THOMAS AND
HENRIETTE PELLIER CASALEGNO
HISTORY OF
SANTA CLARA COUNTY- 471
SURNAMES: RENAUD, PRUDHOMME, MIRASSOU, BECHIS, BIDOU, MONDO
A most interesting family is that of Thomas and
Henriette Pellier Casalegno,
residing at 155 South Twelfth Street, San Jose, and boasting a large
circle of admiring friends. Henriette Pellier was born at the Mission
San Jose on June 17, 1860, the daughter of Pierre Pellier and his good
wife, who was Henriette Renaud before her marriage. Pierre Pellier, a
brother of the late Louis Pellier, the famous Santa Clara Valley
horticulturist, was born at the Pellier home on the western coast of
France, not far from Bordeaux, and was reared and schooled in France;
and as he grew up on the home estate and worked hard, and after he had
served seven years in the army of France, and he migrated to America to
join his brother, Louis, who had come to California in 1847. He set out
soon after the close of the revolution in French territories in 1848,
and made the trip early in 1849 by way of the Horn, arriving at San
Francisco six months later. He located in the Santa Clara Valley at San
Jose, and becoming associated with his brother, Louis, who built one of
the first frame houses in the Santa Clara Valley, finishing the same in
true French style.
Early in 1854, Pierre returned to his native country, as he wished to
seek a wife, and according to the story, he was married there that same
year. Before returning to California, however he tried to induce his
brother, John, to make the trip with himself and wife, but he did not
visit California until Louis died. Pierre set out again for America,
and this time, in a box carefully packed, he brought with him cuttings
and seeds of many varieties of fruits from his native country which had
been gathered by him before his departure, on orders from Louis Pellier
at San Jose. Among others were the French prune trees, which proved to
be there first ever set out in the Santa Clara Valley. There were also
grapes and other fruits; and from 1856 the brother engaged in the
nursery business at San Jose, and they also went in for ranching on
rather an extensive scale and were brought Delphine and Joseph Delmas,
then only eleven and nine years old, by request of their father, who
was in California. In 1860, Pierre removed to the Mission San Jose, and
there engaged in ranching and vineyarding. After three years, he
returned to San Jose, and thence went to Evergreen, where he planted
150 acres to vines and farmed some 300-acres, which property still
forms a part of the Pellier estate. In 1880, Mr. Pellier, accompanied
by his two daughters, Helene and Elise, returned to France for a short
tour, and in 1894 he died at Evergreen, at which place his wife had
passed away fifteen years before.
The first time Pierre Pellier came to California it was around the
Horn, when the vessel got caught in the ice. He had made the trip four
times and once when crossing the Isthmus he had to pay twenty-five
cents per bottle of water. The time consumed in a journey was about six
months. When Mr. and Mrs. Casalegno and their two youngest daughters
made the trip in 1914 they made the ocean voyage in five days. They
made stops at many interesting points in Europe.
Their visit was one year duration, caused by the breaking out of the
war and money hard to get on account of rate of exchange. They were
glad to get back to California, well pleased with the Golden State.
Five children were born to Pierre and Mrs. Pellier. Louis died at the
age of sixteen. Henriette is the subject of this story and was educated
at Notre Dame College. Helen, now deceased, became the wife of P.
Prudhomme and the mother of four children. Elise
is the widow of Leon
Renaud and Josephine who is Mrs. Mitchell Casalegno, is the mother
of six children, and the happy family reside at Morgan Hill.
Henriette Pellier was reared at the old rancho home, and in 1880
married her first husband Peter H. Mirassou,
a native of France, who
migrated to America in 1878--a man of strong moral character who was
very resourceful. They had five children. Denise is now Mrs. Enos
Bechis, and she resides with her two children at Oakdale, on their 200
acres of orchard. Peter Mirassou has a vineyard of 100 acres at
evergreen and lives there with his wife and two children
(transcribers note- Edmund
and Norbert) Theresa, now
Mrs. John Bidou, has two children and lives at Prunedale.
Herman Mirassou and wife live on Cypress Avenue, with their four
children; he is an orchardist. John Mirassou is a rancher on the
McLoughlin Road. Mr. Mirassou passed away early in 1889 at Evergreen.
Her second marriage was to Thomas Casalegno, in July, 1890, and they
remained on the old place till 1909, and where Mrs. Casalegno had lived
for fifty years. The family then removed to Oakdale, where Mr.
Casalegno, who had emigrated from Italy to America in 1885, proved
successful as a rancher and business man. They resided at Oakdale for
ten years and recently they removed to San Jose, in which hospitable
city, at 155 South Twelfth street, they dispense a cordial welcome to
their friends. The family belongs to St. Patrick's Parish Catholic
Church. Mr. Casalegno has been successfully engaged in orcharding since
he first pitched his tent in the Santa Clara Valley in 1905; and in his
arduous work, prosecuted according to the last word of science and with
most modern methods and up-to-date apparatus, he has been ably assisted
by his family. Their eldest child, Celestine is at home, and Thomasine
is the wife of M. Mondo, and resides at Ripon, in San Joaquin County.
Transcribed by Marie Clayton, from Eugene T. Sawyers' History of Santa Clara County,California, published by Historic Record Co. , 1922. page 471
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