Poe's Life in Boston

1806-1809: Poe's Parents Perform in Boston

By the time 19-year-old Eliza Poe returned to Boston in 1806 after a ten-year absence, the dancer, singer, comedienne and actress had played more than 150 roles in theatres from Portland, Maine to Charleston, South Carolina. Eliza was now without her mother who died, probably of yellow fever as they were touring North Carolina eight years earlier. She had wed an actor, but was soon widowed, then married a former law student turned aspiring actor, David Poe, Jr., of Baltimore, who joined her on the Boston stage. Eliza Poe, who was much more talented than David, subsequently had the most extended and successful run of her career while in Boston. She performed here in at least 70 new roles during three complete theatrical seasons from 1806 to 1809 and starred opposite several leading men of the American stage including as Shakespeare's Juliet, as Cordelia in King Lear, and as Ophelia in Hamlet.