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May 23, 2024 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Camp Sague

The Spanish-American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence.

Back then, Spain had interests in the Pacific, particularly in the Guam and Philippines. Although the main issue was Cuban independence, the ten-week war was fought in both the Caribbean and the Pacific.

At the time, there was no assigned garrison in the Islands until August 15, 1898, when the 1st New York Volunteer Infantry regiment and the 3rd Battalion, 2nd US Volunteer Engineers landed in Honolulu for garrison duty. They setup camp (‘Camp McKinley’) at Kapiʻolani Park.

Later (November 8, 1898,) approximately 200-soldiers of the 1st New York sailed from Honolulu to Hilo to inspect sites for a possible permanent military post. (Greguras) The troops landed at Waiākea in Hilo and stayed in a large warehouse for one night.

“The mariners under Christopher Columbus were no more anxious and certainly no happier to set foot on land in 1492 than were the New York Volunteer troops which left Honolulu last Tuesday morning on the Kinau, to feel the terra firma of Hilo under them this morning.”

“To say that the trip over was rough is putting it mild. In fact, judging from the number of men who cast their bread upon the (rough) waters, it could not have been worse. After leaving Diamond Head shoal the Kinau tossed, rolled and pitched so heavily that at times many of the men made frantic efforts to reach life preservers.”

“Miss Anna Rose, who was a passenger on board the steamer won the hearts of all the boys by her kindly interest and solicitation in their welfare. She cheered and comforted the sick, brought them little delicacies and in diverse other ways did she make herself the most popular person on board.”

“In appreciation of her service the band serenaded Miss Rose a number of times. She was also voted unanimously the queen of the First New York Volunteers.” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, November 14, 1898)

A highlight of their visit was a hike to Kilauea volcano. “The march to the Volcano was begun at noon on Monday last. There was a heavy downfall of rain, but the boys kept up their spirits.”

“A halt for lunch was made eight miles from Hilo, and camp for the night was then made at Kilohana at 3:30 o’clock in the afternoon. Shelter for the night was found in Mr Lee’s barn and in the church.”

“The march next day was resumed, at 10 o’clock. A halt was made at Mountain View hotel, where Mr Hambly entertained the boys at lunch. All the way the boys were the recipients of hospitality and greetings. Mrs. Trowbridge served sandwiches as the troops marched passed her house.”

“Tuesday night was spent at Wailiʻili the home of Mr. Hitchcock. Eight miles beyond, the Volcano house was reached, and here hot lunch was served by Mr. Waldron, and a mile and a half beyond shelter tents were pitched and the men went into camp.”

“The Volcano house has been thrown open to the boys during their stay and the band has given several concerts. Friday morning the entire command went, to the Volcano.” (Hawaiian Star, November 21, 1898)

The camp which the soldiers established at the Volcano was named Major Sague Camp. (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, November 21, 1898) Sague of the 1st New York was in command of the detachment. The troops were in this camp for only three days, returning to Honolulu on December 5th.

A November 24, 1898 letter from a member of Company I of the 1st N.Y. indicates the camp was near the crater of the volcano, about two miles from the Volcano House “in a large (koa) grove with lots of dead wood on the ground.” (Stenzel)

Back in Hilo, “A very interesting affair was the raising of the flag at Riverside Park, formerly known as Reed’s Island, on Thursday. Mr. Pratt had arranged the matter almost extemporaneously, which made the whole occasion perhaps more enjoyable than if it had been a formal and long prearranged ceremony.”

“The commanding officers of this portion of the 1st New York Volunteers, kindly asented to give a military air to the flag raising by the presence of the troops and regimental band, while Queen Anna graciously consented to hoist the American emblem.”

“The troops marched up Waiānuenue street about 2:30, seized the ravine which bounds that side of Reed’s Island without opposition and scaled the opposite cliffs, preceeded by the Queen who proved her physical powers again. The flag was hoisted to the music of the ‘Star Spangled Banner’.”

“A large crowd of townspeople viewed the ceremonies from the Island and from the opposite banks. The day was one of the most perfect which even Hilo affords the occasion was one of great interest to the Hiloites.” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, November 15, 1898)

Another important event was the Thanksgiving luau; “the New York soldiers at Hilo were given a big Thanksgiving luau by Mr and Mrs CC Kennedy at the big sugar plantation in Waiakea.”

