11. He Was Taken Into Foster Care in 1811 Once His Mother Died, Although He Was Never Formally Adopted
Interestingly, his original name was just "Edgar Poe" and the "Allan" followed later - once he was taken into foster care. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1809, his father David Poe Jr abandoned him once his mother Elizabeth died when he was just a toddler. Poe was then taken in by John and Frances Allan, a family who lived in Richmond, Virginia, although he was never formally adopted by them. As has already been mentioned, John Allan provided funds for Poe's education that the latter then fluttered away - and this meant that he became estranged from his foster parents once he left university.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
