| Childhood: Family, School and University (1809-1826) |
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Edgar Allan Poe, son of Actress Eliza Poe and Actor David Poe Jr., was born on 19th of January 1809.
Edgar and his brother and sister were orphaned before Edgar's third birthday and Edgar was taken in to the home of John and Fanny Allan. John Allan, originally from Scotland, started a business in Richmond, Virginia, together with his partner Charles Ellis, they called it The House of Ellis and Allan. They traded with tobacco and other goods and made a great deal of money. John Allan and his wife Frances, also known as "Fanny", were frequent theatre goers, and Frances joined the charitable women of Richmond who helped Eliza Poe's sickroom. Eliza's daughter Rosalie was taken in by a Richmond family called MacKenzie. Fanny was interested in the middle son, Edgar. John opposed her, but later he gave in to Fanny's wishes. They did, however, not formally adopt Edgar. The Allans lived quite close to the MacKenzies and Edgar probably had the opportunity to meet his sister once in a while in his early years. Edgar came from living more or less in a suitcase and in poverty, into this new family that was materially well off. John Allan promised David Poe Jr's relatives that he would give Edgar a good education. He valued arithmetics, writing and reading highly since it was a must for success in business. Not much is known about Edgar's first years with the Allans and hardly anything to indicate his feelings. When he was five years old John Allan sent him to a teacher named Clotilda Fisher and after this to the Richmond schoolmaster William Ewing who said that Edgar was charming and liked the school. When Edgar was six and a half, the Allans moved to England. Edgar Allan, as he was known during his stay in England, received his first formal education there. He was sent to board to a school in Chelsea about three miles from the Allans' flat. When Edgar was eight he boarded the school Stoke Newington, four miles from London. Edgar studied, among other subjects, Latin and dancing and was quite successful. After three and a half years abroad, the London tobacco market collapsed. John Allan tried to sell out his business but failed. The market was in utter chaos and some merchants even committed suicide. John Allan tried to get some help from his partner Ellis but no money was sent. July 17, 1819, the London House of Allan and Ellis collapsed since they could not keep up with their debts. July 21, 1820, the Allans arrived in New York and had to send for a doctor immediately due to Fanny's sickness. Edgar continued his education during this time and when he was fourteen he attended the academy of Joseph H. Clarke. Edgar's schooling in Richmond encouraged his gift for language and he did very well in Latin and French. When he was about sixteen he wrote one of his earliest surviving poems; "Oh Tempora! Oh Mores!Ф When Edgar returned from England he had a pale and weak resemblance but in Richmond he turned to athletics. He was a good runner, leaper and boxer and also a superior swimmer. At the age of fifteen or sixteen he swam six miles in the James River under a hot June sun, partly against a strong tide. In 1826 he entered the University of Virginia. Edgar was proud to attend to the University and he had high ambitions in language. He took ancient and modern languages. Edgar was an excellent student and his translations were remembered as "precisely correct". He studied French, Italian and probably some Spanish. He also joined the Jefferson Society, a debating club, and grew noted as a debater. He was also remembered as an outstanding athlete, he sketched in charcoal, and continued to develop as a writer. Edgar was during his university year described as moody and gloomy. This might be due to his first known romantic attachment with a girl named Elmira Royster, whom he met in Richmond before he left for the university. Edgar wrote to her frequently, but her father opposed to the match due to the age. He intercepted the letters, hence Edgar did not receive any replies to them. The student life was chaotic and at times even dangerous. During a riot in the school's first year, masked students threw bricks and bottles at the professors. During Edgar's year, seven students were expelled or suspended for high-stakes gambling. Once a student was struck on the head with a large stone and he pulled a pistol - which apparently were quite common. The student misfired but would otherwise have killed the attacker. The quarrels with John Allan grew stronger, mostly because of Edgar's financial problems. During the year he got large gambling and other debts, which he claimed was because John Allan did not provide well enough. Allan refused to pay Edgar's debts and Edgar had to leave the University after only one year. To learn more about Poe's biography click here |
