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Famed Writer Kicked Out of West Point, Marries Cousin
By Paul Niemann
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[January 24, 2008]
One of the great writers in American history
was born in Boston in 1809. His name was Ed and he was raised by a
wealthy Virginia couple named John and Frances Allan. John was a
merchant who dealt in tobacco, cloth, wheat and even slaves, while
Frances was a housewife.
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Ed's parents did not
give him a middle name; in fact, many Americans did not have middle
names back then. A quick check shows that 21 of the first 31 United
States presidents did not have middle names either.
Just to place his time in historical perspective, he attended the
University of Virginia in 1826, which was just one year after it
opened. After ringing up some gambling debts in his one year in
college, he dropped out and joined the Army.
After nearly two years in the Army, he managed to get a discharge
and then enlisted in West Point. At this point, he had already
written two books by age 20.
Ed then got himself kicked out of West Point. He deliberately got
court-martialed so he could leave. He battled alcohol throughout
much of his adult life, with the alcohol winning many of those
battles.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2008/Jan/02/images/ads/current/lpl%20small.gif)
He married his first cousin, Virginia Clemm, when she was just
13. Kinda reminds me of a horse I used to own whose father was also
her uncle; the horse's father was "Uncle Dad" to her.
Ed became one of the main writers of his era, a pioneer of
detective stories and science fiction. He was one of the first
writers to try to make a living entirely from his writings.
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![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2008/Jan/02/images/ads/current/st_clara_lda091007.png) But his best-known work, which he named after a bird, earned him
only $9, yet it brought him fame and popularity as a writer. Despite
being an elite writer who made a huge impact on America's literary
history, Ed never made the kind of money that today's top writers
make.
Ed Allan, or Edgar as he was called, despite not being given a
middle name by his parents, really did have a middle name. Both of
his biological parents died when he was just 3 years old, and John
and Frances Allan were Edgar's foster parents. They gave him
their last name to use as his middle name, and he kept his parents'
last name. You know him as Edgar Allan Poe.
And what well-known poem about a bird earned him only $9?
"The Raven."
Then when are we going to see another story about Edgar Allan Poe
in this column?
Nevermore.
[By
PAUL NIEMANN]
Paul Niemann may be reached at
niemann7@aol.com.
Copyright Paul Niemann 2008
(Other
columns) (Mystery
Man's Annual Visit to Poe Grave)
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