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When Edgar grew into his teens the Allans moved around a lot. They finally moved to a house they got from William Galt in 1822 or 1823. Edgar continued his education during this time and when he was fourteen he attended the academy of Joseph H. Clarke, and after that he studied with Clarke\'s successor William Burke.
Edgar\'s schooling in Richmond encouraged his gift for language and he did very well in Latin and French. When he was about sixteen he wrote one of his earliest surviving poems; \"Oh Tempora! Oh Mores!\". Edgar wrote enough poems to publish a book but Clarke persuaded John Allan not to publish it.
When Edgar returned from England he had a pale and weak resemblance but in Richmond he turned to athletics. He was a good runner, leaper and boxer and also a superior swimmer. At the age of fifteen or sixteen he swam six miles in the James River under a hot June sun, partly against a strong tide.
Edgar obviously made a good impression on other people. Thomas Ellis, the son of John Allan\'s business partner once said:
\"No boy ever had a greater influence over me than he had.\"
At the age of fifteen he became a lieutenant in the Junior Morgan Riflemen. As second-in-command he was reviewed by the popular Marquis de Lafayette whom two weeks earlier had praised Edgar\'s grandfather, General David Poe, for his good work.
Edgar was when he returned to Richmond known as Edgar Poe rather than Edgar Allan, to emphasize that he was not formally adopted by the Allans. Rosalie on the other hand was given the Mackenzies\' name and Edgar\'s uncle, William Galt, adopted his orphaned relative James.
Edgar was in search for a maternal figure in his life. He was very fond of Fanny Allan but her frequent sickness made her less than the ideal mother. At one occasion it is known that he called Rosalie\'s foster mother \"Ma\". At the age of fourteen he became infatuated with Mrs. Jane Stanard, the mother of one of his classmates. He came to her when he felt unhappy at home and she somewhat resembled both Fanny Allan and Eliza Poe. Edgar had only known her for about a year when she died at the age of 31, probably insane. Edgar suffered from her death and his behavior changed. This lead to conflicts at home with John Allan who spoke of Edgar as; \"Sulky & ill tempered to all the family\". John Allan took his bad mood as a sign of thanklessness for all that he had done for Edgar.
On the morning of March 26, 1825, William Galt, the owner of the Allans\' house, \"Suddenly threw back his head & eyes and seemed oppressed.\" Uncle Galt straightened himself and died. The Allans\' inheritance from Galt was estimated to three fourths of a million dollars, including their house and three land estates.
John Allan later bought a house called Moldavia which can be seen at the top of this page. It was an impressing place that was more like an estate than a house with its flowergardens, trees and eight outbuildings. Nancy and Edgar got a room on the second floor. He was now sixteen and a half and was preparing for University.
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