Lady ISAPHOENIA stepped ashore at Mellonville in 1854, known
by then as Mrs. James G. SPEER. A town of Orlando did not yet exist when she
and her young family arrived at Orange County. Fewer than 300 souls lived at
the time in ALL of central Florida. A mother of five, her sixth child arrived 3
years after arriving in #cflParadise. Lady Isaphoenia consistently used her
middle initial in recorded documents, an initial believed by her descendants to
be “CLEOPATRA”. Now knowing of Isaphoenia C. ELLINGTON’s family heritage, that
family legend could be true. Born 1824 at Abbeville, SC, Isaphoenia, a central
player in founding both OAKLAND and ORLANDO, has long been overshadowed in
history by her celebrated husband.
Isaphoenia was a half-sister of Benjamin F. Caldwell, the land
donor of four acres that was the hub of an 1857 village of Orlando. She was the
original owner of the 1870s Lake Pineloch homestead belonging to Francis EPPES,
and the first owner of a 40 acre parcel at Fort Reid. Her 160 acres alongside
Lake Ivanhoe, by 1860, meant Isaphoenia owned a total of 360 prime acres along
the Fort Mellon to Fort Gatlin Road, aka, the First Road to Orlando. One
amazing 19th century frontierswoman, her death at the age of 42 jump
started a process re-writing of Orange County history, creating a new script
that totally eliminated any knowledge of an incomparable Lady Isaphoenia C.
(Ellington) Speer, great-great granddaughter of Colonial Williamsburg’s ORLANDO
Jones, a member of Virginia’s House of Burgesses.
When visiting Virginia's Colonial Williamsburg, look for the replica law office and home (shown above) of the Honorable Orlando Jones.
Lady Isaphoenia will also be an integral part
of a FREE presentation March 25th at the downtown Orange County
Library.
Plan to attend this FREE Presentation
ORLANDO REEVES: Fact or Fiction?
Orange County Public Library Presentation
Sunday, March 25, 2018 at 2 PM
Visit Facebook Event Page:
Tomorrow: “One of the most successful women in business.”
For more central Florida history, visit
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