Eliza Arnold came to America from England in 1795. She was just Eight years old. In April, 1796, almost as soon as she arrived, she began her acting career in Boston, Massachusetts. She quickly became very popular, because she could sing and dance as well as memorize long speaking parts. In all the cities she played in, she received praise from the critics. After Eliza’s first marriage, she met a man named David Poe. Shortly after, David left a promising career in law to become an actor and be with Eliza. David was not very good though. His unusual speaking styles often got him booed and berated by critics. In the first week of April, 1806, Eliza married David. The Poes were very poor at the time and money was tight. Their acting company had performances as benefits, and used the money to try and help the Poes stay healthy and save t

On January 30, 1807, Eliza gave birth to William Henry. Being as they were, they didn’t have any other choice than to give custody to David’s parents, who were better off. On January 19, 1809, Edgar Poe was born. The Poes were desperately poor, so David went begging for a few dollars from his cousin. His cousin thought he was a terrible man, though, and told him that he never wanted to speak to him again. After this terrible tragedy and numerous arguments with Eliza, David Poe disappeared. Sympathetic friends and audiences gave Eliza charity, offering some comfort from her ongoing poverty and recent abandonment. In the months following this terrible occurrence, Eliza slowly began to lose her health. She fell ill to tuberculosis, a disease that at the time was almost impossible to cure. On December,20, 1810, Eliza gave birth to Rosalie. Several charitable ladies helped her in her last months. One of these women, Frances “Fanny” Allan, the wife of Richmond merchant John Allan. The Allans had enjoyed many of Eliza’s Performances. Now Fanny wanted to help the person who had entertained her on so many occasions. Even with all the help that Eliza received she could not get over her illness. In December of that year, Edgar, William Henry, and Rosalie saw their mother alive for a final time, as she slowly but peacefully died.

hem from starvation. Even though they were poor, they still started a family.

Some topics in this essay:
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