May 20th, 1930
My Dear Children,
In looking over some old Papers and records my attention was called to the fact that at the outbreak of the world's war 1918, manv people had trouble in establishing their citizenship, therefore it has occurred to me that I would be con-ferring a great favor on my family if I tell you something about your ancestors.
You are descended from pioneer stock on your Mother's and Father's side of the family. Your Mother was of Noble French stock. Her people having fled from. France during the revolution or in the year 1815, settling in New York where her Father was born, being educated at the Harvard Medical College where he graduated. When he was twenty six years old he payed a visit to Cincinnati, there met her Mother and married in 1841 . Her Mother was English noble stock on both sides of her family, the Shepherds side consisted of four brothers settled in and about Cincinnati or what is known as the Miami valley, having purchased lands from Cincinnati to Dayton, Ohio. Later years three of the brothers left for England, leaving all their properties to Ova Florence Blanots Flye's Treat grand father and many of the shepherds descendants still live there, among them a grandson of Orlando Lincoln Flye and Eva Florence Blanot Flye, Harold Melbourne Flye.
Her grandmother was Sarah Preston, born and raised in Boston, Mass., where she married Thomas Shepherd in 1884, who was educated at Harvard College. They left shortly after their marriage and moved to Cincinnati where his father gave him an estate near Ganoe, Ohio where they lived during their life time. A grandson still lives there. Preston Shepherd the second, they raised eight children, among them your mother's mother, Maria Jane Shepherd.
My forefathers are English and Irish. My mother being English descended from John Alden and Priscilla Mullins, These families eventually drifted to Maine, settling the Kenebeck valley at the town of Winslow, Maine. Said town was incorporated in 1771 and one John Flye and Josish Havfen, my mother's maiden name, are among the first settlers.
The record of my life reads as follows. Born at Winslow, Maine, February 28 1861 where I lived and was educated until I obtained my first position with the New England Telephone Company at Lewiston, Maine. There I married Carrie R. McEgan on August 20, 1881 by the Reverend Israel Luce. By this marriage two children were born:
Alice MAy Flye, horn at Luiston, Maine, May 4, 1882.
Ralph Henry Flye, born at Rockland, Maine, December 22, 1883
Carrie R McEgan Flye died at Bath, Maine, April 19, 1884.
I continued with this company until 1887 when I left to accept a position as general electrician with the Procter and Gamble Company at Ivorydale, Cincinnati, Ohio. There, I met Eva Florence Adelain Blanot and married her at Elmwood, Cincinnati Ohio, on October 24,, 1889 by the Reverend Arthur F. Bishop. Bv this marriage eight children were born who are all alive today. They are as follows:
Harry Orlando Flye was born At Elmwond, Ohio, August 23rd., 1890 (3 P.M. Saturday).
Myrtle Carmelita Flye was born at Elmwood, Ohio, March 1st, 1893
Alva Maria Flye was born at Santa Marta, Colombia South America, Apri1 7, 1895
Clara Jane Flye was born at Santa Marta Columbia, South America, April 19 1897
William Davis Flye was born at Santa Marta Columbia South America, June 29th 1900
Dolly Mercedes Kathleen Flye was born at Santa Marta, Colombia, South America, March 15, 1902
Orlando Lincoln Flye the second was born at Santa Marta, Colombia, September 18, 1908
Eva Victoria Flye was born at Santa Marta, Colombia, South America, July 16, 1910
It is well to add here that on both sides of your family your ancestors were upright. honorable and religious people. On no side have we had criminals or outcasts. This virtue they tried to hand down to their children, and we have tried to uphold this great prestige and hope that in handing it down to you, that you will live the some Upright and honorable lives. To proceed.
November 1890, I left the employment of the Proctor and Gamble company to accept a position with the Colombian Telephone And Telegraph Company as manager of their interests in the tropical America With headquarters at Barranquilla, November 20, 1890. Not being pleased with conditions and the absence of my family I sent in my resignation which was not accepted. This company promised to send me my family and gave
me a very good salary with orders to extend their enterprise. I stayed on and in 1892 made a contract with the Colombian Government to establish at Santa Marta, a Colombian Electric Plant.
