David Poe Jr. (July 18, 1784 – December 11, 1811 peculative was an American actor and the father of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

Biography

Poe was born in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. His father, David Poe Sr., had emigrated from Dring in Kildallan parish,

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

, Ireland, to the United States around the year 1750, and was well known for his patriotic self-sacrifice as a

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...

during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, paying for supplies out of his own pocket, including $500 for clothing for the troops. Poe Sr.'s commitment had earned the respect and friendship of the Marquis de Lafayette and the honorary title of 'General'. The younger David Poe, on the other hand, defied his family's wishes to become a lawyer and became an actor instead. In 1806, David Jr. married the English-born Eliza Hopkins, Arnold, whose first husband, Charles Hopkins, had died six months before. Poe was considered an inferior actor compared to his wife, possibly due to stage fright. One critic said of Eliza and David, "the lady was young and pretty, and evinced talent both as a singer and actress; the gentleman was literally nothing." The couple's eldest child, William Henry Leonard Poe, was born in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

on January 30, 1807, nine months after their wedding. After the birth of their second son

on January 19, 1809, the family ran low on money. An ill-tempered alcoholic for much of his adult life, David Jr. abandoned the stage and his family some time before July 1809, disappearing from historical record. In David's absence, Eliza gave birth to a daughter in December 1810, but the true paternity of Rosalie Poe remains uncertain. Edgar Allan Poe, however, clearly names Rosalie Poe as his sister and the daughter of David Poe Jr. In an 1835 letter from Edgar Allan Poe, he wrote, "My father David died in the second year of my age, and when my sister Rosalie was an infant in arms".Edgar Allan Poe letter to "Wm. Poe", August 20, 1835
/ref> According to author Susan Talley Weiss, Poe died on December 11, 1811, only three days after Eliza's death. After Eliza's death in 1811, the three children were split up. Henry lived with his paternal grandparents in Baltimore, Edgar was fostered by John and Frances Allan in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, and Rosalie was adopted by William and Jane Scott Mackenzie, also in Richmond.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poe, David 1784 births 1811 deaths Poe family (United States) American people of Irish descent Male actors from Baltimore 19th-century American male actors American male stage actors