Edmund McIlhenny facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Edmund McIlhenny
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| Born | 1815 Hagerstown, Maryland, U.S
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| Died | November 25, 1890 (age 75) |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 1868–1890 |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Eliza Avery |
Edmund McIlhenny (1815 – 25 November 1890) was an American businessman. He founded the McIlhenny Company. This company was the first to make a lot of Tabasco sauce. Many people think he invented the sauce. However, another person named Maunsel White might have been the first to grow Tabasco peppers and make a sauce from them. White is believed to have shared his recipe and pepper pods with McIlhenny.
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Who Was Edmund McIlhenny?
Edmund McIlhenny was born in Hagerstown, Maryland, in 1815. Around 1840, he moved to New Orleans, Louisiana. There, he started working in the banking business. His family had roots in Ireland and Scotland. Before the American Civil War, he became quite wealthy. He even owned his own bank.
On June 30, 1859, he married Mary Eliza Avery. They had eight children together.
Life During the Civil War
During the Civil War, McIlhenny and his wife's family, the Averys, moved to Texas. He worked for the Confederate army. He was a civilian employee. First, he worked as a clerk in an office that supplied food. Later, he managed money for the army's paymaster.
After the war, the southern economy collapsed. McIlhenny lost his fortune. He then lived with his wife's family on Avery Island in Louisiana. This was their plantation house. On Avery Island, McIlhenny took care of the family garden. It was here that he grew many different fruits and vegetables.
How Tabasco Sauce Began
McIlhenny received tabasco peppers and a recipe for tabasco sauce from his friend, Maunsel White. White was a plantation owner who died in 1863. The company story says McIlhenny invented the sauce himself between 1866 and 1868.
First Sales and Patent
In 1868, McIlhenny grew his first peppers for sale. He started selling his sauce the next year. He called it Tabasco brand pepper sauce.
In 1870, McIlhenny got a letters patent for his sauce. This meant he had the legal right to make and sell it. He put the sauce in small two-ounce bottles. These bottles had cork tops and a special diamond-shaped label. They looked very much like the bottles we see today.
Spreading the Sauce
At first, McIlhenny sold his sauce mostly along the Gulf Coast. This included cities like New Orleans, New Iberia, and Galveston. By the early 1870s, his sauce reached bigger cities. These included New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston. A large food company, E. C. Hazard and Company, helped him sell his product.
Edmund McIlhenny's Legacy
Edmund McIlhenny passed away in 1890. It seems he didn't think making Tabasco sauce was his biggest achievement. He didn't mention it in his life story. His obituaries also did not mention it.
However, his sons saw things differently. His sons, John Avery McIlhenny and Edward Avery McIlhenny, took over the business. They realized their father had started something special. They worked to make the company bigger and more modern. Today, every carton of Tabasco sauce has a copy of McIlhenny's signature. This honors the man who started it all.