I had found much wild coffee in and about the mountains around Santa Marta. On having some gathered and sent to New York I was told that it was of the very best quality and they wanted some thousands of bags each year. After getting the Electric Light Plant well established I resigned from the Company and on August 4, 1894 began my career as a coffee planter in the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta. I first started out on the north slopes together with some Bogota friends. There I sold out and was soon persuaded to start again near some friends who had started in coffee shortly after we had. Five friends went in together. Myself being one denounced the plot on the south western slopes known at that time as the VALPARAISO lands. There I started in with my wife and family to make a coffee estate. Later on took in two partners, one of which we later on bought out and today the Santa Marta Coffee Company has bought out the other four first owners. This large denouncement has two Estates, one called Hacienda de Cincinnati and the other Isla Nieve. Here I have established our own Electric Light Plant and Telephone Plant and have all the modern conveniences that one can have in the United States with a most ideal climate as you all know. Mind it has not all been easy, and we have had many a hard year to pull through such as you are going through today, although with the help of a very loving and encouraging wife have an estate that is a credit to any country and I can wish my daughters no better recommendation that they make as good wives as their mother has been to me. May God be with you all and if at any time I find something worth adding to this, I shall continue.
Bolivar March 22, 1931
Records of the families of Thomas Shepherd, Sarah ah Preston and Elisha Yorks Wells Blanot and their descendants.
Elisha Blanot arrived in New York with his family in the year of 1785 where he lived until his death. His only son, Elisha Yorks Wells Blanot was born on February 11, 1822. He lived in Boston and New York until he was twenty six years old, graduating from the Harvard Medical College in the year 1845. On paying a visit to Mr. Thomas Shepherd, who had an estate some fifteen miles outside of Cincinnati, Ohio, he liked the west and on November 9, 1848 he married Maria Jane Shepherd. The family of Blanots was of noble blood, had many disasters during the last years of their stay in France and while devoted to their King Louis the XVI and their country, were forced to fly in order to save what fortune they had left and also their lives. Eva Florence Adelain Flye is one of the children of their marriage who in 1901 came to Colombia with her husband and they have lived here ever since, except a few months out of the year when they have visited their own country. They live and have their home in the mountains and in the low lands. The Estate is called after their old family city, Cincinnati, and the low land place is called Bolivar after the Father of this Country as he has merited the esteem of all. Here we have had six children born, two of the eight being born in the United States, while today we have two sons running the Coffee Estate and three daughters living near and in Santa Marta, all married to United Fruit Company men. We are all devoted to our adopted Country.
The first Sarah Preston, Grandmother of Eva Florence Adelain Blanot Flye was of noble english descent. Her family came to America and settled in Boston where some of the family still remain. After her marriage she went to live on the Shepherd's Estate where she lived until her death. She gave the family name to all her sons except one who had his father's full name.
The first Thomas Shepherd came to America with three of his brothers drifted to Cincinnati Ohio, were the Miami Valley enchanted them so that here they took up their estates. Three of the brothers went back to England and twenty five years ago, we had lawyers trying to prove that we were the descendants of the Shepherd family, although, during the first days of the open West, people did not bother about families, therefore the proof, and the old Bible that those brothers had left with Thomas Shepherd (as well as all their estates in America) when the heirs of the English Shepherds were no more and some 6 million dollars were to be to be divided among the American Shepherds, owing to the loss of the Bible we are still without proof that we are the descendants of thi s Shepherd Family. A part of the Shepherds Estate still belongs to one of the Shepherds, near Ganoe, Ohio, while one of Thomas Shepherds, the second sister, built an orphan asylum and presented to the city of Lockland, Ohno, where it still stands.
Children of Thomas Shepherd and Sarah Preston Shepherd: Nelly Shepherd born August 1, 1625 Abijah Preston Shepherd born July 13, 1897. Maria Jane Shepherd born Feb.2, 1830-mother of Eva Florence Adelain Blanot Flye.