In 1834, he married Margaret Ann McKaleb in Frederick County, Maryland, returning to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and becoming active in Whig Party politics.

[5] He quickly entered into a partnership in the real estate business with Brigadier-General M. Jeff Thompson, eventually becoming the owner of over eight thousand acres of land and other properties in Kansas.

Once the couple were settled in Taneytown, they began construction of a manor on the property, involving Baltimore builder Benjamin Forrester, William Henry Rinehart, and slave labor.

[1][7] On the lands, Ege operated a large slave plantation, raising 14 horses, 12 milk cows, and 18 other cattle, which produced 1,000 pounds of butter.

[1] After Ege went bankrupt, a local farmer bought the estate, whose descendants expanded the land holdings and continued operating it as a farm until the 1940s.