Henry Poe

After the death of their parents, the three Poe children were split up: Henry lived with his grandparents in Baltimore, Maryland, while Edgar and Rosalie were cared for by two different families in Richmond, Virginia.

One of his works, The Pirate, was a fictionalized account of his brother's first relationship with Sarah Elmira Royster in Richmond.

Henry went back to his grandparents in Baltimore, Maryland while Edgar went to live with a foster family, the Allans of Richmond.

[1]: 193  Around this time, Henry was described as a "slim, feeble, young man with dark inexpressive eyes" who possessed a "singular personal beauty".

He wrote verse inspired by Lord Byron into the albums of local young women and gave recitations.

[1]: 73  The October 27 issue of the same periodical published Henry's short story "The Pirate", a fictionalization of his brother's love affair with Royster.

Another poem published by Henry was "Lines on a Pocket Book", in which he considers John Allan's accusations that younger sister Rosalie Poe was illegitimate.

[6] Henry's poems generally have themes of melancholy, despair, and feature women who die and abandon their loved ones who dream of their reunion.

[6] Henry, who was a heavy drinker and may have been an alcoholic,[2]: 125  died of tuberculosis on August 1, 1831,[3]: 61  in Baltimore, likely in the same room or even the same bed which he shared with his brother Edgar.

"[7]: 194 Edgar occasionally used the alias "Henri Le Rennet", a French version of his older brother's name.

[2]: 37  The character of August Barnard in Edgar's novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838), seems to be inspired by Henry, especially in his travels across the sea and his drinking.