Had he ever ventured his troops the 2,700 miles to Sacramento, California, from his Virginia base, General Robert E. Lee would have found liquor dealer Francis “Frank” X. Ebner waiting for him. A battle-tested veteran of the Prussian army, Ebner, shown right, was captain of the Sacramento Hussars and presumably ready to take on anything the Confederates might throw at him.
Born in Waldshut-dei-Freiburg, Baden, Germany in 1829, Ebner was the son of Charles Ebner, a merchant, lumber dealer and butcher of some wealth who could afford to send the boy to a business institute after his graduation from government schools. At the time Baden was in a state of disorder fomented by republican agitators. A full scale uprising known as the Revolution of 1848 ensued that resulted in young Ebner being conscripted into the Prussian army. A member of an artillery regiment, he helped put down the pro-democracy insurrection.
Following his discharge Ebner satisfied a youthful wanderlust by traveling first to Switzerland and then to America, shipping from Le Havre to New York City. From there he proceeded to Chicago, then to St. Louis and a year later to New Orleans. In 1853 he traveled by steamer via Panama to California, landing at San Francisco. From there Ebner headed to Sacramento, arriving on April 1, 1853. That city would be his home for the rest of his life.
Ebner’s reason for settling in Sacramento likely was the presence there of his older brother, Charles, who was residing with his wife, Louise, and three children. By this time Frank also was married. His bride was Katerina “Kate” Albietz, a woman he likely had known in Baden. The 1860 census found the young couple staying with Charles’ family in a household that included six German and two Peruvian boarders, and a servant woman.
The brothers opened a hotel called the Sierra Nevada at Ninth and J Streets and were proprietors of the Philadelphia Beer Saloon. In 1857 they had sufficient resources to construct a new hotel, known as the Ebner House. Shown here, it was located near the waterfront at 116-118 K Street. The brothers would operate the hotel for six years before selling it.
During this period Frank Ebner also was playing a soldier as an 1859 organizer and officer of the Sacramento Hussars. Even before California became a state, citizens had formed volunteer military units. With admission to the Union this process was formalized in the State’s Constitution. The Sacramento Hussars, patterning themselves after the light-horsed units in the European armies of the era, were unusual in being composed almost exclusively of native-born and immigrant Germans. The Hussars boasted uniforms and equipment that followed the European pattern. Their fancy dress, sabers, belts and boots were expensive, costing as much as $100 in 1860 dollars, thus limiting membership to individuals of some wealth. As shown here, their coats were red with gold braid and their trousers were dark grey worn tucked into boots. Each Hussar provided his own horse and equipment.
On March 3, 1860, because of their colorful appearance the Hussars were called upon to form a mounted escort for the first Pony Express rider to reach Sacramento. The unit’s original strength was 26 men but that was soon raised to a maximum of 62. During the Civil War the unit was incorporated into the California state militia as an “unattached company” of the Fourth Brigade. With that status came a monthly stipend from the state of $100. Captain Ebner and the Sacramento Hussars stood fully ready to resist any attack from the Confederacy that might come over the Rocky Mountains.
Possibly to the relief of Ebner and his companions, California was never attacked nor was there any serious pro-Rebel unrest in the Sacramento area. The Hussars retreated into becoming a social and philanthropic organization, said to care for the sick and bury the dead. With Captain Ebner in the forefront, the Hussars continued to be given a place of honor when the company went on parade as it did on national holidays and state and city celebrations.
Meanwhile, brothers Frank and Charles in 1866 had expanded their business operations by opening a liquor house. Called “Ebner & Bro.” the store, shown above, was Initially located in the St. George Hotel on Fourth Street between J and K. The two men in the photo are not believed to be either brother.
The Ebners featured such whiskey brands as “Blue Cross,” “Old Colonial,” “Sunnyvale,” “Mellwood,” “Runnymede,” and “.”Old Jordan.” The brothers were not distillers but buying whiskey from a variety of distilleries nationwide, shipping it by rail to Sacramento in barrels, and then blending it to achieve a desired color, taste, and smoothness. This process was led by a skilled “rectifier,” likely one of the Ebners. The results then were decanted into embossed glass bottles ranging from half pints, pints and quarts and into larger containers for wholesale customers.
Like other liquor houses in the highly competitive Sacramento market, Ebner Bros. Company gifted good customers such as saloons, restaurants and hotels with advertising items. Shown below are four back-of-the-bar bottles, a way for a liquor dealer to get exposure for his brands where people were drinking. With engraved or enameled labels they were intended to catch the eye. Essentially banned by law since 1920, all bar bottles qualify today as antiques.
My favorite Ebner Bros. giveaway is a portrait of a comely young woman bearing the caption, “Compliments of Ebner Bros. Co., Wholesale Wines & Liquors, Sacramento, Cal.” Although it has a calendar and thus is dated, this image has been put into a frame and intend for a saloon wall.
Although Ebner Bros. liquor house proved to be highly profitable, two events marred whatever elation Frank might have felt with its success. In 1868, Charles died in an influenza epidemic at the age of 36, leaving behind his widow and minor children. Two years later, Frank’s wife, Kate, died leaving her husband to raise their three children. Three years later he married Josephine Hug, a woman younger by 24 years. They would have five children of their own.
Throughout this period, Ebner continued to be a leading figure in the Sacramento Hussars. His reward came in April 1872 when the unit presented him with a special saber and belt. Shown here, the sword featured a finely tempered and ornamented blade, a hilt of silver and gold, and a fancy gold-plated scabbard. Costing a then hefty $150, Ebner’s sword in 2009 went up for auction at $28,750.
A reporter for The Sacramento Union caught the spirit of Ebner’s award: "The presentation speech was made by Lieutenant Heilbron, who did justice to the occasion in expressing the high regards in which the Captain was held by his company. Captain Ebner made a feeling response, returning thanks in a manner, which his comrades plainly saw was heartfelt. The company subsequently visited Chas. Sillinger’s saloon, on fifth Street, between J and K, where a collation had been spread, and there passed a pleasant hour or more in proposing, drinking and responding to toasts….”
Ebner continued to operate his liquor establishment until his death on May 7, 1901, at age 71. His death certificate indicated that he had succumbed to cardiac arrest as the result of a chronic heart condition. His newspaper obituary identified Ebner as “one of Northern California’s oldest wholesale liquor merchants.” Buried in the Sacramento City Cemetery, his monument and a closeup of his gravestone is shown here. Frank willed half of his estate to his widow, Josephine, and the other half in equal shares to his children from the two marriages. Perhaps surprisingly, he left nothing to the Sacramento Hussars.
Notes: This post owes a great deal to Steve Abbott, an expert on Western whiskeys and collector of Sacramento whiskey artifacts. In researching a possible story on Frank Ebner, I came across his excellent article on the brothers in the Sept-Oct 2018 issue of Bottles & Extras. Steve graciously has allowed me to use material and photographs from that piece. Of the Hussars, Steve says: “The Sacramento German militia was mostly bull—, more of a club than a military unit.”
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