Chronology of the Life of Edgar Allan Poe


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In the following chronology, a few items have been included even though they occurred after Poe's death. For a more detailed accounting of Poe's life, see The Poe Log

  • 1806 (March 14) - Traveling stage actors David Poe, Jr. and Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins marry. (A. H. Quinn gives the date as “between March 14 and April 9, 1806, and probably between April 5th and April 9th, in Richmond,” Quinn, p. 24.)
  • 1807 (Jan. 30) - William Henry Leonard Poe (usually called Henry) is born to David and Elizabeth Poe in Boston.
  • 1809 (Jan. 19) - Edgar Poe is born in Boston. (On the back of a miniature portrait of herself, Elizabeth Poe wrote: “For my little son Edgar, who should ever love Boston, the place of his birth, and where his mother found her best, and most sympathetic friends.” A. H. Quinn discusses the location of Poe's birth on pp. 727-729.)
  • 1810 (Dec. 20) - Rosalie Poe (often called Rosie or Rose) is born in Norfolk, Virginia. (In a letter from John Allan to Henry Poe, November 1, 1824, Allan makes the odd statement about Rosalie that, “At least She is half your Sister & God forbid my dear Henry that We should visit upon the living the Errors & frailties of the dead,” The Poe Log, p. 62. There is, however, no real reason to presume that Rosalie was illegitimate. See also Mabbott, Poems, 1969, pp. 520-521.)
  • 1811 (Dec. 8) - Elizabeth Arnold Poe, Edgar's mother, dies in Richmond, Virginia. Her remains are buried at Old St. John's Church in old Richmond. (The exact cause of her death is unknown other than some illness, perhaps pneumonia. Suggestions that she died from tuberculosis are unfounded. The location of her death is discussed in some detail by A. H. Quinn, pp. 732-741.) David Poe, Edgar's father, apparently dies within a few days of his wife. (According to W. F. Gill, this would be Dec. 10.) (The circumstances surrounding David Poe's death, and the reason why he was not with his family at the time, are shrouded in mystery. Around 1890, Mrs. Byrd, the daughter of the Mackenzies, who took in Poe's sister Rosalie, stated, “It is certain that Mr. [David] Poe died in Norfolk; where the company with which they were playing ... were compelled to leave him on account of illness, while they went on to Richmond. On hearing of his death, one of them returned to Norfolk and brought the whole family to Richmond, intending to take them to their friends in Baltimore, but Mrs. Poe being taken with pneumonia, died ...” Weiss, “Reminiscences of Edgar Allan Poe,” The Independent, August 25, 1904, p. 447. Disagreeing somewhat with Mrs. Byrd is a November 2, 1811 letter from Samuel Mordecia to his sister Rachel: “A singular fashion prevails here this season — it is — charity — Mrs. Poe, who you know is a very handsome woman, happens to be very sick, and (having quarreled and parted with her husband) is destitute” The Poe Log, p. 13. Unfortunately, appeals for money for Mrs. Poe in Richmond newspapers of the time make no mention of David Poe. A notice of a benefit for Mrs. Poe from July 26, 1811 in the Norfolk Herald, however clearly suggests that David Poe was already not with the family: “Left alone, the only support of herself and several small children. ... Shame on the world that can turn its back on the same person in distress, that it was wont to cherish in prosperity,” The Poe Log, p. 11. In all of these cases, David Poe's absence by death or desertion should have elicited much additional sympathy. David Poe was last known to have appeared on stage on October 18, 1809, The Poe Log, p. 8. Mary Phillips confidently quotes from an unidentified newspaper clipping that David Poe died, “at Norfolk, Va., Oct. 19, 1810,” Phillips, Poe the Man, p. 77. A. H. Quinn discusses this clipping on p. 44, n. 85. Quinn also notes that David Poe “apparently did not die in New York,” Quinn, p. 40. The legend that either or both of Poe's parents died in the Richmond Theater fire of December 26, 1811 is romantic fiction.)
  • 1811 (Dec. 26) - The orphaned Edgar is taken into the home of John and Frances Allan of Richmond. His sister, Rosalie, is taken in by Mr. and Mrs. William Mackenzie, also of Richmond. His brother, Henry, remains in Baltimore with his grandparents. Allan never legally adopts Poe, although Poe calls John Allan “Pa” and Frances Allan “Ma.” John and Frances never have children of their own. John Allan has at least one illegitimate child (Edwin Collier). (After Frances's death, John remarried in 1830 and had children through the second Mrs. Allan.)
