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Posted on: Sunday, January 4, 2004

ISLAND LIFE
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Today's headlines By Peter Erikson
Back issues Advertiser Staff Writer

FEATURED NEWS Ancestral authority Elbridge M. Smith

Nation/World news
Movie showtimes
dresses the part when describing how a
Watch for Top
Special projects raging sea tossed his Mayflower ancestor Jobs coming to
Obituaries into the Atlantic. this space soon.
Weather
Beach conditions
Columnists Smith, 90, slips on a
Photo galleries light-chocolate-colored, broad-brimmed
Video felt hat "with a rounded crown," a green
Blogs
tunic, black breeches, stockings and shoes
Illustration by Martha P.
CUSTOMER and a white linen collar to deliver Hernandez • The
SERVICE
Help page classroom presentations. Honolulu Advertiser
Contact us Hunt starts at home
Subscriber services He sets the scene: It's the winter of 1620,
Reader services and the Mayflower is headed to the New Embarking on a hunt for
Advertising services your ancestors? You
About us World during a "beastly" storm.
might start by asking
Site map family members about
Corrections Below deck, seawater soaks bedding and their lives.
Today's front page clothes, and passengers lie amid the stench
Relatives can also help
RESOURCES of sickness. A disgusted John Howland dig up documents and
Discussion board climbs on deck to get some fresh air. other key items.
Traffic hotspots
HTYellowpages.com But don't stop there. The
Hawaiian "A wave came and washed him overboard,"
National Genealogical

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Who's in your family tree? - The Honolulu Advertiser - Hawaii's News... http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Jan/04/il/il01a.html

dictionary Smith says. "He caught a halyard on his Society suggests

E-mail news alerts collecting birth,
RSS news feeds
way over, held on and yelled, and a sailor marriage, death and
Wireless news pulled on the rope first, and then hauled divorce rec-ords, as well
Newspaper in him in with the aid of a boat hook. as family Bibles, old
Education letters and photos.
Blood Bank of
Hawaii "This isn't a fable — it's a true story," he Military, probate,
adds. cemetery and federal
census records, ship
manifests, old
Smith mesmerized students during visits to
newspapers, diaries,
Saint Mark Lutheran School in Kane'ohe biographies and
and Kapalama Elementary in November. obituaries also can prove
valuable.
At Saint Mark, "I had the whole darn
school, three sessions," said Waikiki resident Smith.

He served as national education chairman of the Mayflower

Society for three years and republished a teaching kit,
"Coming to America," about Pilgrim life that is distributed to
classrooms in Hawai'i and other states.

He also helps others trace their lineage. So do dozens of local

organizations, including the Daughters/Sons of the American
Revolution, and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'
family history centers.

Hawai'i, in fact, may be the only state aside from California to

have a "freestanding" Daughters of the American Revolution
library, says Eric G. Grundset, director of the DAR library in
Washington, D.C. The DAR Aloha Chapter Memorial Library
is part of the chapter house in Makiki.

Fast-growing pastime

Groups like DAR help sate America's appetite for genealogy,

which Scotland's National Tourism Board calls one of the
fastest growing pastimes in the western world.

"It's a fatal disease — you keep going until you die," said
Kathy DeFoster, treasurer and membership chairwoman for
the Honolulu County Genealogical Society and librarian for
the DAR.

Grundset traces the initial boom in genealogy to the American

Bicentennial, as well as Alex Haley's novel "Roots."
Celebrations surrounding the nation's birth touched off history
and restoration projects in the early to mid-1970s, while
Haley's story of Kunta Kinte prompted many to explore their
ancestry.

DeFoster points to the formation of the USGenWeb Project in

1996. The group of volunteers is digitizing state maps
(including one of the kingdom of Hawai'i from 1837),
transcribing veterans' pension records for all wars before
1900, and collecting cemetery data, among other things.

