Manufacturer Notes: George Ebey1828-1831 Sangamon county. Springfield (working on share)1832-1833 In Ohio 1833-1834 Scott County, Manchester (at John Neff Ebay pottery) 1834-1836 Scott County, Winchester in town, purchased the Harrison Pottery 1836-1866 Scott County, 1 mile NE of Winchester, George Ebey & Thomas M. Kilpatrick (1836-183?) 1866-1880+ Scott County, 1 mile NE of Winchester, Ebey & Davis (1866-18??) _______________________________________________________________________________________ 1840 Illinois, Scott County, Winchester Census George Ely 10 free white people 1850 Illinois, Scott County Census 258 267 George Ebey 49 M Potter 5000 O Matilda " 39 F Pa George " 17 M Potter O Robert " 17 " Do " Thomas " 14 " Ill Fletcher " 12 M " Mary " 10 F " Eliza " 8 " " Armenia " 5 " " Oliver " 1 M " Martha Boyd 20 F O Matilda Belford 17 " " Zebulon Dawson 22 M Farmer Del John Kincher 27 M Potter Switzerland 259 268 James G Killpatrick 30 " Do 700 Switzerland 1855 Illinois, Scott County, Winchester State Census George Ebey 15 Potter 10,000 1860 Illinois, Scott County, Township 14 Range 12 Census 734 740 George Ebey 49 M Farmer 20,900 1653 Oh Matilda Do 48 F Penn George W P Do 26 M Potter Oh Robert K Do 26 M Do Oh Thomas J Do 24 M Do Ill Fletcher Do 21 M Do Ills Eliza J Do 19 F Ills Annena R Do 14 F Ills Olan R. Do 11 M Ills Orville O. Do 8 M Ills James D. Do 6 M Ills Fletcher Condit 18 M Apprentice N. J. Sarah Langley 29 F Servant Ills 735 741 Charles C Bradford 23 M Potter 75 Oh 1870 Illinois, Scott County, Township 14 Range 12 Census 44 44 Ebey George 59 M W Potter 41750 1810 Ohio --Matilda 58 F W Keeping house Pennsylvania --Minnie 23 F W at home Illinois --Olan 21 M W Works in Potter Shop Illinois --Orville 18 M W Works in Potter Shop Illinois --James 16 W M Farm laborer Illinois Bulmer Mary 18 F W Housekeeper Illinois Nash Lillie 15 W F at home Illinois Oliphan Jonas 19 M W Farm Laborer Ohio 1880 Illinois, Scott County, Winchester Census 132 135 Ebey George W M Potter Ohio --Matilda W F 68 Wife Keeping House Penn --Minnie R W F 35 Dau At Home Ills Withey Emma W F 30 Niece Servant Ills IRS Tax Records 1862 Nov 22 Eaby George Scott County Potter 10.00 1862 Eaby George Scott County Manufacturer Returns 1862 Eaby George Sep 25000 Gall Stone Ware 12500 3.75 1862 Eaby George Oct 00 Gall Stone Ware 00.00 1862 Eaby George Nov 00 Gall Stone Ware 00.00 1863 April George Eaby Sen Winchester 4000 Gall Stone Ware SC 200.00 3 6.00 1863 June 30 Davis Thos B Winchester 827 Galls Pottery Ware manuf 169.00 3% A 58 5.07 1863 June 30 Garland & Co. Winchester 2600 Galls Pottery Ware manuf 49.62 3% A 58 1.49 1863 June 30 Ebey George Winchester 4000 Galls Pottery Ware manuf 260.00 3% A 58 7.80 1863 June 30 Kincher John Winchester 2200 Galls Pottery Ware manuf 154.00 3% A 58 4.62 1863 Aug 31 Eaby George Winchester Pottery Mnf 4400 Gall W Sales 1864 Feb 1 Ebey George Winshester Retail Dealer (Cranon) 6.67 1864 Feb 1 Ebey George Winchester Manufacturer 6.67 1864 May 1 Ebey George W. P. Winchester Retail Dealer 10.00 1865 Feb 28 Ebey George Winchester Ric 9200 Gall Pottery Man Des to 28 Feb 690.00 5 105 34.50 1865 May 31 Ebey George Winchester Pottery Ware 105 6600 G 462.00 6% 27.72 1865 June 30 Ebey George Sen Winchester Manufacturer 219 10 10 39.75 1865 Oct 31 Ebey George Winchester Pottery Mnf+s 105 3200 G 256 6% 15.36 1865 December Eaby George Winchester Criement Pottery 2500 gal 105 200 6% 12.00 1866 January Ebey George Winchester for Dec P. Pottery 3400 G 105 192 6% 11.52 1866 January Ebey George Winchester Perst for Jan Pottery 4800 G 105 192 6% 23.00 1866 March Ebey George Winchester Scott County Pottery Mnf 105 G 5000 $350 6% 21.00 1866 March Ebey George Winchester Scott County Pottery Mnf 105 g 2500 $175 6% 10.50 1866 May Ebey George Winchester Pottery 105 187 6% 11.22 3 A 58 14.40 1866 June Ebey & Davis Winchester Pottery Ware 105 375 6 % 22.50 1866 October Ebey & Davis Winchester Oct 31 Pottery Ware 36 4000 G. 300 2 1/2% 7.50 1866 November Ebey & Davis Winchester Pottery Stoneware 36 285 2 1/2% 7.12 1866 December Ebey & Davis Winchester Stone Ware 36 285 2 1/2% 7.12 _______________________________________________________________________________________ The undersigned having located themselves in the Town of Winchester, Morgan County, Ill., are now carrying on the Stone Ware Manufacturing Business in all its branches...... George EBEY Tho M KILLPATRICK Illinois Patriot (?. Illinois) March 10, 1836 _______________________________________________________________________________________ Illinois Land Purchase Records Ebey George July 28, 1836 $125.00 5,000 acres Township 14N Range 12W _______________________________________________________________________________________ Stone Ware. GEORGE EBEY. KEEPS constantly on hand a large assortment of every description of STONE WARE, Also different sizes of Water Pipe. I will also keep constantly on hand a lot of FIRE-BRICK, All of which I will sell cheap. Store