Isaac Ebey
Isaac Neff Ebey (* 1818 ; † 1857 on Whidbey Island) was an American pioneer and the first permanent white settler on Whidbey Island in Washington state .
Isaac Ebey was born in Ohio in 1818. He trained as a lawyer and married Rebecca Davis at the age of 25, with whom he had three children. Nevertheless, Ebey temporarily left his family and moved to California as a gold digger. However, he soon moved north to what was then the northern Oregon Territory and worked as a customs officer. In October 1850 he became the first white settler to move to Whidbey Island and claimed 2.6 square kilometers of land for himself and his family. His wife and sons and his wife's three brothers followed him in the fall of 1851, and his parents and other relatives moved to Whidbey Island in 1854. Ebey not only built a farm on Whidbey Island, but also worked as a lawyer and was politically active. The later capital Olympia was named on a suggestion from him. In the Puget Sound War he led a company of volunteers in 1855 and 1856, which is why the government made him an honorary colonel . In 1857 a group of Indians, presumably Haida , came to Whidbey Island in canoes. They were on a campaign of revenge because the year before, 27 of their warriors had been killed in a skirmish with sailors from the US warship USS Massachusetts at Port Gamble . In revenge, they wanted to kill a white chief. They came to Ebey's house, shot him dead without warning, and took his head as a trophy. His family was able to flee, Ebey was buried in Sunnyside Cemetery on his property. The murderers were never caught; it was not until 1860 that an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company was able to release his scalp and hand it over to Ebey's brother.
Fort Ebey was named after Ebey in 1942 , the site of which has served as a state park since 1981 . The Ebeys settlement area was called Ebey's Landing . Since 1978 the landscape has been the USA's first historical reserve . Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve is a joint venture between the United States and Washington State to preserve the cultural landscape of the pioneers of the 19th century on Whidbey Island and covers over 70 square kilometers.
Web links
- Biography of Ebeys on the National Historic Reserve homepage
- Ebeys Landing National Historic Reserve website
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ebey, Isaac |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ebey, Isaac Neff (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American pioneer and officer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1818 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Ohio |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1857 |
| Place of death | Ebey's Landing on Whidbey Island , Washington |