Isaac N. Ebey
| Isaac N. Ebey | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Isaac Neff Ebey January 22, 1818 Columbus, Ohio |
| Died | August 11, 1857 (aged 39) In the vicinity of Coupeville, Washington |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Resting place | Sunnyside Cemetery, Coupeville, Washington 48°12′21″N 122°42′20″W / 48.205736°N 122.705673°W |
| Nationality |
 United States
|
| Known for | First permanent white settler on Whidbey Island. Named Olympia, Washington. Helped separate Oregon and Washington Territories. Infamous murder. |
| Spouse(s) | Rebecca Whitley Davis (1822–1853) Emily Palmer Sconce (c. 1827–1863). |
| Children | Eason Benton Ebey. Jacob Ellison Ebey. Rebecca Harriet ('Hetty') Ebey. |
| Relatives |
Jacob Neff Ebey (father). |
| Signature | |
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Jacob Neff Ebey (father).
Sarah Anne Harriet Blue (mother).
Mary Ebey (sister).
Elizabeth Ruth Ebey (sister).
Winfield Scott Ebey (brother).
Sarah M. Ebey (sister)
Colonel Isaac Neff Ebey (January 22, 1818 – August 11, 1857) was the first permanent white resident of Whidbey Island, Washington.
Ebey was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1818. During his childhood Ebey's father, Jacob, moved the family to Adair County, Missouri where as a young man, the young Ebey was trained in the law. At age 25, Ebey married Rebecca Davis and they later had two sons, Eason (who became Phoebe Judson's son-in-law) and Ellison. Born with a naturally adventurous spirit, Isaac temporarily left his wife and young sons in Missouri to explore the American west – specifically the Pacific Coast.
During his journey west, Ebey briefly tried his hand at gold-mining during the California gold-rush and then headed north to Oregon Territory. After arriving in the Puget Sound region he went to work for the U.S. Customs service. While with the service, Ebey spent some time in Olympia, the city he is credited with naming in honor of the Olympic Peninsula mountains to the west of Puget Sound. Ebey also sponsored a statute to name King County, Washington. Hearing of the islands in the north end of the sound, Ebey came upon Whidbey Island and fell in love with the natural beauty, climate, and rich land perfect for farming.
In October 1850, Ebey moved from Olympia to Whidbey Island. When Congress passed the Donation Land Claim Act in 1850, Ebey claimed 640 acres (1.00 sq mi; 2.6 km2) for himself and his family overlooking Admiralty Inlet then wrote his wife to prepare for a move west with their sons.
The remainder of Ebey's family followed in October 1854. Among those of Ebey's family who came to the Pacific Northwest were: Ebey's parents, Jacob and Sarah; siblings, Mary, Winfield, and Ruth; Mary's two children, Almira and Polk Wright; a cousin, George Beam. Jacob Ebey claimed ridge land overlooking what is today called Ebey's Prairie. On the same ridge, Isaac Ebey built a blockhouse for protection against raiding Indians. Isaac and Jacob Ebey's land would prove to be some of the most productive in the area and word of this fortune traveled, drawing settlers from the east into the region and starting a rush of settlers who claimed most of the prairie-land by the beginning of 1853. By 1860, all of the best farmland had already been claimed.
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