Susan Archer Talley Weiss

Born Susan Archer Talley in Hanover County, Virginia, she is best documented in reliable modern sources as having been born on February 14, 1822, though some older reference works gave 1835. After scarlet fever left her deaf as a child, she was largely self-educated and began publishing poetry while still young.

She became known in Richmond literary circles and is often remembered for her connection to Edgar Allan Poe, whom she later wrote about in The Home Life of Poe. During the Civil War, her outspoken Confederate sympathies led to her arrest and imprisonment at Fort McHenry, an episode that became one of the most dramatic parts of her life story.

After marrying Louis Weiss in 1863, she continued to write poetry, prose, and reminiscences. Her life combines literary ambition, disability, regional history, and personal resilience, which makes her an especially interesting figure for readers curious about nineteenth-century American writing beyond the biggest famous names.