1st generation

FRANZ AUGUST HOFFMANN CRASSEMANN GREAT GREAT GRAND FATHER

Came to Uruguay from Hamburg, where he was born in 1828. As a visionary and a pioneer in 1858, with an English named Lowry, they made a society for buying the land where they founded FRAY BENTOS city.Then convinced investors and JUSTUS VON LIEBIG, that a good business could be done with the cows well fed of Urguay and Liebig`s recent invention to maintain meat as a concentrated. Uruguay has to thank him for helping developing the biggest industry of exporting meat. As director of the Liebig, he not only directed from there 500.000 thousand hectares that the company had in Argentina and Uruguay, he invested in land that still have nowadays, cousins and myself. For many years. He also was able to receive a bank (BANCO COMERCIAL) completely ruined and in 10 years he valuated the bank putting it as the 1ºst bank of Uruguay. He was also president, for many years of the Germania beer Factory, that years after became PILSEN, the biggest beer factory of Uruguay. He married Rosa Tornquist, daughter of a very important financist and banker of Argentina, she was catholic, and he was protestant, and of course in catholic countries, as was Argentina and Uruguay in those times, was a great challeng for both to convince their families. He died at the age of 86, in 1914, surrounded by his family and the joy and happiness of a life that had been full of work, sufferings, joys and respect by the people who new him.

2 nd generation

ERNESTINA HOFFMAN DE BEHRENS MY GREAT GRAND MOTHER (GROSSMAMA)

She was one of the 7 sons August and Rosa had. She married Ernst Behrens and had 7 children aswell. Ernst Behrens, increased the fortune he had and his wife`s aswell. Although they had a big fortune, they lived in a very austere way as his father had taught her. Working very hard, and taking care of the big family.

3 rd generation

OLGA BEHRENS DE REGULES MY GRANDMOTHER

(MUTTI), as we called her, was a tough woman. She married Gilberto Regules, a very respected doctor, and a pioneer in plastic surgery. Unfortunatelly he died very young and couldn`t use all the brilliant carreer he had as a doctor. As Mutti had cousins in Germany, they went to Berlin to help and practice his expertise, repairing faces of wounded soldiers of the war. My father was born there. Mutti, and Gilberto came back from germany, and she got pregnant again and before my aunt was born, my grandfather died. She was a widower at 28 years old with a baby not walking and a baby coming. It was very sad for her, but this developed her as a very strong and good mother and expert administrator of her fortune. Taking care of everything, the family, and the land she had inherited from her mother. When my father was 18, he wanted to become a doctor in law, but with her imperative Germanic way, she decided he had to go to the land to take care of what she had not been able as a woman, and because of very bad roads. He had to become a farmer or a farmer Uruguay during and after both world wars, developed the meat production, and the business had to be taken care personally. She decided to invest, and helped my father to develop a productive and model farm. She died very old in Punta del Este.

4 th generation

CARLOS REGULES BEHRENS AND ISABEL ZORRILLA DE SAN MARTIN MY PARENTS (Bubi and Chabela)

My father with the lack of father, became a very protective and adorable father for his 6 children. Although he wanted to be a doctor he became a great farmer. His only problem was that he was very handsome and many women were after him. He loved very much my mother, but he also liked going here and there and this cost him quite a fortune. Women… The good part was that he developed ESTANCIA LAS CAÑADAS as a modern an productive farm. He managed from Las Cañadas 9000 hectares, who were still property of my grandmother. As roads were not very good still, it took us sometimes 10 hours to arrive to the farm. We came in 2 or 3 cars, As one would stay broken in the middle of our trip. Now it takes me 3 hours. He then decided to have a plane, and in one hour we could arrive to the farm.My mother, very pretty, and with a very historic backround, as a little bit snobbish and would say to her friends when she was only 13 years old, don´t argue with me , as my two grandfathers are in the bills of Uruguay, and have statues. She had inherited the lirism of my great great Grand father Don Juan Zorrilla de San Martin, who was the poet of Uruguay with his two famous books "Artigas Epopee" and "The Home legend". She has been the most loveble mother and has suffered with the divorce with my father and a sun who died.

5 th generation

CECILIA REGULES ZORRILLA DE VASCONCELLOS

I have a unique daughter: "Cecilia". I am married to Dr. Amilcar Vasconcellos, who has helped me in my dream of running "Las Cañadas" with his good counsel and support.
I received the estancia in 2002, from my brother Carlos who would run the farm, when my father got old.
I inherited much less land than what my father runned, We were in total 6 Regules Zorrilla and 4 Pueyrredon Regules grand sons of Mutti, my grandma who was the owner of the 9000 hectares But I am very happy with what I have and that I have been able to keep it. Land is easy to sell, very difficult to buy, and very difficult to maintain.
Remembering the efforts of my brother, my father, my grandmother, I maintain the spirit to continue the adventure of keeping this special place.
I thank God every day to give me the strength and determination to make it possible.
I speak 6 languages, that give me the possibility of having clients from all over the world and enrichen my spirit with different points of view and ways of living. Clients in general,with very few exceptions are adorable, nature, horses, I love, what else can I ask?

6 th generation

CECILIA VASCONCELLOS REGULES

DAUGHTER Cecilia, is 13 years old, and she adores cats, dogs, sheep, and whatever animal she can find. She likes to guide the clients, when she is in holidays. We live in Montevideo, but in summer, we pass most of our time at the estancia, where she enjoys, having fun with her year old. And sometimes she gets a little jealous, when they use too much her favourite horses. She speaks a litte german and English, and practices French also. So you can imagine I am very happy, she is traveling already and knowing other people from other cultures.I hope she will be able to maintain the house, and that she can keep it for all the work and love all our ancestors have had there. Land gives you such a feeling of belonging, that even though she wants to be a doctor in medicine, she won`t decline to take care of "Las Cañadas".