opposite Freese & Co's. Grain House--who always be ready to wait on customen in my absence. GEORGE EBEY Decatur, Oct. 22, 1856 Illinois State Chronicle (Decatur, Illinois) November 27, 1856 Illinois State Chronicle (Decatur, Illinois) March 26, 1857 _______________________________________________________________________________________ GEORGE EBEY, an old and prominent citizen of this county, who settled in Illinois before the "winter of the deep snow," was born in the state of Ohio, near the city of Columbus, on the 18th of January, 1811, and is consequently now in his sixty-first year. He migrated to Illinois in the year 1828, when the great prairies over which he crossed were yet unscathed by iron rails or marred by worn fences-and no thought then had ever entered the head of the boldest settler that these almost boundless prairies would ever be disturbed by the plow-when even the small prairies in the vicinity of timber were yet sparsely settled, and log cabins were plentier than now, and the wigwam was still found along the rivers, especially across the Illinois river. Mr. EBEY settled first in Sangamon county, where he began the manufacture of earthenware, and in January, 1832, he returned to his native state to look after a partner for his future home in the west. The result, as might have been anticipated, was a wedding, which took place in the following May. His wife, Matilda J. KIRKPATRICK, was born in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, and was the daughter of Robert and Jane KIRKPATRICK. In 1833, Mr. EBEY, with his family (not so numerous then as now), returned to Illinois, and settled at Manchester, in this county, where he began to work at once at his trade, and in the spring of 1834 moved to Winchester, then a small village in the woods and hazel-brush. He here began the manufacture of stoneware, carried on the business successfully for three years and sold out his property in town and removed to the farm where he now resides, about three-quarters of a mile northeast of Winchester. Mr. EBEY has always been noted for his enterprising spirit, never afraid to make experiments in new and untried directions, and, as luck or judgment would have it, he generally has been successful. As an example of this: In 1829, when he resided in Sangamon county, he visited Whitehall. He there found clay which in his judgment was suitable for the manufacture of stoneware. He put some of it into his saddlebags, and carried it all the way to Ohio to compare it with the clay there, and for the purpose of having it tested. The result proved the correctness of his judgment, and induced him, after having selected his "partner," to settle in this part of the state. Mr. EBEY has always been a hard working man, and has accumulate his now ample property, not by trading or speculation upon the misfortunes of his fellow man, but by labor and economy. He has always made it a point to attend to his own business, considering also, that everything connected with the prosperity and welfare of the community, morally, socially, physically, and intellectually, constituted a part of his business; and if little children were locked out of the school house while teachers went home to warm dinners of "turkey and cranberry sauce," the public would soon know it, with "George EBEY" at the foot of his article, responsible for what he said. Robert HARRISON was the first potter located in Winchester. He established a small pottery here in 1830. Mr. EBEY bought out HARRISON, when he moved to Winchester, and from that time has been actively engaged in the business, which has constantly increased from the onset. Some fifteen years ago Mr. EBEY began the manufacture of tile, to be used on his own farm. This was before the day of tile drainage in the west, but a trial soon demonstrated its suitableness and cheapness, and now the manufacture of tile has become one of the leading branches of industry if Winchester. From the small pottery, made of logs, in Winchester, his works have grown to their present large dimensions, now located upon his farm. (Picture) Farm Residence and Pottery of GEORGE EBEY 1 Mile North east of Winchester Ills. Atlas Map Of Scott County, Illinois (Davenport, Andreas, Lyter & Co., 1873) _______________________________________________________________________________________ GEORGE, born Jan., 1811, in Ohio, came to Sangamon county in 1828, married in Ohio, in 1832, to Matilda Kirkatrick. They had three sons in the Union army; one of them was killed in battle at Pittsburg Landing. George Ebey resides in Winchester, Scott county, Ill. Power, John Carroll; History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois (Springfield, Edwin A Wilson & Co., 1876) _______________________________________________________________________________________ GEORGE EBEY. This gentleman is an honor to the citizenship of Scott County, and no one of its citizens is more worthy of the consideration