  • 1812 (Jan. 7) - Poe is baptized by the Reverend John Buchanan and christened as “Edgar Allan Poe,” with the Allans presumably as godparents. Poe's sister Rosalie is baptized on September 3, 1812 as “Rosalie Mackenzie Poe.”
  • 1814 - Five year old Edgar begins his formal education. His teacher is either Clotilda or Elizabeth Fisher (Mabbott, Poem, p. 533).
  • 1815 - Poe briefly moves on to the school of Mr. William Ewing.
  • 1815 (June 22) - John and Frances Allan, with Edgar and Frances's younger sister, Ann Moore Valentine (called Nancy), leave for England aboard the Lothair.
  • 1816 - Poe goes to the boarding school of the Misses Dubourg (146 Sloan Street, Chelsea, London, The Poe Log, p. 29). Here, Edgar is known as “Master Allan” (Quinn, p. 69). Among the subjects taught are geography, spelling and the Catechism of the Church of England.
  • 1818 - Poe attends the Manor House School run by the Reverend John Bransby (Stoke Newington, London). (The description of the school in Poe's “William Wilson” is based, lightly, on his experiences here. Dr. Bransby is mentioned there by name.) Here, Poe is called Edgar Allan (Quinn, p. 71). Among his subjects is dancing. (As Bransby had a reputation as a classical scholar, there is little doubt that classes also taught at least some Latin and perhaps even Greek.)
  • 1820 (July 22) - Edgar and his family return to America from England aboard the Martha. Stopping briefly in New York, they continue on to Richmond, Virginia, arriving there on July 27.
  • 1821 - Poe attends the school of Joseph H. Clarke.
  • 1823 (April?) - Poe attends the school of William Burke.
  • 1824 (June or July) - Poe swims six or seven miles up the James River, against a heavy tide. His schoolmaster follows in a boat in case he needs help.
  • 1824 (October 26-28) - During his tour of American, General Lafayette visits Richmond, Virginia. The Richmond Junior Volunteers partake in the ceremonies welcoming him. Poe is a lieutenant of the Volunteers.
  • 1824 (November ?) - Poe writes a two-line poem: “— Poetry - Edgar A. Poe — Last night, with many cares & toils oppres‘d, Weary, I laid me on a couch to rest —.” (This is Poe's earliest surviving poem. It was never published during his lifetime, nor used as part of a longer poem.)
  • 1825 (March) - Poe leaves Burke's school and attends the school of Dr. and Mrs. Ray Thomas.
  • 1825 (March 26) - John Allan's uncle William Galt dies in Richmond. John Allan is named in Galt's will and inherits a comfortable fortune.
  • 1825 (June 28) - John Allan purchases an enormous brick mansion called “Moldavia” for $14,950 and moves his family there. (Moldavia stood on the southeast corner of Fifth and Main Streets in Richmond until it was torn down sometime around 1890.)
  • 1826 (Feb. 14) - Edgar Allan Poe enters the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville. (The school, founded by Thomas Jefferson, first opened its doors on March 7, 1825.)
  • 1826 (Dec.) - Poe returns to Richmond and finds that his childhood sweetheart, Elmira Royster, is engaged to Alexander B. Shelton. Elmira's parents did not approve of a marriage with Edgar, finding the wealthy business man Shelton more to their liking.
  • 1827 (March) - Poe feuds with John Allan over gambling debts of $2,000 Poe incurred at the University of Virginia. Although possibly cheated, Poe's sense of honor insists that the debts must be paid, but Allan refuses to help him. Poe leaves and heads to his family in Baltimore.
  • 1827 (May 26) - Poe enlists in the United States Army under the name Edgar A. Perry.
  • 1827 - Poe's first book, Tamerlane and Other Poems is published in Boston by Calvin F. S. Thomas. The author is noted only as “A Bostonian.” The thin pamphlet sells perhaps 50 copies, many likely distributed free for reviews. (After Poe's death, the existence of this little book, then lost in obscurity, was offered by Griswold as an example of Poe's lying nature. This position was accepted until 1880, when John Ingram found a copy in the library of the British Museum. Today, only twelve copies are known to exist. As much as $172,000 has been paid at auction. Most copies are imperfect.)
  • 1827 (Nov.) - Poe's battery arrives at Fort Moultrie, Sullivan's Island, Charleston, South Carolina.
