Edward's father was Charles Ramsley, who could trace his ancestors back to Sweden. His mother, Lady Anne Cavendish, was part of the family of the Dukes of Cavendish. Edward was increasingly bored in England so in 1876 he left to travel Europe. He went to Austria-Hungary, heading to Vienna. There he would find enough capital to be able to head to the recently discovered country of Lovia. But, at the village of Třebíč, near Brno, he met an 18-year old girl, Bara who he fell in love with. He and Bara moved to Lovia in 1879, originally settling in Scotland. He began a trans-Atlantic imports-exports company, Federal Imports Ltd. Initially successful, the company lost profits near the end of his life.