Callens’ family legacy reaches far back

JERRY PERSON

I’ll bet few people today realize, when they are shopping at the

Callens Corner shopping center in Fountain Valley, that the Callens

family reaches back in both of Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach’s

rich pasts.

The history of both towns is so intermingled in their early days

that it is impossible to separate one’s history from the other.

This week we will look at two generations of the Callens family

and how their history relates to both our towns.

The Callens family reaches all the way back to old world Europe.

It was in Mein, Belgium where Rene Callens was born to Jewel Callens

and his wife in 1885.

Three years later the family immigrated to America for a better

life, and they settled in Minnesota.

Rene and his brother, Joseph, received their early education in a

rural schoolhouse where they learned their ABCs and the values that

would last throughout their lives.

In 1908 the family moved to Orange County to live on the Irvine

Ranch, where they were lima bean growers.

Joseph A. Callens would move to the Oxnard area and Rene in 1910

would build a house in Talbert (Fountain Valley). With the help of

Jewel’s strong Belgian horses, Rene would clear the swampy land for

cultivation.

Rene and his wife Virginia were the proud parents of four

children, a son and three daughters.

For many years Rene was a familiar sight in our Fourth of July

celebration.

Rene would dress up in clothing of the late 1800s and would

accompany Dr. Ralph Hawes in the parade in a horse-drawn wagon while

the good doctor was attired to look like an old-time country doctor.

Rene had been a respected member of St. Anne’s Catholic Church, a

charter member of the Knights of Columbus in Anaheim and a member of

the Elks Lodge in Santa Ana.

It was on Sept. 26, 1911 that their only son, Joseph R. “Joe”

Callens, was born in Santa Ana.

As Joe grew up he would work side by side with his father on their

lima bean ranch.

Joe received his education at Huntington High, and in 1931 he

graduated from there.

After graduation, Joe leased 80 acres for lima beans, and in 1936

he bought that property.

In these years, he courted a young lady by the name of Valentine

Lerno, and in 1946 the two were married.

To this couple were born five children: Joseph, Rene, Albert,

Louise and Alice.

In the early years it was horses and mules that supplied the

motive power to pull the early farm equipment, which included a huge

bean thrasher machine. It took 62 men and 48 horses to operate that

machine.

Later, Joe would use gasoline- and diesel-powered tractors, and

with the addition of wheels was able to lower the number of men

needed to operate that huge thrasher machine to three.

In 1938 the flood waters washed away much of Orange County’s rich

soil. It would take a long time for Joe to get the ranch back into

production.

When Joe’s father, Rene, died on July 9, 1955, Joe and his family

would continue to live in the house that Rene built back in 1910 that

still stands at 9736 Ellis Ave.

Joe was very meticulous when it came to money matters and would

keep his financial records cross-referenced for easy look up.

When Joe went to the bank, he would always insist that his deposit

be entered into his passbook, long after that practice was stopped.

He not only wanted it entered, and not by the bank teller, but by

a bank official. And not just any bank official, but the same bank

official each time, or we would draw his money out and go to another

bank.

Joe was a familiar sight on the streets of Fountain Valley and

Huntington Beach, driving his old green Chevy pickup truck.

Joe would serve on the school board, become a member of several

farm organizations and the Fountain Valley Chamber of Commerce.

In the early 1960s, Joe became a member of Fountain Valley City

Council, and it was in 1963 that he was appointed as the city’s

second mayor.

Since 1980, Joe would join several of his friends for a trip to

Indianapolis to watch the Indy 500 auto races.

Joe could be a bit stern. He liked things to be done his way,

right and honestly.

Joe continued to farm until 1997 when he stopped and leased out

four acres next to his house to a farmer.

Joe liked nothing better then to sit down to a table of

Valentine’s fried chicken and would like to end the meal with some of

her fresh-fruit pies and cobblers, using the fruit from their own

trees.

It was on Sept. 15, 2001 when Joe died, and I am sure wherever he

is he will be having a bowl of baked lima beans flavored with a big

ham hock, for this was his favorite dish. He loved it so much.

* 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.