After the death of his father in 1862, the family moved to Yellow Creek, Pa. When Ed was 18 years old he went to Hagerstown, Md. to work in the harvest fields and lived there two years. He then moved to Brimfield near Peoria, Ill. and worked on a farm. On his twenty-fifth birthday, Jan. 16, 1883, he moved still farther west to Annelly, Kans. and made his home for two years with his uncle Obadiah Lineaweaver. He then began farming for himself and his sister Anna came from the East to keep house for him until her marriage to William Kelly in 1889. About this time he married and left the farm and moved to Annelly, Kans. and engaged in business. He operated a general merchandise store and also dealt in grain, coal and lumber. Later he sold his farm near Annelly and 320 acres in Kenyon Co. and lived in Newton, Kan. In October 1910 he moved to California and bought a grocery store on Jefferson St., Los Angeles. After six months he sold this and moved to San Diego County June 7, 1911, and purchased a fruit ranch of 80 acres at De Luz. On this ranch he has raised apricots and walnuts commercially and many other kinds of fruit for family use. In 1943 he left the ranch and lived with his son [Ned] near Escondido.

While residing in Annelly he held the office of Postmaster. He belonged to the Methodist church and his political affiliations were with the Republican party.

During his life he had good health and only in advanced age did he begin to show loss of hearing and memory.