William Henry Leonard Poe, often referred to as Henry Poe, (January 30, 1807 – August 1, 1831) was an American sailor, amateur poet and the older brother of

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

and Rosalie Poe. After the death of their parents, the three Poe children were split up: Henry lived with family in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Maryland, while Edgar and Rosalie were cared for by two different families in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. Before the age of 20, Henry traveled around the globe by sea before returning to Baltimore and becoming a published poet and author. One of his works, "The Pirate", was a fictionalized account of his brother's first relationship with

Sarah Elmira Royster Sarah Elmira Royster Shelton (1810 – February 11, 1888) was an adolescent sweetheart of Edgar Allan Poe who became engaged to him shortly before his death in 1849. Their early relationship, begun when she was 15, ended due to the interfer ...

in Richmond. Henry died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

in 1831 at the age of twenty-four. Henry Poe was an inspiration to his brother's life and writings and the two had similar writing styles. Edgar Allan Poe for a time used the alias "Henri Le Rennet", a name inspired by Henry. Henry's influence on Edgar's writing includes a character in the novel ''

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket ''The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket'' (1838) is the only complete novel written by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The work relates the tale of the young Arthur Gordon Pym, who stows away aboard a whaling ship called the ''Grampus' ...

'' and possibly the name of the title character in the poem " Lenore".

Biography

William Henry Leonard, who went by the name Henry,Sova, Dawn B. ''Edgar Allan Poe: A to Z''. New York: Checkmark Books, 2001: 193. was born circa January 30, 1807, to traveling actors

Eliza Poe Eliza Poe ( Elizabeth Arnold; formerly Hopkins; 1787 – December 8, 1811) was an English actress and the mother of the American author Edgar Allan Poe. Life and career Elizabeth Arnold was born to Henry and Elizabeth Arnold in London in th ...

and David Poe, Jr., four months after their troupe began performing in Boston. Their second son, Edgar, was born on January 19, 1809, and a daughter, Rosalie, was born in December 1810. Some time before July 1809, however, David Poe had deserted his family, though little is known about his disappearance. He may have died in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

on December 11, 1811. Eliza Poe died of

on December 8, 1811, leaving her three children as orphans. During their mother's illness, Henry had been left in the care of his paternal grandparents, while Edgar and Rosalie had been cared for by actor friends of their parents, namely Mr. and Mrs. Luke Usher. The children were likely at Eliza's side as she died.Silverman, Kenneth. ''Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance''. New York: Harper Perennial, 1991: 8. In one of his poems, Henry described her "long... last farewell" to them and was given a lock of her hair to remember her. After the death of Eliza, the three children were split up. Henry went back to his grandparents in

, Maryland while Edgar went to live with a foster family, the Allans of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

. Rosalie was adopted by the Mackenzies, also of Richmond. Henry was raised by his grandparents, Elizabeth Cairnes Poe and David Poe, Sr.Meyers, Jeffrey. ''Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Legacy''. New York: Cooper Square Press, 1992: 61. David Poe, Sr. had been a

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...

in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

and paid for supplies out of his own pocket, including $500 for clothing for the troops. His commitment had earned the respect and friendship of the

Marquis de LaFayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...

and the honorary title of "General". David Poe, Sr. died in 1816, and his wife, Elizabeth Cairnes Poe, though sickly and bedridden, outlived her grandson and died on July 7, 1835. Henry kept in touch with his younger brother Edgar sporadically as they grew up, often through letters but once he even visited Edgar in Richmond in the 1820s. There, Edgar introduced his brother to his childhood sweetheart,

. Edgar's foster-father John Allan also corresponded with Henry. In one letter, dated November 1, 1824, Allan apologized that Edgar was slow in writing a letter to Henry, complaining that his foster-son "had little else to do, for he does nothing... The boy possesses not a Spark of affection for us, not a particle of gratitude for all my care and kindness towards him." Before the age of twenty, Henry served in South America and elsewhere on board the USS ''Macedonian''.Silverman, Kenneth. ''Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance''. New York: Harper Perennial, 1991: 37. As a crewman aboard the ''Macedonian'', a

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

, he also visited the West Indies, the Mediterranean, and Russia. In 1827, he returned to Baltimore to live with his grandmother, his aunt Maria Clemm, and his two cousins Henry Clemm and

Virginia Clemm Virginia Eliza Poe ( née Clemm; August 15, 1822 – January 30, 1847) was the wife of American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The couple were first cousins and publicly married when Virginia Clemm was 13 and Poe was 27. Biographers disagree as to the n ...