“The tables were arranged in the big sugar room of the mill, which had been elaborately decorated with palms, flowers and flags. Instead of table cloths the food stuffs, prepared, cooked and served in Hawaiian style, were placed upon ti leaves, which literally covered the tables.”

“The services of all the young ladles in the city were engaged to wait on the soldiers, while to the married ladles fell the responsibility of arranging the tables for the feast.”

“At each plate – wooden – was a handsomely printed souvenir menu of what comprised the feast. The delicacies placed before the boys to eat, as printed on the menu, were: fish, from the Waiākea ponds; Taro; Pig, wrapped in ti leaves; Sweet Potatoes; Breadfruit; Beef, wrapped in ti leaves; Turkey, Kukui nuts, Rolls, Taro Pudding, Hawaiian Pudding, Mince Pie, Fruits, Soda Water, Lemonade, Coffee, Poi and Cigars.”

“When all had eaten until they could eat no more the tables were cleared away, the floor prepared for dancing and this was the order of the afternoon. For the dancing the military band furnished the music, while the music for the evening dance, in the same place, was furnished by the Wela Ka Hao orchestra.”

“Returning to camp the men were loud in their praises for Mr and Mrs Kennedy and all the good people who assisted In trying to make the Thanksgiving day feast a most pleasant event.” (Hawaiian Gazette, November 29, 1898)

In the end, Sague, in expressing his appreciation on behalf of all soldiers, noted, “Hilo is all right. When we were in San Francisco the boys had a continual round of feeding.”

“Let me say on behalf of this detachment of the First New York Volunteers that since passing out of the Golden Gate, Hilo is the only place where they have felt at home. It is the only place they have been where cordiality has been expressed by word and deed.”

“The boys will remember it and in the 600 to 800 letters which leave the camp and go to the relatives and friends in the Empire State the praises of Hilo and Hilo people will be sung. On behalf of the boys who are here let me thank you all for your generous treatment.” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, November 21, 1898)

Following the war, Sague returned home to Poughkeepsie, NY and in 1906 was elected Mayor of the city, “whose administration has stimulated Poughkeepsie to the attitude of a wide awake American city.” (Vassar Miscellany, February 1, 1912)

On April 5, 1905, Major John K Sague Camp, United Spanish War Veterans, was organized in Poughkeepsie; Sague served as its first commander. (Poughkeepsie New Yorker, July 7, 1941) (Greguras)

May 22, 2024 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Montana Mule Skinner in the Islands

“Irvin Atchison was born in eastern Montana, near the Yellowstone River, in 1914, an area that was ‘an oasis of cottonwoods just east of dry, open prairies and desolate badlands.’” (MontanaSeniorNews)

“He was born on Jan. 22, 1914, in Miles City, the eldest son of Amelia Weigum and Robert Aitchison. He liked to recall that he was born in the same home in which his father had been born in 1885. His parents homesteaded on Hay Creek between Fairview and Sidney.” (Sidney Herald)

“After Atchison’s father died in the great flu pandemic of 1918-19, leaving his widow scrambling to provide for three young sons, Atchison spent several years shuttling back and forth between his grandparents’ home in Miles City and his family’s home near Sidney.”

“It was a hard life for the young boy. His grandfather was an abusive alcoholic who forced Atchison to do back-breaking farm labor from dawn to dusk, while frequently yelling at and beating him.”

“With this kind of childhood, Atchison could easily have developed a ‘harsh view of life… (but) something prevented (that).’ That something, Atchison told Daniel Miller, was Montana.” (MontanaSeniorNews)

“The land where he grew up, with its enormous sky, vast prairies, and seemingly endless grasslands, lifted Atchison’s spirits in the darkest times and kept him balanced.”

“From an early age, Atchison gravitated toward working with the horses and mules that were so essential to farm and ranch life. In his teen years, Atchison’s abilities with equines meant that he could sometimes get extra work caring for and training them.”

