Edgar Allan Poe's Family

Edgar Allan Poe's mother was an acclaimed stage actress who died at the age of 24, leaving behind three young children.

Edgar Allan Poe referred to Mrs. Allan as "Ma." Edgar wrote to his foster father John Allan that, "...she I believed loved me as her own child."

John Allan was Edgar Poe's foster father. Their relationship was often stormy, and their expectations for each other at odds.

Maria Clemm - called "Muddy" - was Edgar Allan's Poe's aunt and mother-in-law. She was dedicated to both her daughter Virginia and nephew/son-in-law Edgar.

Virginia Poe was both cousin and wife to Edgar Allan Poe. She struggled with tuberculosis for five years before passing at the age of 24.