  • 1828 (Dec. 15) - Poe's battery arrives at Fort Monroe, Old Point Comfort, Virginia.
  • 1829 (Jan. 1) - Poe is promoted to Sergeant-Major of the Regiment of Artillery.
  • 1829 (Feb. 28) - Francis Keeling Allan, Poe's doting foster mother, dies in Richmond. She is buried in the Shockoe Hill Cemetery on March 2. Poe obtains leave from the army and arrives in Richmond on the evening of the day following her burial.
  • 1829 (April 15) - Poe is released from the Army and applies for an appointment to West Point. (To obtain his release, it was necessary for Poe to provide a substitute at no expense to the government.)
  • 1829 (Dec.) - Poe's second book, Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems is published in Baltimore by Hatch and Dunning.
  • 1830 (Oct. 5) - John Allan marries Louisa Patterson. (By John Allan's death in 1834, they will have three sons.)
  • 1830 (June) - Poe enters West Point.
  • 1831 (Jan. 27) - Poe, wishing to get out of West Point, refuses to attend classes or church. He is court-martialed on February 8 and dismissed as of March 6.
  • 1831 - Poe's Poems is published in New York by Elam Bliss.
  • 1831 (July) - Poe submits several stories to a contest sponsored by the Philadelphia Saturday Courier. He does not win first prize. Five of his stories are published, although without his name.
  • 1831 (Aug. 1) - William Henry Leonard Poe, Edgar's older brother, dies in Baltimore, probably of tuberculosis or cholera. (Discounting the possiblity of cholera, it has been noted that the disease did not arrive in the United States until 1832.)
  • 1833 (Oct.) - Poe receives his $50 prize for “MS. Found in a Bottle” from the Baltimore Saturday Visiter.
  • 1834 (March 27) - John Allan, Poe's foster father, dies in Richmond, Virginia. He is buried next to his first wife, Frances, in the Shockoe Hill Cemetery. Edgar's name is omitted from Allan's will and Poe inherits nothing from the large estate.
  • 1835 (Sept) - Leaving his home in Baltimore, Poe moves to Richmond and becomes editor of Thomas W. White's Southern Literary Messenger. (White was reluctant to grant Poe the title, although quite willing to let him do the work.) Poe writes a great many critical reviews and receives both praise and scorn for these frank commentaries. He prints a number of his own poems and stories, including reprints of several earlier pieces.
  • 1836 (May 16) - Edgar (aged 27) and Virginia (aged 13) marry in Richmond, Virginia. The ceremony is officiated by the Reverend Amasa Convers, a Presbyterian minister who was also editor of the Southern Religious Telegraph.
  • 1837 (Jan.) - The Southern Literary Messenger announces that Poe has left the position of editor.
  • 1837 (Feb.) - Poe and his family move to New York.
  • 1838 - Poe and his family move to Philadelphia.
  • 1838 (July) - Poe's The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym is published in New York by Harper & Brothers.
  • 1839 - The Conchologist's First Book is published in Philadelphia by Haswell, Barrington and Haswell. Professor Thomas Wyatt secured Poe's assistance in the book's production. Poe writes the “Preface” and “Introduction,” and perhaps provides some translation from Cuvier. The book runs for three editions by 1845, becoming Poe's only commercial success in book form. (Poe's association with this book has brought charges of plagiarism from the conchology textbook by Captain Thomas Brown, published in Glasgow in 1833.)
  • 1839 (May) - Poe becomes an editor for wealthy comedian William Evans Burton's two-year old Gentleman's Magazine. (The title page for volume V, beginning with the issue for July of 1839, prominently shows the names of the editors as “William E. Burton and Edgar A. Poe.”)
  • 1840 - Poe's Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque (two volumes) is published in Philadelphia by Lea and Blanchard.
  • 1840 (Feb. 10) - Poe's “Journal of Julius Rodman” (Burton's Gentleman's Magazine, Jan. 1840, first of four installments) is mistaken as an actual account of an expedition and is noted in a document submitted to the U. S. Senate.
