Ephraim M. Brank, who lived from 1791 to 1875, was born in North Carolina and came to Kentucky about 1808. As a lieutenant in the Kentucky militia, he was sent by Gov. Shelby in response to Gen. Andrew Jackson's call for troops to repel the British at New Orleans. On January 8, 1815, Brank's daring coolness on the breastworks during the battle inspired Kentucky and Tennessee riflemen in the crucial defeat of the British.