“By the early 1930s, a terrible drought had descended on eastern Montana. ‘Soil turned to dust, dust rose in clouds, and the clouds blocked light from the sun…When the winds died down, the (grasshoppers and crickets) came.’ More than 70,000 farmers and ranchers in Montana went bankrupt.”

“Atchison never stopped searching for agricultural work, usually horse and mule handling, but many landowners could not offer to pay cash; they could only exchange a bed and meals for work. He also tried the rodeo circuit with no success.”

“Atchison and a friend “hoboed” their way on trains to San Francisco, where Atchison signed up with the Marines. He trained at Fort George Wright in Spokane, Wash.”

“Then he shipped out of Angel Island near San Francisco as part of the 21st Infantry Regiment, to Oahu, Hawaii.” (Montana Senior News) The 21st Infantry Regiment was assigned to the Hawaiian Division and was stationed at Schofield Barracks. The mission of the division was to defend the island of Oahu especially the naval base at Pearl Harbor. (25^thIDA)

“Atchison’s gift with equines led to him being assigned to work with the pack mules that hauled freight for soldiers, including leading the animals on a secret mission into the Oahu mountains.”

“By 1935, Atchison’s deep homesickness for Big Sky Country convinced him to leave military service. After returning to his beloved state, he attended business school, married, and had children and grandchildren, and sold farm equipment. Atchison also became a respected breeder of Arabian horses, until his death in 2009.”

“In a time of great economic distress in the United States, when, like so many, Atchison’s family was struggling financially, the boy was grateful to receive free uniforms and boots, government-funded meals, and a small stipend. Plus, he learned valuable military skills.” (MontanaSeniorNews)

“On Jan. 21, 1939, in Miles City, he married Marian Stone, daughter of Dudley and Eva Hanrahan Stone. He dearly loved and adored his wife whom he affectionately teased on a regular basis.”

“He had a keen sense of humor which he displayed throughout his life. Having been raised with high Christian values and principles and a sense of decency, family and community, he was dedicated to his wife and three daughters. He provided for his daughters’ advanced educations which allowed them to fly with great independence towards their successful futures.”

“For many years he was a first-class salesman for Yale Oil Company, Tractor and Equipment Company and Farmhand Company. During the 1950s he was a very successful entrepreneur in several business ventures.”

“One of which was the Yellowstone Machinery Company, a John Deere dealership in Sidney. For many years he was recognized and honored by Deere & Co. for achieving national records in sales.”

“In 1962 he sold the dealership and moved to Billings where he became a real estate agent specializing in ranch properties.” (Billings Gazette) Irvin George Atchison passed away on June 5, 2009.

May 21, 2024 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Birds of Walter Rothschild

“Bird extinctions after European discovery were extensive and are now well documented; however, native Polynesians caused extinctions of an even greater magnitude. Fossil evidence shows at least 50% of the original avifauna became extinct after Polynesians arrived in Hawai’i around 400 A.D.”

“Initially, 109 endemic species occurred in the Hawaiian Islands, 35 of which (32%) still survived in 2001; 19 additional taxa (17.5%) were extant in the 18th century, whereas 55 (50.5%) are known only from the fossil and subfossil record.” (Perez)

“In pre-human Hawai‘i, the large land area and extensive coastlines, coupled with a relative absence of predators, provided ample habitat for a spectacular assemblage of seabirds; millions of petrels, albatrosses, shear-waters, terns, and other seabirds populated the islands. These birds were the first to be easily decimated or exterminated by island settlers.”

“After the unwary, flightless, ground- and burrow-nesting seabirds were eliminated, Polynesians devised an astounding variety of techniques for catching forest birds; these bird-hunting practices eventually wreacked havoc also among forest bird populations.”

“The severe past depredations of avifauna appear to have had a lasting negative effect on the Hawaiian forest birds and, as a result, the alarming trend of declining bird populations still continues.”

“Overall, the USA has suffered the most recently recorded bird extinctions (25) on Earth, 84% of which have taken place in Hawai’i.” (Perez)

With respect to post-Contact activities, “[Robert] Perkins, Henry Palmer, Scott Wilson, and George Munro – all were stalking and shooting Hawaiian birds in the 1890s, during the peak of what Alan Ziegler has called the “professional naturalist period” (1870-1900) in Hawaiian history.” (Tummons)

“Although scientific knowledge of the birds of the Hawaiian Islands began with the European discovery of the archipelago in 1778 by Captain James Cook, more than a century elapsed before any serious ornithological exploration of the islands took place.”

