe; The Writer
Edgar Poe was deeply triggered and shaken by the death of his brother Henry. He took the event of his death as an inspiration for excelling in his career.
Edgar Poe started selling his short stories to magazines and started writing more seriously. This eventually landed him a job as an editor for the Southern Literary Messenger in the year 1835.
12. Wedding Bells in the Life of Poe
Edgar Poe soon fell head over heels in love with a neighbour of his named, Mary Devereaux. Virginia Poe, the cousin of Edgar Poe, acted as a messenger between the two.
The situation was quite adorable when you think about it!
However, soon after this romance, Allan Poe got permission to marry his cousin, Virginia Poe.
When the wedding knot was tied between the two, Virginia Poe was just 13 years old. Contrary to his young bride, Allan Poe was 27 years old.
Their marriage was quite a bizarre one. It was a weird combination of incest and grooming.
Though the relationship was quite acceptable at the time which Allan Poe lived.
13. A Period of Stability in the Life of Poe
After his wedding to Virginia Poe, Edgar Allan Poe experienced a fairly stable time in his life. Virginia Poe brought peace into his life.
This in turn helped him to focus on his short stories, poems and writings in general.
Edgar Allan Poe went on to edit many publications. He wrote many short stories during this time. “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Murder in the Rue Morgue”, and “The Fall of the House of Usher” were all his creations from this time only.
14. Fame but at What Cost?
Edgar Allan Poe became a household name after the publication of “The Raven”. He finally had the fame that he had desired since time immemorial.
Though Poe was still struggling financially. His best work “The Raven”, despite all the praises, was not sold at a very high price.
The peace in his private life was also disrupted as Virginia Poe was diagnosed with consumption. Yet another loved one of Edgar Allan Poe was caught in the shambles of this fatal disease.
Edgar Poe was coping with this news with the support of alcohol. It is believed that he was suffering from depression too during this time.
15. Virginia Poe’s Death
On January 30th, 1847, Virginia Poe died of consumption. This was the last time that the disease snatched a loved one of Edgar Allan Poe from his life.
Edgar Allan Poe fell into a spiral of self-destruction soon after. It is believed that his dependency on alcohol worsened. His depression was also worse than ever.
In the year 1848, Edgar Allan Poe even attempted suicide. The death of his wife sucked the life out of Poe too.
Check out: Unexplained Death of Edgar Allan Poe’s Wife
16. Edgar Allan Poe Reconciled with an Old Lover
Two years after the death of Virginia, Edgar Allan Poe met with his first lover, Sarah Royster.
The old flame between the two ex-lovers was ignited. Sarah Royster was a widow now. They were soon engaged.
But their happiness did not last very long as just a few months, Edgar Allan Poe died.
17. Edgar Allan Poe’s Death
Edgar Allan Poe’s demise from this world came under the category of a mysterious death.
There are many theories revolving around this mysterious death.
It is believed that during the summer of 1849, Allan Poe was fighting hard with his demons. He had only two depressive episodes and relapses and was also preparing to move to Philadelphia. An editing job was offered to him there.
Though Poe did not go and stayed in Baltimore only. He became underground for the next five days.
Edgar Allan Poe was found out of his senses and unresponsive outside a polling place in Baltimore on October 3rd.
To make matters worse, Edgar Allan Poe was not even wearing his clothes. Whenever consciousness would return to him, he would shout “Reynolds”.
17.1 Last Days at the Washington College Hospital
After this embarrassing incident in the streets of Baltimore, Edgar Allan Poe was sent to Washington College Hospital.
Doctor John Moran treated him on his last days on Earth. The doctor further recounted that the last words of Edgar Allan Poe were, “Lord, help my poor soul”.
Edgar Allan Poe died on 7th October 1849. No loved one was by his side during his final breaths.
To make the situation more tragic, he died in a hospital room mostly reserved for drunks.
His fiancée Sarah Royster did not get to know of his death until it was printed in the paper a month later.
The cause of his death was listed as cerebral inflammation. It was a term used for alcohol consumption during the time.
Ironically, during the last years of his life, Edgar Allan Poe joined the temperance movement. It was a group against the consumption of alcohol.
18. What Happened to Edgar Allan Poe’s Siblings?
After the death of their biological mother, Edgar Allan Poe and his two siblings were separated.
The older brother of Poe, William Henry Leonard Poe, was sent to live with his grandparents in Baltimore, Maryland. After reuniting with Edgar Allan Poe, his brother died on August 1st, 1831.
