Edgar Allen Poe was born in Boston Massachusetts on January 19, 1809 to two traveling actors; David and Elizabeth (Arnold) Poe. By the age of three, his father had abandoned the family, his mother had died of the illness of tuberculosis, and all three children were sent to live with foster families, in various locations. .
Poe was sent to Richmond Virginia, to live with a couple by the names of John and Francis Allen, both theater fans and very wealthy people. In 1815 the family moved to London England; however they were only there for a short period of time. Mrs. Allen's ill health and Mr. Allen's London Branch failure brought the family back to Richmond after only five years.
Poe continued his education in the United States. In 1826, he began his studies at the University of Virginia, where he was bright and studied several languages, such as Greek, Latin, French, Spanish and Italian. Unfortunately though, he also had an eye for gambling. After months of this habit, Poe decided to leave the university in a hurry, unable to pay his debts. Poe enrolled himself in the Army, using the false name of Edgar A. Perry, after finding that his fiancé had committed herself to another man. Shy a small bit of two years, Mrs. Allen had died of the same illness as his mother and John Allen pulled Poe from the army to attend the U.S Military Academy in West Point, as a cadet. Poe was not fond of these arrangements; he deliberately misbehaved, so the school would decide to expel him.
In 1931, Poe moved to Baltimore to live with his aunt Maria Clem, and her daughter Virginia. Three years later, John Allen died; leaving his only "son- nothing, and in the May of 1836, Poe resided at the age of twenty-six, he was the editor for the Messenger and a loving husband to his cousin Virginia, who was only thirteen.
In a time period of only five years, Poe had written three books and had been the editor for two magazines.