Final answer:
The statement is true. Edgar Allan Poe's father abandoned him when he was very young, and his mother died a short time after, leaving him an orphan.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement is true. Edgar Allan Poe's father, David Poe Jr., abandoned the family in 1810, when Edgar was only a year old. His mother, Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe, died from tuberculosis a year later in 1811, leaving Edgar an orphan. Poe was then taken into the home of John Allan, a wealthy tobacco merchant in Richmond, Virginia. Herein lies the reason Edgar Allan Poe is often referred to with the added 'Allan'. So, yes, Poe was essentially abandoned by his biological father at a very early age.
Learn more about Edgar Allan Poe's early life