and veneration in which he is held by all who know him than he, for he is a thoroughly upright, high-minded man, whose life record is without blemish. He represents the industrial interests of Winchester Precinct where he resides as a prosperous farmer and as a successful potter. Mr. Ebey comes of sturdy Revolutionary stock. His paternal grandfather, a German by birth and descent, emigrating to America in the seventeenth century, cast in his lot with the Colonists, and bravely fought with them for freedom from British rule, and yielded up his life in the cause at the storming of Stony Point. The parents of our subject, George and Mary (Ellebarger) Ebey, were born in Pennsylvania, and married and settled in their native State. The father was a man of good ability, full of ambition and enterprise. He was a millwright, and owned a flour-mill in Pennsylvania, and used to ship his flour on his own boats from his manufactory on the Juniata River to Baltimore. Desirous of making money still faster, he built two vessels, and loading one with flour and the others with castings bought from a foundry on credit, he dispatched them to the Baltimore market. But while going down the Susquehanna River the vessels were run upon a rock near its mouth and wrecked, the pilot having been bribed to do the act, and both vessels with their entire cargo and three of the crew were lost. Mr. Ebey was on board of one of the vessels, and not being able to swim, he lay upon the bow of the sinking boat during that entire March night, and when rescued in the morning was entirely helpless from west, cold, and exposure. This accident was a serious interruption in his hitherto prosperous career, and caused him to sell his property in Pennsylvania, and in 1804 to remove with his family to Ohio. He bought a tract of heavily timbered land in the primeval forests of that State, twelve miles north of Columbus, on the Sciota River, and there entered upon the pioneer task of hewing out a farm. He also engaged in his business as a miller, erecting a saw and grist mill in partnership with Mr. John Sells. He there reared his family until after the sad death of his wife (in 1815) broke up his home misfortune having once more set its seal upon his financial affairs, as the title to his land was found to be defective and he had to give it up. The mill, however, had been built on his partner's land, so that he did not lose his share of that. He rented a mill near Columbus, and lived there five years, and then, some of his children having married, he broke up housekeeping and lived among them, his death occurring in 1848, at the venerable age of eighty-four years. He and his wife were the parents of eleven children, of whom our subject was the tenth in order of birth. He was born in Ohio Jan. 18, 1811. He received his education in various places, as his brother-in-law, with whom he lived, moved frequently. His father came to Illinois in 1828, and he came with him, and they settled first in Sangamon County, whence our subject made several trips back to Ohio. He had learned the potter's trade from his brother-in-law, and when nineteen years old established himself at that calling, and not having money enough to carry on the business alone, was obliged to work on shares for about three years. May 3, 1832, our subject was married, in Ohio, to Miss Matilda, daughter of Robert and Jane Kilpatrick, natives, respectively, of County Antrim, Ireland, and of Washington County, Pa. The father was a weaver by trade, and migrated to this country and settled in Pennsylvania. He married there, and in 1815 removed with his family to Ohio, becoming a pioneer of that State. He died in 1824, and the mother in 1855. They had eleven children, of whom Mrs. Ebey, the fifth in order of birth, is now the only living representative. She was born in Crawford County, Pa., March 31, 1812. To her and her husband ten children have been born, seven sons and three daughters, all of whom have lived to maturity, but four have since died. In the hour of their country's greatest need, they loyally sent forth three of their beloved sons to do battler in her honor, and two of them were sacrificed to preserve the Union in its entirety. Their son, Fletcher, enlisted in Company C, 28th Illinois Infantry, was badly wounded at Shiloh, came home, after lingering in ill-health some years, and died from the effects of his wound, Oct. 18, 1876. Their eldest son now living, Thomas, served three years as a member of Company K, 14th Illinois Infantry, and was spared to return to his parents and friends. He was born Nov. 24, 1835, and is now happily established in a home of his own near his father's. He married Emma Alder, and they have three children. The record of the other three children of our subject and his wife is as follows: Mary Jane, born May 12, 1840, married William Garland, of Wyoming, and they have three children; Eliza, born Jan. 29, 1843, married Henry Stahl, of Elkhart, Ill., and they have five children living; Minnie, born Nov. 29, 1845, lives at home with her parents; Olive, born Dec. 17, 1848, lives in Custer, Dak.; Orville, born Dec. 27, 1851, lives on his father's place, married Mary Bulmer, and they have five children; David, born April 27, 1854, married Lucy Summers, and had two children, Katie and a younger one, who having been born just after her father's death, was named Davie in memory of him. This son died June 22, 1882, in the very prime of early manhood, and thus, shortly after the golden anniversary of their wedding day a half-century before, these worthy people lost their "baby" in his twenty-eighth year. