where can i find poe's obituary and birth certificate?

-- Anonymous, May 29, 2003

Answers

There is no birth certificate for Poe. (They were not generally issued until long after his death. Most births were recorded only in family Bibles. Churches often recorded baptisms.) There are various obituaries, some favorable but many very critical. A number of these have been reprinted in Ian Walker's The Critical Heritage: Edgar Allan Poe. A few have been reprinted elsewhere as well, especially Griswold's malicious attack from the Tribune. (If you are asking about a death certificate, these too were not generally required in Poe's day, and no such document exists for Poe. The closest appears to be the report to the Baltimore Health Commissioner that Poe died from Congestion of the Brain, a claim that have been given various interpretations.)

-- Anonymous, June 03, 2003