  • 1840 (June 6) - Poe's prospectus for a new magazine appears in the Saturday Evening Post: “Prospectus of the Penn Magazine, a monthly literary journal, to be edited and published in the city of Philadelphia, by Edgar A. Poe — Since resigning the conduct of The Southern Literary Messenger, at the commencement of its third year, I have constantly held in view the establishment of a Magazine which should retain some of the chief features of that journal, abandoning the rest. ... It shall be the first and chief purpose of the Magazine now proposed, to become known as one where may be found, at all times, and upon all subjects, an honest and fearless opinion. This is a purpose of which no man need be ashamed. ... To the mechanical execution of the work the greatest attention will be given which such a matter can require... The price will be $5 per annum, payable in advance, or upon receipt of the first number, which will be issued on the first of January, 1841” (The Poe Log, pp. 300-301). (Poe was unable to raise the necessary support and the first issue of the Penn never appeared. By 1841, he was forced to put his plans on hold. The final prospectus for the Penn was printed on January 1, 1841, of which Poe sent a copy to J. E. Snodgrass on January 17, 1841.)
  • 1841 (February 20) - The Saturday Evening Post (Philadelphia) announces that Poe has become an editor for Graham's Magazine, beginning with the April issue. (Both the Post and Graham's were owned by George Rex Graham.Volume I of Graham's Magazine appeared as volume XVIII because, in creating his new magazine, Graham merged Burton's Gentleman's Magazine with the Casket. The latter, which Graham had purchased in May of 1839, had already issued seventeen volumes by the end of 1840. The last issue of both the Gentleman's Magazine and the Casket are virtually identical, each bearing the inscription of Graham's Magazine on their title pages, noted “as a specimen of the new volume.” Poe's engagement with Graham as an editor may have been discussed as early as December of 1840. This possibility is suggested by the fact that both of these final issues contain Poe's story “The Man of the Crowd.” Burton had stopped printing Poe's material as of the August issue of the same year. Poe, however, was still hoping to make real his plans for the Penn Magazine, plans he did not abandon for several months.)
  • 1841 (April) - Graham's Magazine features Poe's “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” the first modern detective story. During Poe's tenure, the circulation of Graham's Magazine increases from about 5,000 to nearly 37,000 subscribers, making it far and away the most popular periodical of its day. (An abridged translation of “Murders in the Rue Morgue” appeared on October 12, 1846 in Le Commerce, a Parisan newspaper. There, the title was given as “L'Orange-Otang” but Poe's name is not mentioned.)
  • 1842 (March 6) - During Dickens’ tour of America, Poe and Charles Dickens arrange to meet while he is in Philadelphia. (Dickens had been greatly impressed by Poe's ability to guess the ending of his Barnaby Rudge. In the Saturday Evening Post for May for 1841, Poe had reviewed the work, which was being published serially in a magazine a chapter at a time.) Dickens agrees to consider writing for Graham's and to try to find an English publisher for Poe's Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, although nothing of substance will ever come of either promise.
  • 1842 (May) - Poe leaves the editorship of Graham's Magazine. He is replaced by Rufus W. Griswold. In a letter to his friend F. W. Thomas, Poe notes, “The report of my having parted with Graham, is correct; although, in the forthcoming June number, there is no announcement to that effect; nor had the papers any authority for the statement made. My duties ceased with the May number. I shall continue to contribute occasionally. ... My reason for resigning was disgust with the namby-pamby character of the Magazine — a character which it was impossible to eradicate — I allude to the contemptible pictures, fashion plates, music and love tales. The salary, moreover, did not pay me for the labor which I was forced to bestow. With Graham, who is really a very gentlemanly, although exceedingly weak man, I had no misunderstanding” (Ostrom, Letters, p. 198). (Although Poe complained about his pay, he would never again attain such a relatively secure financial position.)
  • 1843 (January 31) - Poe and Thomas Cottrell Clarke sign an agreement to proceed with Poe's plans for a magazine. The original name, The Penn, was deemed too regional sounding and the new magazine is called The Stylus, which is, of course, a pen. (Again, Poe found it impossible to raise sufficient interest and capital. Although he revisited the effort from time to time until his death, The Stylus never appeared.)
  • 1843 (February 25) - A biographical notice of Poe, by Henry Beck Hirst, is printed in the Philadelphia Saturday Museum. Full of erroneous information, presumably provided by Poe, this biography begins to establish Poe's public image. (The article is reprinted in the March 4 issue.)
  • 1843 (March) - Through contacts of his friend F. W. Thomas, Poe hopes to gain a government job as a clerk, which will still leave him with time to write. Although one of his supporters is Robert Tyler, the son of President John Tyler, Poe fails to obtain a position.