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Ebey lived in Ohio until the following year, 1833, and then removed to Manchester, Ill., and the next year came to Winchester, and thus became numbered among the pioneers of this place. Two years later mr. Ebey bought this place and here they have lived for over half a century. He erected a pottery, and has been actively engaged in that business to this day. He has also gradually worked into farming, and now has a fine farm of 200 acres of land, of exceeding fertility, one mile northeast of Winchester. Mr. Ebey is a thoroughly patriotic citizen, and during the late war contributed his quota toward carrying it to a successful issue. Thirteen volunteers went out from the shelter of his home to join the Union Army. Three of them were his sons, one a son-in-law, and the others were men in his employ. He constituted himself a committee of one, to look after the boys, and made eight trips to the seat of war; visiting the battlefield of Shiloh, and bringing home his three sons who had fought nobly there; one was dead and another severely wounded, as heretofore mentioned. Mr. Ebey was a personal friend of President Lincoln, Richard Yates (the War Governor of Illinois), Peter Cartwright, and other notable men of this State. The famous preacher (Peter Cartwright) used to make his home his abiding-place for the night when he was holding quarterly meetings in this neighborhood. Mr. Ebey raised a company for the Mexican War, was elected its captain, but was not called upon to serve, as the quota was filled. In early times he was a Whig in politics, and was one of the first of the Abolitionists, and until 1884 was a supporter of the Republican party, but in that year he joined the ranks of the Prohibitionists, and has stood by that party ever since. He and his wife are both active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and they let their light so shine as to be seen of others who recognize in them, happy, sincere Christians. The life-record of our subject shows him to be a man pure and spotless in the eyes of the world, one who has always aimed to do good. Sound discretion, promptitude and method in his business transactions, have been important factors in bringing about his success in his undertakings. At this writing he possesses good mental powers and a fine physique, so that he has passed the milestone that marks seventy-nine years of a busy life, and yet does not bear the marks of such a venerable age, but is still hale and vigorous, and it is the hope of his many friends that his kindly presence may be spared to them many years before he is called to pass over the river. Portrait And Biographical Album Of Morgan And Scott Counties, Illinois (Chicago, Chapman Brothers, 1889) _______________________________________________________________________________________ George Ebey, Elijah's great grandfather on the maternal side, was a Revolutionary soldier under General (Mad) Anthony Wayne and was killed at the battle of Stony Point; his grandfather on the paternal side was killed at Yorktown in the last battle of the Revolutionary war. His father served in the war of 1812 under General Wm. Henry Harrison. Elijah left his father's home in Ohio in 1833 and came to Illinois, stopping at Winchester, now the county seat of Scott county, where he engaged in manufacturing stoneware. While there he took an active part in politics as a Whig, Henry Clay being his ideal. In 1840, he was appointed chairman of the Scott county Whig Central Committee. Securing the services of William Coyle, an agent of the Washington Monument Society, and an eloquent speaker, the two with some additional aid, made a thorough canvas of the county, speaking in every neighborhood and school district and securing for the Harrison electors a decided majority, where it had always been largely democratic. In 1841, he removed to Iowa territory, stopping first at Davenport for one year, and afterwards settling in Muscatine county, where he engaged in the same manufacturing business he had pursued in Illinois. Aldrich, Charles; The Annals of Iowa (Des Moines, Historical Department of Iowa, 1895) ______________________________________________________________________________________ Go To North American Soda & Beers Home |