JERRY PERSON -- A Look Back

In 1985, I remember helping Huntington Beach Historical Society member

Teresa Reynolds move about a dozen old and dusty ledger books from the

Newland House to the society’s new office in the Newland Barn.

I asked Reynolds what these were, and she told me they were the early

records of Judge Pann, pronounced “pon.” I glanced through a few of

these, and there, written in pen and ink, were the names of many of our

pioneer townspeople.

There were names and dates of the couples he had married and of some

who violated our laws. This week, we’ll look at city judge and justice of

the peace Christian Pann -- thanks in part to residents Arline Howard and

her sister May Robson.

Christian Peter Pann was born on May 26, 1868, in Oxford, Ohio. He was

one of 10 children in the Pann family.

One of Pann’s earliest memories was of the time in 1880, when he was

12, that he and his older sister traveled by train to Cincinnati to visit

relatives and hear a speech given by James Garfield as he was campaigning

for president. A year later, President Garfield would be killed by an

assassin’s bullet.

In 1886, Pann entered Miami University in Ohio, and in 1890 he and

eight others graduated. In 1894, Pann came to California, a seven-day

journey in those days. He managed a farm in the Fresno area while

studying to become a lawyer.

After becoming a lawyer, Pann served one term in the state Legislature

as the representative from Ventura County. Pann later worked as an editor

at a local newspaper before hanging up his sheepskin to practice law.

In 1916, he came to Huntington Beach and would later become a city

judge in the 1920s and early 1930s.

He married Ola Huff from Huntington Beach. Ola died in the 1920s,

Howard told me.

In November 1937, Pann ran against Charles Patton for the office of

city judge. Pann was defeated.

Pann was made a justice of the peace for Huntington Beach township

after that election and held that post until he retired in 1953.

Pann was a member of First Christian Church since its earliest days.

In June 1944, the church’s Loyal Women’s & Men’s Bible Class met in the

dining room of the church to honor the 76th birthday of their teacher,

Pann, with gifts and a potluck luncheon.

In October 1945, what started as a quiet weekend trip turned into an

exciting adventure as Pann and his second wife, Nancy, motored to Palm

Springs for a short vacation. On the way, they decided to take a side

route that looked interesting, and during the drive discovered the

beautiful Morongo Valley.

The two spent the night at a place there, and before they returned to

Huntington Beach, they had bought a cabin there for a weekend retreat.

The Panns lived at 928 10th St., and Pann was the father of three

children. His wife passed away in the late 1950s.

After her death, Pann went to live in a San Bernardino rest home,

where on Aug. 10, 1962, at the age of 94, Judge Chris Pann became a

living memory in Huntington Beach’s golden history book.

* JERRY PERSON is a local historian and longtime Huntington Beach

resident. If you have ideas for future columns, write him at P.O. Box

7182, Huntington Beach, CA 92615.