  • 1843 (June) - Poe's tale of pirate treasure, ‘The Gold-Bug,” wins the $100 prize from the Dollar Newspaper (Philadelphia). So successful is the tale that a second printing of the newspaper is required. In additon to the prize, Poe receives substantial national attention. A theatrical production based on Poe's story, dramatized by Silas S. Steele, is performed on August 8, 1843 at the American Theatre in Philadelphia (Mabbott, Tales and Sketches, p. 805). (In November of 1845, a French translation, “Le Scarabee d‘or” was printed in the Revue britannique and again in installments in La Democratie pacifique in May of 1848 and in La Journal du Loiret in June of 1848. A pirated English edition appeared in London around 1846.)
  • 1843 (July) - Poe's Prose Romances is published in Philadelphia by William H. Graham.
  • 1843 (July 19) - Poe registers to study law in the office of Henry Beck Hirst, a long-time friend (Mabbott, Poems, p. 553. The Poe Log disputes this claim, p. 427.)
  • 1843 (November 21) - Poe delivers the first of his lectures on American Poetry, beginning in Philadelphia. The large audience overflows the hall and reviews are generally favorable, inspiring Poe to proceed with other performances of the lecture. (Among Poe's later lectures are “The Poets and Poetry of America,” “The Poetic Principle” and “The Universe.” The last of these became the basis for his 1848 book Eureka.)
  • 1844 (April 7) - Poe and his family move to New York, where Poe may have joined the Sunday Times as a subeditor.
  • 1844 (October 7) - Poe is engaged by George Pope Morris and Nathaniel Parker Willis as part of the staff of the Evening Mirror (New York). (In 1849, N. P. Willis recalled, “Mr. Poe was employed by us, for several months, as critic and subeditor. This was our first personal acquaintance with him. He resided with his wife and mother at Fordham, a few miles out of town, but was at his desk in the office, from nine in the morning till the evening paper went to press. ... he was invariably punctual and industrious.” See N. P. Willis, “Death of Edgar Allan Poe” from the Home Journal, October 20, 1849, reprinted in Carlson, Recognition of Poe, pp. 36-41.)
  • 1845 (Jan. 29) - Poe's most famous poem, “The Raven” is published in the New York Evening Mirror, where it becomes a sensational hit. It is widely reprinted and brings Poe considerable praise and fame, although financially he receives only about $15 for the initial printing. (Many stories have been told of the writing of “The Raven.” Indeed, the list of people who claimed to be present at its infancy seemed to grow with each reminiscence published after Poe's death. Poe's explanation of the poem's creation, “The Philosophy of Composition,” is largely fictional, by Poe's own admission. The most probable account is that Poe wrote the poem in late 1844, while staying at the farm of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Henry Brennan in New York.)
  • 1845 (Feb. 22) - Poe becomes an editor of the Broadway Journal. By July 12, he is the sole editor, and by October 24 the sole owner as well. Poe finally has full control of a magazine, but one already laboring perilously under serious debts.
  • 1845 (Nov. 19) - Poe's Tales and The Raven and Other Poems are published in New York by Wiley and Putnam.
  • 1846 (Jan. 3) - Buried under with financial problems, the Broadway Journal ceases publication.
  • 1846 (April) - Godey's Lady's Book publishes the first installment of Poe's “The Literati of New York City: Some Honest Opinions at Random Respecting Their Authorial Merits, with Occasional Words of Personality.” Copies of Godey's sell unusually well, requiring an additional printing. Poe publishes five additional installments before ending the series with the October issue.
  • 1846 (about May) - Poe moves his family to a cottage in Fordham, New York. (This quaint little house, now cared for by the Bronx Historical Society, is open to the public.)
  • 1847 (Jan. 30) - Virginia Poe dies of tuberculosis in Fordham, New York. She is entombed on February 2 in the Valentine family vault in the Dutch Reformed Church at Fordham. (The bed in which she died may still be seen in this house. The tops of the posts at the foot of the bed are cut off so that it will fit under the sloping roof.)
  • 1848 (about July 15) - Poe's prose poem Eureka is published by George Putnam. Criticism is mixed, some lauding it as containing brilliant insights and some denouncing it as pantheisic. Poe denies charges of pantheism. The publishers do not hold Poe's enthusiam for the work and print only 500 copies, of which an unknown number were actually sold. There is insufficient interest to justify Poe's much-hoped-for second edition.
  • 1848 (November) - Poe begins to court New England widow and poetess Sarah Helen Whitman. After considerable effort, he manages to secure a promise of marriage. Mrs. Whitman is concerned about his reputation for drinking. Poe pledges to be temperate.
