Ephraim Shay
| Ephraim Shay | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 17, 1839 Huron County, Ohio, United States |
| Died | April 19, 1916 (aged 76) Harbor Springs, Michigan, United States |
| Occupation | Inventor, entrepreneur |
| Spouse(s) | Jane Henderson |
| Awards | John Scott Award (1892) |
Ephraim Shay (July 17, 1839 – April 19, 1916) was an American merchant, entrepreneur and self-taught railroad engineer who worked in the state of Michigan. He designed the first Shay locomotive and patented the type. He licensed it for manufacture through what became known as Lima Locomotive Works in Ohio; from 1882 to 1892 some 300 locomotives of this type were sold.
Ephraim Shay was born on July 17, 1839, in Sherman Township, Huron County, Ohio. His parents were James and Phoebe (Probasco) Shay, whose families went back to colonial New York. His parents were of majority-English descent, with some Dutch and Polish ancestry. His mother's paternal line descended from immigrant George (Jurriaen) Probatski, who was from Breslau, Silesia (now Wroclaw, Poland). In 1654 Probatski went to the Netherlands and immigrated with some Dutch via Amsterdam and Brazil to New Netherland (New York). Over time, through Dutch and English marriages and variations, the name in the United States evolved to Probasco, probably within the first few generations.
In 1861, Shay moved as a young man of 22 with family to Muir, Michigan. Shortly after he enlisted in Company D, 8th Missouri Volunteer Infantry. In his American Civil War diary, Shay wrote, "Received marching orders. Quite a coincidence; on the day I am 22 years old I start on my first expedition to defend my country's honor and flag." Shay served in the Western Theatre of the war, under General William Tecumseh Sherman. He was honorably discharged in 1864, and returned to Ohio to marry.
Shay married his sweetheart Jane Henderson on July 26 of that year. The young couple moved to Ionia County, Michigan, to be near his family members in Portland, Lyons, Muir, and Sebewa. In 1870 they moved to Sunfield, Michigan, where Shay operated a steam sawmill. Their son, Lette, was born there on January 26, 1870.
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