. Around this time, Henry was described as a "slim, feeble, young man with dark inexpressive eyes" who possessed a "singular personal beauty".

Writings

In Baltimore, while working at a law office, Henry developed his interest in writing. He wrote verse inspired by

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...

into the albums of local young women and gave recitations. The May 19, 1827, issue of Baltimore's ''North American, or, Weekly Journal of Politics, Science, and Literature'' published Henry's "Dreams", a poem which laments the difference between the dream world and reality. The October 27 issue of the same periodical published Henry's short story "The Pirate", a fictionalization of his brother's love affair with Royster. The main character was named Edgar Leonard, a combination of the names of the two brothers, who pursues a woman named Rosalie, a name borrowed from their sister. The Edgar Leonard character says: "I lost my parents at an early age... and was left to the care of a relation."Silverman, Kenneth. ''Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance''. New York: Harper Perennial, 1991: 84. One of Henry's poems, titled "Original", was virtually identical to one of Edgar's early poems published in ''

Tamerlane and Other Poems ''Tamerlane and Other Poems'' is the first published work by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The short collection of poems was first published in 1827. Today, it is believed only 12 copies of the collection still exist. Poe abandoned his foster ...

'', now known as "The Happiest Day, The Happiest Hour". It is likely that this poem and another called "Dreams" were Edgar's and incorrectly credited to Henry.Poe, Harry Lee. ''Edgar Allan Poe: An Illustrated Companion to His Tell-Tale Stories''. New York: Metro Books, 2008: 52. Edgar wrote "The Happiest Day, The Happiest Hour" while he was serving in the Army. He sent the poem to Henry, who had it published in the September 15, 1827, issue of the ''North American'', which included Henry's name. Another poem published by Henry was "Lines on a Pocket Book", in which he considers John Allan's accusations that younger sister Rosalie Poe was illegitimate. Henry's poems generally have themes of melancholy, despair, and feature women who die and abandon their loved ones who dream of their reunion. Many are so similar to Poe's early work that they may have been collaborative efforts.Silverman, Kenneth. ''Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance''. New York: Harper Perennial, 1991: 85. His writing career ended in 1827 when the ''North American Review'' ceased publication.

Death

Henry, who was a heavy drinker and may have been an alcoholic, died of tuberculosis on August 1, 1831, in Baltimore, likely in the same room or even the same bed which he shared with his brother Edgar. He was twenty-four. Henry was buried at what is now

Westminster Hall and Burying Ground Westminster Hall and Burying Ground is a graveyard and former church located at 519 West Fayette Street (at North Greene Street) in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It occupies the southeast corner of West Fayette and North Greene Street on ...

, where his brother would be buried several years later. Henry's obituary misspelled his name as "W. H. Hope".

Influence

Edgar Allan Poe was very close to his brother, as he wrote: "there can be no tie more strong than that of brother for brother — it is not so much that they love one another as that they both love the same parent." Edgar occasionally used the alias "Henri Le Rennet", a French version of his older brother's name. He was also inspired by his brother Henry's travels, often incorporating some of his stories from overseas into tellings of his own life story. The character of August Barnard in Edgar's novel ''

'' (1838) seems to be inspired by Henry, especially in his travels across the sea and his drinking. Poe may have also transformed his brother's name into the title character in his poem " Lenore".Silverman, Kenneth. ''Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance''. Harper Perennial, 1991: 202-203.

References

External links