Ephraim Bryan Hackburn was born in Beaufort (Carteret County), North Carolina, on February 1, 1853. His family moved to New Bern during his childhood, where he lived the rest of his life. He became a dry goods merchant, and in 1914, he expressed support for W. W. Lawrence to be appointed as notary public. Hackburn died in New Bern on September 25, 1922.