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The Internet allows people to hunt for ancestors on their home

computers, but it also can be a detriment.

"Unfortunately, a major part of what has been posted online is

poorly documented, if it is documented at all," said Grundset,
who has roots in 17th-century Virginia. "Many mistakes in
older published genealogies have been perpetuated by those
books being digitized and thereby given a wider audience.
Advances in genealogical scholarship, corrected genealogies
and updates to older material are often missed by researchers
who rely primarily on the Internet to conduct their research."

All the more reason to consult experts like Samuel Lowe and
his wife, Daphne. The couple volunteer on Tuesdays at the
LDS family history center on Beretania Street.

Everyone "is welcome, and it's free," said Lowe, 80, area
adviser for LDS centers in Hawai'i. "And there's no
proselytizing — it's strictly genealogy and family history
research. "Otherwise, people would be afraid to come."

About 200 people a month visit the Beretania Street branch.

The Lowes help Boy Scouts seek merit badges, assist
Kamehameha Schools applicants and prospective
homesteaders in proving their Hawaiian ancestry, and show
others how to comb through reels of microfilm and microfiche
for a variety of records.

They steer others to computers to access LDS databases that

contain about 970 million names.

"The average person doesn't really know how to do the

research — they're not detectives," said Lowe. "When they
come here, we don't do the research for them — we shown
them how."

Uncovering witches

It took a bit of sleuthing for DeFoster to find a book of early

Connecticut probate records that listed "my witch ancestors."

DeFoster discovered that her 9th great-grandfather and his

second wife were hanged in 1651 in Wethersfield, Conn., "for
crimes against God and a familiarization with the devil.

"Their crime was being poor. They didn't have a lot of money,
so they didn't have the position to protect themselves," said
DeFoster. "He also sold a gun to an Indian. The fact that he
had no money and no power and that he had committed a
crime put him on the outside of society, so it was very easy for
him to be railroaded.

"And so," she added, "they yanked him."

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DeFoster helps others learn the fate of their own ancestors. The
DAR library, she said, is a good resource for those researching
the colonial period to the mid-19th century. "Our collection
contains many serials that can only be found in libraries in
major cities," said DeFoster.

Some people have to look no farther than their own family to

find written records.

That's how Nancy Tome, outgoing president of the Okinawan

Genealogical Society of Hawaii, learned about her maiden
name Moriyama.

A copy of a family genealogy book heavily damaged during

World War II prompted a search in which she discovered her
family is a branch of that of King Sho Shin, who ruled
Okinawa from 1477 to 1526 in its former capital Shuri.

In a 1994 visit to Shuri, now part of Naha City, Tome

discovered, in an area obscured by weeds, the family grave at
which her grandparents worshiped.

"Having only a picture of the marker of the gravesite, we were

lucky enough to find it. We were so excited about that," said
Tome.

While Tome had access to extensive records, others aren't so

fortunate.

Barbara Nakamura, LDS family history adviser for Maui and

Moloka'i, said: "Many do not realize the value of old records.
Many records are still preserved only in the minds of the
elderly and must be written down."

Some digging required

The Bishop Museum has preserved Hawaiian manuscripts

from the 19th century that are "useful but require a great deal
of work" to sort through, said DeSoto Brown, archives
collection manager.

More useful is the Louis Sullivan collection of photos taken of

Hawaiians in 1920 and 1921 "to document how people
looked," Brown said. The photos list names and ethnicity.

"Their real value comes for people trying to find pictures of

family members," Brown said.

The Hawai'i State Archives has valuable information as well,

including marriage records from 1826 to 1949. But archivist
Allen Hoof stressed that the archives' primary function is
preserving government records. "We don't do genealogy," he
said.

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Those who do include New England native Richard Dennis

Souther, who began recording his family history about 20
years ago while working for the Department of Hawaiian
Home Lands. Part of his job was helping people establish they
were at least 50 percent Hawaiian.

