Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809. His father, David Poe, was from Baltimore. He was an actor and a heavy drinker. Soon after Edgar Allan Poe was born, he left his family. Poe's mother, Elizabeth Arnold Poe, was now a single mother at the age of eighteen. When Poe was two years old his mother died of tuberculosis. When his mother died and Poe was adopted by John Allan. In 1815, John Allan moved his family to England. While there Poe attended a private school.
In the spring of 1826, Poe entered the University of
Virginia. He was a very good student but got into difficulties almost at once. Mr. Allan did not provide him with the money to pay for his
Fees and Poe had to drop out of the University.
In May of 1827, Poe enlisted in the army as a common soldier.
English: Edgar Allan Poe's room
Unidentified portrait of Edgar Allan Poe; portrait...
English: Cropped image from the famous E.A. Poe da...Poe adapted very well to the military and quickly rose to the rank of
Regimental sergeant major. Poe West Point Army Academy in l830. Mr. Allan once again neglected to pay for Poe's schooling and necessities. So, Poe decided to have him kicked out of the academy. He accomplished this by skipping classes and disobeying orders.
He was court-martialed in January, 1831, and left West Point the following month.
Now, Poe needed a job. He went to New York, but could find no work there. Then he went to Baltimore. There he decided to make his living by writing. He decided to start writing short stories. Poe
competed in a contest for the best short story in 1831 but he did not win the prize. He entered the contest again in June of 1835. His story, "Manuscript". Found in a Bottle," won, and he received one hundred dollars for...