Poe also had a younger sister named Rosalie who was sent to live with foster parents William and Jane Scott Mackenzie. She was rumoured to be “backward” and “dull”.
Mostly her life was spent in comfort until the US Civil War in 1861. She died on 21st July 1874.
19. Theories Related to the Death of Edgar Allan
Poe’s death sparked so many theories. How he reached the Washington College Hospital is a story so mysterious that people still speculate its reasons.
Some of the major ones are listed below.
19.1 Alcoholism
Many people believe that the real reason behind the death of Poe was alcoholism.
The theory is widely accepted because of two men, Dr. Joseph Snodgrass, Poe’s friend, and Rufos Griswold, Poe’s literary rival.
When Dr. Joseph Snodgrass arrived at the place where Poe was found, he naturally assumed that he was drunk.
Dr Snodgrass was also a supporter of the temperance movement. He used the example of Poe’s condition to popularise his movement.
However, after the examination of Poe by Dr. John Moran, it was revealed that there was not even the slightest hint of alcohol on him.
Despite it all, the rumours of his alcoholism were still spread.
They were further sparked by the obituary and biography of Poe written by Rufos Griswold. Even though Poe’s true friends denounced the claims, the biography was still widely accepted at the time.
19.2 Cooping
Some people also believe that the death of Poe might have been an indirect cause of cooping.
In the 1800s, during elections, the people of a candidate would kidnap citizens from the street. They would force strangers to vote for their candidates multiple times. This was all part of a voter’s fraud.
To add to this theory, Poe was found outside a polling place on October 3rd. It was a voting day in Baltimore, Maryland.
The voters were also given alcohol as a reward for voting multiple times. It could have happened that Poe was given multiple drinks and beatings to vote.
This would perfectly explain the condition he was found in. A blow to the head might have been the actual reason for the cerebral inflammation listed in the paper.
19.3 Rabies
The final theory of his death is a recent one proposed by Dr. R. Michael Benitez in 1996.
Doctors were given anonymous notes of attending physicians and were given the task of finding the reason for the death of the patient at a conference.
Doctor Benitez concluded that Poe was suffering from rabies. The symptoms of confusion and lethargy, delirium, visual hallucinations, shallow breathing, and faster pulse rate were evidence enough. Also, the survival rate of rabies back in the day was 4 days, matching Poe’s last days.
After the diagnosis, it was revealed to Doctor Benitez that he had diagnosed Poe.
However, Poe’s suffering from hydrophobia has still not been confirmed. Benitez also said that without proper DNA tests, no one can say for sure that Poe died of rabies.
20. What Other People in Poe’s Life Died from the Same Disease?
Poe’s life was marked by the fatal disease of tuberculosis. Time and again, consumption had killed the people dear to Poe.
His mother first died of the disease in the year 1811. This left Poe and his two siblings orphaned.
Poe’s foster mother Frances Allan died of the same disease leaving him to live a life with his foster father. He escaped John Allan by going to live with her aunt Maria Clemm.
Poe’s wife Virginia also died of consumption after having been fighting with it for several years.
Every time that happiness entered Poe’s life, tuberculosis made sure to snatch hope and peace from under his nose.
21. What are Two Tragic Facts About Poe’s Biological Parents?
The life of Poe was coloured by only the dark colours of tragedy. Since his birth, he knew nothing but ill fate and hopelessness.
Not long after the birth of Poe, his biological father abandoned the family. He left Elizabeth Poe, their biological mother to fend for herself and the family.
Though soon after this incident, their mother also died of tuberculosis. A disease that would go on to take the lives of a lot of people close to Poe.
Hence, just after his birth, Poe, along with his siblings, was orphaned for life.
22. Conclusion
Even though Poe wrote a lot of short stories and poems, he never really tasted success in his prime. He was a prominent figure in American literature. But his personal life was always going through something or the other.
He was a troubled soul and never really knew peace. It would not be wrong to say that the only true companion that he ever had was tragedy and loneliness.
This might also be the reason why there was a constant presence of sadness in all his works.
Poe was lucky enough to experience love in his lifetime, but his luck only lasted so much. He never really got to live with anyone he loved. Though, at least he got some recognition after his death. Poe’s works are greatly revered in the literary world.
He might have led a miserable life, but one can find solace in the fact that Poe’s works contributed a great deal to the literary world. And for that literature enthusiasts are forever grateful to him.
Poe knew many ancient and modern languages. People can question his ideologies and his stand on alcoholism, but no one can question his sheer brilliance. Hopefully, in his afterlife, Poe is aware of this fact and has finally found eternal peace.
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