Edgar Allen Poe son of the actress Eliza Poe and actor David Poe Jr. His father was from a good Baltimore family and drunk heavily. His mother however was a good actress but she died of tuberculosis in Richmond Virginia in December of 1811. After this at the age of 3, Edgar and his brother and sister were orphaned. Edgar went to the home of John and Fanny Allan who lived in Richmond, VA. John Allan was a successful merchant.

             In 1815 they went to England for five years where he attended private school. Edgar was athletic and smart. As Edgar got older though he started feeling worse and more lowly than the other boys. He fell in love with one of his friend's mother whose name was Mrs. Jane Stanard. Her parents disapproved of the relationship so they broke it off. Though his foster father wanted him to go into business he managed to go to the University of Virginia in 1826. He then studied French, Spanish, Italian and Latin and could read Byron and Cambell.

             He was in trouble from the day he stepped in. Mr. Allan had not given him enough money to pay for his expenses so he took to gambling and drinking. He reached points where his debt was up to $2,000. His "father" refused to pay these debts so his education ended and he decided to leave for Boston in March 1827. He there enlisted as a common soldier under the name Edgar A. Perry. He was stationed at Charleston for over a year, he adapted well to the military discipline and moved through the ranks quickly. He soon became bored of military life and he wrote to his father reconciling with him after the death of his mother in 1829. With his dad's help he got discharged to West Point on July 1,1830.

             At West Point the same thing happened. Mr. Allen did not give him enough money. He decided then to get expelled and he did so. In 1831 more desperate then ever he published a new set of poems entitled Second Edition. Poe had many difficulties.