Ephraim Bee

Who was Ephraim Bee?

Ephraim Bee was an American pioneer, blacksmith, and inn-keeper from Doddridge County, West Virginia. He represented Doddridge County in the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1863 and 1866-1867.

Ephraim was born to Asa and Rhoda Bee in Salem, New Jersey. He moved with his parents around 1820 to western Virginia, settling in what later became Lewisport. There he built his own cabin and blacksmith shop. He later opened an inn, which became known as the Beehive Inn. Bee was married twice: first to Catherine Davis in 1823, and second to Mary Welch. Between them he had 17 children who survived infancy.

Bee was the founder of E Clampus Vitus, a fraternity similar to that of the Masons.

When West Virginia became a state in 1863 Bee represented Doddridge County in the first state legislature. In 1864-65 he served as the U.S. Postmaster for West Virginia. He was elected to two later terms in the House of Delegates before his retirement.

In his later years Bee was also a successful land speculator, who accumulated around 40,000 acres in West Virginia. When he died in 1888 he was buried in the Cabin Run Cemetery, near West Union, West Virginia.