Although the “de” disappeared from his surname, this street honors Eulogio Fidencio “E.F.” de Celis (1845-1903), a Los Angeles city councilman with a noteworthy connection to the city of San Fernando: his father, also named Eulogio (birth year unknown, but died in 1869), was a Spaniard who had owned nearly the entire SFV back in the 1840s (see De Celis Place for why). The de Celis heirs, led by E.F., sold the northern half of the family’s Valley property to preacher/politician Charles Maclay in 1874; Maclay promptly laid out the town of San Fernando and named Celis Street in the process. The two men appeared to be friends: a news article published that May reported on de Celis, “that prince of good fellows”, visiting Maclay’s new town and sharing “harmless mirth, hilarity and good fellowship” with Maclay and Valley mainstay Andrés Pico. Born in Los Angeles, E.F. de Celis was educated in England and France. He and his family then spent years in Spain but came back to L.A. after Eulogio Sr.’s 1869 death to manage their property here. De Celis also edited L.A.’s Spanish language newspaper La Crónica with his brother Pastor. Quite prominent in his day, his obituary revealed that he spent his final years in poverty.
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