Family roots
In Germany I have fond two main Callenius family roots:

One with the origin in Eschwege, Hesse
One with the origin in Dorum, county Cuxhaven, Lower Saxony

The Eschwege tree can be traced back to 1760. The tree of Dorum can be traced back to 1786. If both families are connected can be found at the end of this page. 

In other documents there have been found different and single persons from earlier periods, named Callenius or Calenius. But those can not be connected yet:

 Lambert Callenius: born around 1480; citicen in Uelzen, 80 km SE from Hamburg, + 1549.

Paul Callenius: Stipendium 1533; 1537-1541 in Uelzen, 1544 priest in Hanstedt/Bevensen, 60 km SE from Hamburg. 1555 Deacon in Bardowick at Lüneburg. 1570-1592 priest in Lüneburg in the St. Lamberti-church, 40 km SE of Hamburg. oo before 1646; + 22.10.1594 in Bardowick; all authors have detected this priest and deacon as Bernhard Callenius identified. But this is wrong; Father is the Lambert Callenius (see above), * around 1480

Gerwin Callenius: from Lippstadt, tuner master in Cologne, publischer and  council member in Cologne; 1558 publischer in Cologne; 1579 council member of the city of Cologne; 1600 licentiate of the rights in Cologne; 1579 citicen in Cologne; born 1525; died 1600; oo 1557 with Sophia NN.; had an own arms (see right picture, sourche: Siebmacher's großes Wappenbuch Bd. 10, Die Wappen bürgerlicher Geschlechter Deutschlands und der Schweiz Teil 2, 1972)

Anna Callenius: born around 1530 in Medingen, Lüneburg; oo around 1546 with David Jacobusson Monradus

Bernhard Callenius: oo around 1535

Anna Callenius: born 1544 in Ulzen, Lüneburg

Lambertus Callenius: born 06. Mar 1546 in Bardowick at Lüneburg; + 1591; Father: Paul Callenius (see above)

Gerwin Callenius; born 1559; + 1620; father: Gerwin Callenius (see above); at least married two times; had 1608 income from the property Bodendorf including mill and wine yards; he des not have men's children heirs

Jakobus Callenius: 1571 enroled at university in Rostock together with Lambertus Callenius, from Lüneburg (city od. country/county)

Paul Callenius: born 1575 (estimated); father: Lambertus Callenius (* 06.03.1546)

Gertr(a)ud Callenius: born around 1585 (estimated); doughter of Gerwin Callenius (* 1559) - see above - from first marriage; oo Johann Oeckhoven, councillor and "Bürgermeister" of Köln (+ before 1621)

Sophia Callenius: born around 1585 (estimated); doughter of Gerwin Callenius (* 1559) - see above - from first marriage

Anna Callenius; * around 1590 (estimated); doughter of Gerwin Callenius (* 1559) - see above - from second marriage; oo with Franziskus Fabri in Bonn

Family Callenius in Eschwege
 
The oldest known ancestor of my family Callenius - the wigmaker Johann Rudolf Callenius - sould came from "Volleben" and married in Eschwege 1760 into the old Eschwege family GLEIM. Unfortunately the town Volleben could not be determined cirtenly. On a transcript from a letter of Willy Callenius from 07.04.1938 to the parish office in Polleben he has noted at the side: "Kam am 12.4.38 als unzustellbar zurück. Einen Ort 'Volleben' konnte die Reichspost nicht finden" [Came back on 12 Apr 1938 as undeliverable. The town Volleben could not determined by the Reichspost.]. That means, the town was unknown already in 1938 and in eastern German regions. See picture on the right.

This was the start of the quest for the town POLLEBEN. 





Searching for the town Volleben

As I have a dead end in my researches, I have tried to find this town. At first, I was organising the related church record in the marriage book of the protestant church in Eschwege-Altstadt, 1760:


"Febr. d[en] 5. [1760] Johann Rudolff Colenius, von Volleben, u. Anna Gleim" [Februar the 5th [1760] Johann Rudolff Colenius, from Volleben and Anna Gleim]

The name of the origin "Volleben" is clearly visible.

In 1992 I sent a letter to the church office Eschwege. The former, retired dean Fritz Delius remarked, that the death indices can not be found in the church records. They will have left the city because of economical reasons. The economy for wigmakes were going down. And the regiment Erbprinz - which was may the main customer for wigs - was relocated to another place. Also to North America. Delius mentioned, that Volleben could be a town in Thüringen, around Erfurt or also in Saxony-Anhalt or around Magdeburg. The indication for this is the ending '-leben' which is very common in these areas.

I sent a letter to the Staatsarchiv Weimar, branch office Gotha. But I got the answer, that a village Volleben not exists in that administration district. I got the tip, that Volleben could be the village Uelleben, close to Gotha, as the letter "V" and "U" was used very often synonymus.

End 1992 I wrote brave to the parrish office Uelleben. But the priest Kunze from the parish office Ermleben ansered: "Unfortunately I have to inform you, that the name Colenius does not exist in the church records of Ülleben (I have the register folder in front of me with all records between 1638 and 1808)". Then I was so frustrated, that I stoped surching.

At online requests in 2007 at www.ahnenforschung.org I got two bekam two indication: Volleben could be the village Holleben, close to Halle a.d. Saale. Another indication refered to the village of Wollersleben. The first hint seemed to be more consistent than the second. But I did not search both of them.

