1820 - 1899
Banker
Ephraim D. Sayre was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey on September 25, 1820, a nephew of David A. Sayre. His father was James C. Sayre and his mother was Elizabeth P. Hamilton, who was a relative of Alexander Hamilton. In 1825, his family moved to Louisville where his father engaged in coach trimming and farming. In February 1848, Mr. Sayre moved to Lexington to become an assistant to his uncle, David A. Sayre. He served as the Treasurer of the Kentucky Association during the 1850s. He also served as secretary and treasurer of the Lexington Cemetery Company, beginning in 1850. Ephraim married Mary E. Woodruff married in 1850 and they had five children that reached maturity.
At the time of his uncle's death in 1870, Mr. Sayre inherited D. A. Sayre & Company and was instrumental in the formation of the Security Trust and Safety Vault Company. Two years later, in 1888, Mr. Sayre became President of the Security Trust and continued in this position until his death on October 22, 1899. He was for a number of years the Treasurer of the Lexington Cemetery Company.