  • 1848 (December 23) - Poe fails to meet the condition of total abstinence from drinking and Mrs. Whitman calls off the engagement.
  • 1849 (June 29) - Poe begins a southern lecture tour to raise money and support for his proposed magazine, The Stylus. He arrives in Richmond on July 14.
  • 1849 (July?) - Poe meets with the now widowed Elmira Royster Shelton. Rekindling the youthful romance, Poe asks her to marry him. Mrs. Shelton is initially hesitant, but by August 25 has apparently accepted Poe's proposal. (By remarrying, Mrs. Shelton would have had to give up a large portion of the inheritance left by her husband, as stipulated in his will.)
  • 1849 (August 27) - Poe joins the Sons of Temperance, Shockoe Hill Division, No. 54. (This society required that its members abstain completely from the drinking of any alcoholic beverages.)
  • 1849 (Sept. 27) - Poe leaves Richmond, perhaps aboard the steamship Pocahontas. He arrives in Baltimore on September 28.
  • 1849 (Oct. 7) - Edgar Allan Poe dies in Baltimore in the Washington University Hospital (later Church Home and Hospital).
  • 1849 (Oct. 8 or 9) - Edgar Allan Poe is buried in his grandfather's lot in the Westminster Burying Ground. The ceremony is officiated by the Reverend William T. D. Clemm.
  • 1849 (Oct. 9) - Rufus Wilmot Griswold's slanderous obituary of Poe, the so-called “Ludwig” article, is published in the New York Tribune. It is widely copied.
  • 1850 (January 10) - The first two volumes of Griswold's collected Works of the Late Edgar Allan Poe are published. Volume I contains a preface “To the Reader” by Maria Clemm, Poe's mother-in-law, announcing that Poe himself had selected Griswold as his literary executor and describing the edition as having been put together for her benefit. (There is no other substantiation for the idea that Poe selected Griswold and it may or may not be true. Despite the claim that the books were “for my benefit,” Maria Clemm saw none of the profits gathered by Griswold and the publishers. Instead, she was given copies of the set to sell on her own. After her death in 1871, there is a gap of four years in publication of the set, resuming in 1876, without Maria Clemm's preface.)
  • 1850 (September 21) - The third volumes of Griswold's collected Works of the Late Edgar Allan Poe is published. This volume contains Griswold's infamous “Memoir of the Author.” In 1856, the fourth and final volume of Griswold's edition of Poe's works is published. (Beginning in 1853, Griswold's “Memoir” shifted to volume I.)
  • 1856 (about February 13) - The fourth and final volume of Griswold's collected Works of the Late Edgar Allan Poe is published, containing “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym” and other miscellaneous items.
  • 1857 (Aug. 27) - Poe's literary nemesis, Rufus Wilmot Griswold, dies. His slanderous biographical memoir of Poe continues to accompany the standard edition of Poe's works until 1875, selling as many as several thousand copies a year.
  • 1860 - Sarah Helen Whitman, Poe's former fiancee, publishes a defense of Poe in a book called Edgar Poe and His Critics.
  • 1871 (Feb. 16) - Maria Clemm dies in Baltimore in the Church Home and Hospital (the same hospital in which Edgar Allan Poe died 22 years earlier.)
  • 1874 (June 14) - Rosalie Poe, Edgar's younger sister, dies at the Epiphany Church Home in Washington, D.C. Found in her hands is an envelope containing a check for $50, sent by a philanthropist hoping to ease her financial plight. She is buried with the nuns in a section of Rock Creek Cemetery. (Her tombstone erroneously reads 1812-1874. Rosalie was born in 1811.)
  • 1874 - A new edition of Poe's collected works appears with a favorable memoir by John Henry Ingram.
  • 1875 (Nov. 17) - Poe's Memorial Grave is dedicated in Baltimore with elaborate ceremonies.
  • 1880 - John Henry Ingram publishes his full-length biography of Poe: Edgar Allan Poe: His Life, Letters and Opinions (London, 2 vols).
  • 1885 (May 4) - The Actors’ Monument, a sculpture by Richard Henry Park,  is unveiled in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The ceremonies include a presentation by Edwin Booth, the most respected actor of his day. (In 1994, this statue was moved to the Poe Museum in Richmond, Viriginia.)
  • 1910 - Poe is inducted into the Hall of Fame in New York.

(See also Poe in Baltimore)


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[S:1 - JAS] - Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - General Topics - Chronology of the Life of Edgar Allan Poe