Eliza Poe

New York City The family relocated to New York City in the summer of 1809. Eliza had often been praised for her acting ability while David's performances were routinely criticized harshly, possibly due to his own stage fright. Though David's fate is unknown, there is some evidence to suggest he died in Norfolk, Virginia, on December 11, 1811. Eliza gave birth to a third child, a daughter she called Rosalie, in December 1810. Eliza continued traveling as she performed.

Death

In 1811, while staying at a boarding house in Richmond, Virginia, for a performance, Eliza began spitting blood. Her performances became less frequent until October 1811, when she stopped appearing altogether. Her last performance was on October 11, 1811, as Countess Wintersen in a play called The Stranger.

Friends and fellow actors Mr. and Mrs. Luke Usher (the name may have inspired Poe's tale "The Fall of the House of Usher" ) took care of the children during Eliza's illness. Many in the Richmond area took an interest in her health. On November 29 of that year, the Richmond Theater announced a benefit performance on her behalf. A local publication, the Enquirer, reported her need for help: "On this night, Mrs. Poe, lingering on the bed of disease and surrounded by her children, asks your assistance and asks it perhaps for the last time". She is buried at St. John's Episcopal Church in Richmond. Though her actual burial place is unknown, a memorial marks the general area.

After her death, her three children were split up. William Henry Leonard Poe lived with his paternal grandparents in Baltimore. Edgar Poe was taken in by John and Frances Allan in Richmond. Rosalie Poe was adopted by William and Jane Scott Mackenzie in Richmond, Virginia.

Legacy Though he was young when she died, Edgar Allan Poe was heavily affected by Eliza Poe's death, and many of his works reflect her influence. His first published work, "Metzengerstein" features a fire burning down a large home, possibly reflecting the fire that destroyed the Richmond Theatre, where she had performed. The fire occurred in December 1811, only three weeks after her death.

The early loss of his mother and other women, including his wife Virginia, may also have inspired Edgar Poe's often-used literary theme of dying women. This theme is readily present in works such as "The Raven".