If the photo were taken c.1880, not 1860, there is the possibility that the photo depicts the half-sister of Poe's 'Cousin Elizabeth,' Mary Estelle Herring Warden, for whom we have very scant information. She was younger than her half-sister Elizabeth, as she was the product of Herring's second marriage. We know that she and Poe were very close. Since we don't have birth or death dates for Mary Estelle Herring Warden, but only the date of her marriage to James Warden in 1840, we can at least extrapolate some approximate dates. If Mary Estelle was 20 years old in 1840, at the time of her short lived marriage, and if the photo were taken in 1880, then she would have been approximately 60 years old, plus or minus a few years in this photograph. If, indeed, this is Mary Estelle Herring Warden we can make some good hypotheses about the identities of the other women sitting with her in the photo entitled 'Poe Family Women.'

The elderly woman who so resembles Maria Clemm may indeed be her cousin Harriet Poe's other daughter, by the man who fathered both their children, William Clemm, Jr. That Harriet was indeed, a Poe, would explain why this 'Muddy Look Alike' so resembles Maria Poe Clemm. Though we have no birth date (or even name) for Virginia's other half-sister, nor names, nor birth/death information for her brothers, we can at least deduce an approximate birth year for her.

We know that the widower of Harriet Poe married her cousin, Maria Poe Clemm in 1817, in Baltimore. We also know that Harriet Poe's daughter, Josephine, by Henry Clemm, Jr. married Neilson Poe (his cousin) in 1831. Since there was such a family fracas from Neilson, and presumably Josephine, over the idea of Poe's marrying Virginia at the age of 13, we can assume that Neilson married Josephine at what would have been considered, at that time, a 'marriageable age.' So, assuming that Josephine was at least 17 years old at the time of her marriage in 1831, this indicates that she was born c.1814, which would have made her at least 8 years Virginia's senior. As Josephine was the second daughter to Harriet Poe and Henry Clemm, Jr., the 'third sister' must have been at least a decade older than Virginia, who was born in 1822.

Consequently, if this photo was taken c.1880, this could be a photograph of Virginia's other half-sister, who would've been about 60 years old at the time of the photograph. That is, if Virginia's other sister lived that long. As I have already said, there appears to be no documentation about any of Virginia's half-siblings, excepting Josephine, in any Poe biographies; though a careful search of Baltimore birth and death records might provide the answer. That is, if we knew what names, first and last, to search under! But even if we did, so many of the vital records and statistics for Baltimore have been destroyed by fires, that the chances of finding such information are slim at best, unless Poe-Herring relations start searching their attics for their family photos and Bibles! Until then, there will be giant gaps in constructing an accurate Poe-Clemm family history.



Poe-Clemm Mystery Woman, continued from here -

The two photos we have of Maria Poe Clemm show her in late middle-age, with a square face, broad shoulders and of a sturdy build. This Lady in Brocade is quite slim and narrow shouldered, which all in all, means that this is not Maria Poe Clemm.

The lady's face and body shape seem a perfect amalgam of the Poe-Clemm family genetics. Her high cheekbones, the long, thin lips and something in the eyes and thick eyebrows, gives her a strong resemblance to Edgar and Maria Poe. However, her long, light-colored hair, her perfect aquiline nose and her very high cheekbones present a woman who probably most resembles Virginia and Josephine Poe. In fact, the resemblance between her and Josephine Poe is so striking that it is possible this is Josephine Poe later in life. Since the one known photo of Josephine shows her fine features in profile, and the Lady in Brocade is photographed straight-on, it is indeed difficult to tell if it is the same woman. Certainly, both women appear very narrow-shouldered and slightly built, have light hair, but the Lady in Brocade seems of a 'sterner stuff' than Josephine. The shape of her eyebrows is also very different from hers, and we can't see the pronounced cheek bones that are very evident in Josephine's photo. It is tempting to say so, but I do not think this photo is of Josephine Poe. However, these women look so alike that this photo may indeed be the 'unnamed half-sister' to both Virginia and Josephine Poe.