"Many of them would ask me, 'What is your nationality and

background?' — and I didn't have a clue," said Souther,
founder of the Honolulu County Genealogical Society. "That
year, I went back to Massachusetts and started taking down
names and addresses of relatives, and it took off from there."

Among Souther's ancestors is Honolulu-born Hiram Bingham,

a Yale professor and real-life Indiana Jones who led Peruvian
expeditions that rediscovered the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu
and Vitcos. Bingham also was governor of Connecticut and a
U.S. senator.

Souther chronicles his ancestry on his Web site

(www.geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/9785/souther.html) and
748-page "Souther Family History" book — the final edition
of which will be released at a July 2005 reunion in Hawai'i.

Samuel Lowe's Hawaiian heritage is equally as robust: His

ancestor Lonomakaihonui, a descendant of King Kamehameha
I, had growths under each ear that resembled bunches of
grapes. He was nicknamed "Huihui," which means "collection."
It stuck as the family surname.

His grandmother, Mele Chang, born in China, joined her

father, Luis, at sea but jumped ship when they were anchored
at what is now Barbers Point. She swam ashore, ending up in
Nanakuli. A year later, Luis returned to Hawai'i to find his
daughter and lived here until his death.

"If Mele hadn't jumped ship, I wouldn't be here, Samuel Lowe

said. "There would be no posterity.

'Families are eternal'

It's critical to know one's roots, said Lowe.

"We learn the hardships they went through," he said. "We have
a connection to them. That's why the church says all families
are eternal. We believe we'll all return to the spiritual world
with our families on the other side."

Smith's whole family is involved in genealogy. Wife Edna is

genealogy records chairman for the DAR for New York state
and is an associate member here. And son Elbridge W. is
treasurer of the Sons of the American Revolution branch in
Honolulu.

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"If we can get others to be proud of who they are and what
their forerunners accomplished, so much the better," said the
elder Smith, who was stationed in Hawai'i and on Okinawa
during World War II. "It makes us better Americans."

He urges students to study their own genealogies. Last year,

Smith addressed 140 students in six classes in upstate New
York, where he and Edna spend the warmer months. "I point
out that we're all immigrants if we go back far enough," he
said.

Reach Peter Erikson at 525-5489 or

[email protected].

•••

Getting started

Get a pedigree chart or family-group sheet and mark down

yourself, your parents and grandparents and so on. Choose an
ancestor you'd like to learn more about.

"Always work backward from the known to the unknown," the

National Genealogical Society says. Include the sources for all
information you collect.

Get names of ancestors' siblings and spouses, says the U.S.

National Archives & Records Administration
(www.archives.gov/research_room/genealogy).

Pedigree charts are available at LDS Church family history

centers. You can also download charts and group sheets from
the Public Broadcasting System (www.pbs.org/kbyu/ancestors)
or at Genealogy Search
(www.genealogysearch.org/free/forms.html).

Kindred Konnections (www.mytrees.com) allows you to create

a family tree online, upload pictures and download charts and
software. It's all free, though you can upgrade your account
for a fee.

Get a camcorder and interview family members. Use old

documents, paintings, furniture and other items as props
to tell the story.
Visit a library or genealogical society and seek research
on your family already done by others.
Check the LDS Church's superb site at
www.familysearch.org.

Other top sites include:

The Library of Congress

USGenWeb Project
National Genealogical Society

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New England Historic Genealogical Society

New York Genealogical & Biographical Society
United States Civil War Center
Library of Virginia
Maryland State Archives

For immigrant ancestors, check the American Family

Immigration History Center

Check spellings of names and other information. Only publish

information that can be confirmed.

Store information in a software program. Some of the most

popular include Family Tree Maker (www.broderbund.com),
Family Origins (www.formalsoft.com), Legacy Family Tree
(www.legacyfamilytree.com) and Ancestral Quest
(www.ancquest.com).

