Edgar Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, to traveling actors David Poe Jr. (a Baltimore, Maryland, native) and Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins (an emigrant from England). Poe was the couple’s second of three children. His brother, William Henry Leonard Poe, was born in 1807, and his sister, Rosalie Poe, was born in 1810. On December 8, 1811, when Poe was just two years old, his mother died in Richmond. His father, who had left the family in 1810, died of unknown circumstances. Henry, as William Henry Leonard was known, lived with his grandparents in Baltimore, while Rosalie and Edgar remained in Richmond. William and Jane Mackenzie adopted Rosalie, and Edgar became the foster son of John and Frances Allan. Poe received his middle name from his foster parents.
This image is from a studio portrait of Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), the master of suspense, by Mathew Brady. HowStuffWorks/Corbis/Getty Images
Whether you were introduced to Edgar Allan Poe through his short stories or his poems, a mention of his name is enough to conjure up a sense of eeriness. This early American writer has been credited with inventing the detective story, pioneering science fiction and, of course, revolutionizing dark fiction. He is so admired that he is the subject of three museums – The Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia; The Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum in Baltimore; and the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site in Philadelphia. Many fans of the writer also enjoy visiting his grave at Westminster Hall & Burying Ground in Baltimore.