George Ege

Who was George Ege?

George Ege was a United States Congressman, elected to the House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. He was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, to Anna Catherine and George-Michael Ege, who had immigrated from Germany in 1738. George's father participated in the French and Indian War, subsequently had health problems, and died in 1759, when George was just 11 years old. After his father's death, George and his two brothers, Jacob Ege and Michael Ege, were sent to live and study with their mother's wealthy brother-in-law, Henry William Stiegel, a noted glass-maker who had mansions in Manheim, PA and at Elizabeth Furnace, PA, as well as several other outside business interests, including an iron operation he called “Charming Forge” in the Womelsdorf area of Berks County, PA. Under "Baron" Stiegel's tutelage, George and his brothers learned about how to run iron operations.

In 1774, George Ege succeeded the Baron as owner of Charming Forge and also built a mansion on the property, adjacent to the stream used by the iron mill; this mansion was also called "Charming Forge," and it is still occupied today. George prospered with the forge, added additional forges and properties, and became one of the wealthiest citizens of Berks County.