The initial source of the data in the E162 Database was the monumental work of the Reverend Charles Eliphalet Ebersol. His 1937 publication THE EBERSOL FAMILIES IN AMERICA 1727-1937 contained data on over 2000 individuals who had used our surname in one of its various spellings. It also contained data about approximately 3000 more individuals related to these EV/EB families.
It has been common for later authors to severely criticise errors in the Rev. E's work. (Actually we have found the error rate to be quite small.) Considering the technological advances in copying, photography, tramsportation, communications and computers that have occurred in the last 50 years, we find the quality of the 1937 publication to be quite remarkable. Even the critcs have found it to be valuable enough to utilize its data extensively in their own works.
We believe criticism of the Rev. E's work is counterproductive and self serving in most cases. At the same time, examination of it and most published and unpublished EV/EB histories reveals most of the data about individuals has no documentary evidence supporting its validity. Having said that, it should be noted that, as such evidence has been found, it almost always supports the claims of the Rev. E. and other authors.
For all the reasons stated and implied above, I believe we owe the Reverend E. and his grandfather, our heartfelt thanks for their efforts, Furthermore I believe we should also pay them homage by documenting their data where ever possible, updating it, and correcting it where ever we can find better evidence than they were able to muster. We should do this in the spirit of building on their best efforts rather than in an adversarial mode.
A separate task, and one with probably only a remote chance of success, is to find and preserve the notes, correspondence and records of the Reverend.
A third wish is to find out more details of his life. He was living in California in the 1980's. What had he done in the 50 years between publishing his book and then?
A possible lead is contained in a letter from the Rev. to Gordon K. Ebersol dated Dec. 10 1945. In it he mentioned "a nephew named Ward who went all thru Okinawa and is now in China" and "another nephew who instructed service men in M.I.T. in radio, Capt. Elmer T. Ebersol."
If you have any information that would be useful in furthering our wishes to find out more about the Reverend, please contact me at the address given below or or click here to send an email to me.
Click here to return to the top of the E 162 Project Page.
Click here to return to the Eversole's Home page.
