Espie Flynn Menius was born in Salisbury (Rowan County) on May 9, 1891. By the mid-1910s, Menius lived in Kinston while working for Lynch Jewelry Company, during which time he made multiple visits to North Wilkesboro. By 1930 he settled in New Bern, where he worked as an optometrist. He died in New Bern on February 13, 1954.