Professionals prefer The Master Genealogist

(www.whollygenes.com), which is more customizable than the
others. The LDS Church offers its Personal Ancestral File for
free, though you'll have to pay $13.50 for a companion
program that prints pedigree and other charts.

Try the new technology: DNA research. Firms specializing in

"anthrogenealogy" or "biogenealogy" say tests — which cost
hundreds of dollars — can tell "what percentage of your DNA
is shared with Africans, Europeans, Asians and Native
Americans," or help discover others to whom you share a
common ancestor. A story in the Baxter (Ark.) Bulletin
describes a woman who used DNA to track her family's roots
back 400 years to Ghana.

— Peter Erikson

•••

Where you can find out more

Here are a few top genealogy resources for Hawai'i. See the
Honolulu County Genealogical Society of Hawaii Web site
(rootsweb.com/~hihcgs/resources.html) for a complete list.

Honolulu County Genealogical Society

Memberships available for $18 (family) and $12 (individual).

Meets monthly at Manoa Gardens Community Center.
Address: P.O. Box 235039, Honolulu, HI 96823-3500. Reach
Kathy DeFoster for membership information at
[email protected].

Okinawan Genealogical Society of Hawaii

Meets monthly at the Hawaii Okinawa Center. Call Nancy

Tome at 373-9210.

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Portuguese Genealogical Society of Hawaii

Special collections include records of Portuguese whalers who

"jumped ship" in Hawai'i and married local women, according
to the organization's president and director, Doris Naumu. The
society also has records of other immigrants.

Address: Palama Settlement, Room 11, corner of Palama and

North Vineyard, Honolulu. Library open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Phone: 841-5044.

USGenWeb Archives Hawaii Cemetery Project

The cemetery project seeks to place burial lists online. Access

the site at www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/hi/is_hawaii.htm.

Bishop Museum Library & Archives

Resources include the Louis Sullivan collection of photos

taken of Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian people from 1920-21.
Library and archives open noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through
Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays, except holiday
weekends. Address: 1525 Bernice St., P.O., Honolulu, HI
96817-0916. Phone 848-4148 (library) or 848-4182
(archives).

Hawaii State Archives

Marriage records from 1826-1949.

Address: Iolani Palace Grounds, King and Richards streets,

Honolulu, HI 96813. Phone: 586-0329. E-mail:
[email protected]. Hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through
Friday.

State Department of Health

Make a genealogy request for vital records by writing to the

department at Office of Health Status Monitoring,
Issuance/Vital Statistics Section, P.O. Box 3378, Honolulu, HI
96801. See www.hawaii.gov/health/records/genealogy.html
for information.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' family

history centers

Special collections include: Delayed Birth Registrations and

Hawai'i Census records.

To find a family history center near you, see

www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FHC/frameset_fhc.asp or
call 955-8910.

Daughters of the American Revolution, Aloha Chapter

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DAR offers a partial collection of early Quaker directories, the

New England G & H Register and the New York Biography &
Historical Record, among others. The Aloha Chapter meets
monthly from September to May. Call 949-7256 or e-mail
[email protected]. A Big Island-Hawaii Loa Chapter
was established in 2001. E-mail: [email protected].

Sons of the American Revolution, Hawaii Society

In the spring a general meeting is held jointly with the

Daughters of the American Revolution. Another is held in the
fall. Check
groups.msn.com/HawaiiSocietySonsoftheAmericanRevolution.
Reach Elbridge W. Smith at 523-5050 or [email protected].

Hawaiian Historical Society

Collections include index of Hawaiian Journal of History,

early city directories and Hawaiian newspapers. Address: 560
Kawaiahao St., Honolulu, HI 96813. Phone: 537-6271 or
e-mail [email protected]. Web site:
www.hawaiianhistory.org.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated

that Elbridge M. Smith designed a teaching kit used in
classroom demonstrations about Pilgrim life. Smith
republished the kit.
Top

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