During a map research in 2007 I hit on the option, it could be the village Polleben near Eisleben. But their church records had been at the microfilming, and have not been available for reserches.

In spring 2008 I got the only really useful hint about the village "Volleben". In a book from 1824 ("Heidelberger Jahrbücher der Literatur, Vierzehnter Jahrgang oder neue Folge erster Jahrgang Zweite Hälfte July bis December" Heidelberg, 1824 
I found the village Volleben in exact that particular naming of the original records of Eschwege from 1760. In the book you can read: "im Amte Volleben, bey Eisleben". [= "in the administrative unit Volleben, near Eisleben"]. Therefore it seem, that the village Polleben is identical with the village of Polleben, which is just 6km northeast of Eisleben and today a distric of the city Eisleben:



Again, I wrote to the parrish office Polleben. After some months delay, the church records came back to the office from filming. A first feedback was, that the name "Callenius" can not be found in those church records in the requested period. So I was back to the start. This seem to be not the right village ...

However, I had made up my mind to either take a trip there or - should I be in the area - to pay a visit to the parish office. So, it happened that I was in the area in the summer of 2020 and had arranged an appointment with the parish office there. Unfortunately, the pastor was on vacation, but a lady from the local administration gave me a warm welcome and showed me everything and gave me the opportunity to look through the church books and documents. It turned out after less than 5 minutes, Polleben was the right place! I immediately found the name Callenius in a family book, but with the spelling "Colenius". Then also the entry in the baptismal book of Johann Rudlolph Callenius from 1727. The one who married in 1760 in Eschwege and settled there.


from left to right: Parish records; parish office Polleben; street view 2021 (1); street view 2021 (2)


Baptismal book Polleben, 1727: "Den 5 Octobr[is]. ist H[err]n Otto Colenius Fr. Ehliebsten eines Söhneleins genesen, so den 8 h[u]ÿ getauft und Johan[n] Rudolph genen[n]et worden, die Pathen [1] H Rudolph Himberg Pastor in Heiligenthal [2] Fr. [leer] Sassie von Leimbach [3] Johann Baptista Heberman, Pastor hieselbst" [on 5th Oct. is Mr. Otto Colenius be loved wife a son born and on 8th baptized and named Johann Rudolph. Godfathers were Mr. Rudolph Himberg, pastor in Heiligenthal, Mrs. Sassie from Leinbach, Johann Baptista Hebeman, pastsor here.]

With this is surely clarified, the families from Eschwege have there roots in Polleben, close to Eisleben!

The name Callenius survived some generations in Eschwege and has been spread slightly around Germany. Almost all people named Callenius in Germany have the roots from this families.


Family Callenius in Dorum

Also here I had an important breakthrough!

Via a US-research I found another Callenius Family in Germany from northern Germany, from the village Dorum. 25 km north of Bremerhaven. I have ordered the church records from the Church of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) in Utah/US to Germany. I worked through the church records, searching for the name Callenius. I found, that in 1786 the name Callenius appears first time and then periodically in the books by the quartermaster in the 3rd  cavalry regiment Hannover, Otto Ludwig Callenius in the baptismal register of the protestant community Dorum. He quit his military profession and settled with his wife Helena Catharina Eibsen as a distiller in Dorum.

Baptismal register Dorum, year 1786:

"Im Julio den 4ten. [1786] / Otto Ludwig Colenius, QuartierMaister zu Alsum, und Helene Catharine, geb. Eibssen eodem, Sohn geb. Johann Eike" [= July 4th [1786] / Otto Ludwig Colenius, quartermaster in Alsum, and Helene Catharine, geb. Eibssen, also there, a son born Johann Eike]. Alsum is a part of Dorum.

They had a number of children. One of his grandchilds, Adolph Friedrich Callenius, who was born on 03.06.1834 in Dorum,  emigrated in the mid of 19th century to North America, married around 1862 Metta Eggers and settled in Baker, OBrien, Iowa. He died there 1914 , 5 years after his wife and left a big family.

In the adressbook of Dorum from 1898/99 can be found a beer brewery of O. Callenius und a "Calenius Hotel".


Almost all Callenius-descendants of this family ate excinct in Germany. As I have been told by a local man, there was a Callenius farmer family in Dorum. But they died out some years ago.

Here some gravestone-pictures of the grave in Dorum [Source: Find A Grave]:

Due to further resarches, I was able to find the origin of Otto Ludwig Callenius, who settled in Dorum. He came from Horneburg near Stade. His father was Johann Günther Callenius, vogt of the church parish Sievern. The origin of  Johann Günther Callenius could not be found.

Eschwege and Dorum families - one root?

This question naturally came up and I was not able to give an answer at first. It could be possible that the Dorumer family could be assigned by the distance rather to the Scandinavian countries. 

Accidentially I came across during an Internet search on the local Family book Padingbüttel of 2019, in which it is recorded that the Johann Günther Callenius should come from Polleben. This makes absolute sense and fits from the age information at his death (1792: 72 years old) chronologically to the son of the official gardener Otto Jacob Callenius born on 20.03.1721 in Polleben and is thus the brother of the father of the Eschweger family, Johann Rudolph.

This proves, that the Dorum und Eschwege families belong together. And this means, that the vast majority of Callenius living today in South America, USA and Germany are related to each other through this link!