“In 1887, Scott Barchard Wilson, with the support and encouragement of Alfred Newton, Professor of Zoology at Magdalene College, Cambridge (England), embarked on a collecting expedition to the Hawaiian Islands, where he stayed until the end of 1888.”

“Descriptions of new species began appearing under Wilson’s name in August 1888, when he was still in the islands, and it has long been my belief that Newton wrote the bulk of everything that was attributed to Wilson and to Wilson and Evans.”

“The new discoveries arriving from the Hawaiian Islands excited the imagination of Newton’s pupil Walter Rothschild, who, using the wealth at his disposal, determined to send out his own collector.”

Lionel Walter [Walter] Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild (the eldest son of Nathan Mayer Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild), (born February 8, 1868, London, England—died August 27, 1937, Tring, Buckinghamshire), was a British zoologist who founded the Rothschild Natural History Museum in London. (Britannica)

“His interest in natural history began when he was a child, collecting butterflies, and as a child, Walter knew exactly what he wanted to do when he grew up, announcing at the age of seven, ‘Mama, Papa, I am going to make a museum…’. By the time he was ten, Walter had enough natural history objects to start his first museum, in a garden shed.” (Rothschild Archive)

“He began building a real museum when he came of age in 1889 …. Having come under the influence of renowned ornithologist Alfred Newton while at Cambridge, his interest in birds moved to the fore for many years; entomology and ornithology remained the focuses of his scientific work for the rest of his life.”

“Although Rothschild himself traveled and collected in Europe and North Africa for many years, his work and health concerns limited his range, and beginning while at Cambridge he employed others – explorers, professional collectors, and residents – to collect for him in remote and little-known parts of the world.” (Olson)

“Walter employed around 400 collectors during his lifetime and accumulated specimens from more than 48 different countries, many of which were new to Western science. Collectors sent him animal specimens from around the world. Walter mainly stayed in Tring and focused on carefully studying the creatures he received and describing new species.” (Rothschild Archive)

“He also hired taxidermists, a librarian, and, most importantly, professional scientists to work with him to curate and write up the resulting collections: Ernst Hartert, for birds, from 1892 until his retirement at the age of 70 in 1930; and Karl Jordan for entomology, from 1893 until Rothschild’s death in 1937.”

“In 1890, when Rothschild was 23, he sent a sailor named Henry Palmer to the Sandwich Islands (as the Hawaiian Islands had been named by Captain James Cook in the late 1770s) and most particularly to Laysan, one of the Leeward Islands in the Hawaiian archipelago now part of the Hawaiian Islands Bird Reservation.”

Palmer arrived in the Hawaiian Islands December 1890, with his New Zealander assistant George Munro, who stayed with him until March 1, 1892, when he was replaced by another New Zealander, Ed. (“Ted”) B. Wolstenholme. (Olson)

“His instructions were to collect as many different birds as possible, with special attention to inter-island variation. Palmer spent over two years at the task, from December 1890 to August 1893, and sent almost 2000 specimens back to Tring, including representatives of 15 species previously unknown to Western science and several species which have since become extinct.”

“These specimens formed the basis of Rothschild’s monograph The Avifauna of Laysan and the Neighboring Islands. The work includes a survey of the literature on the birds of Hawaii to that date, as well as a condensed version of Palmer’s collecting diary.” (Olson, Curator of Birds, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History)

“[Rothschild] built the collections continuously over the decades, until they formed the largest zoological collection ever amassed by a private individual.” (Olson)

“At its largest, the collection included 300,000 bird skins, 200,000 birds’ eggs, 2,250,000 butterflies, and 30,000 beetles, as well as thousands of specimens of mammals, reptiles, and fishes. The bird collection in particular was unparalleled, considered in many ways the finest in the world, and invaluable for the study of geographical variation and other aspects of evolution.” (Olson)

“During his lifetime Walter accumulated: 2,000 mounted mammals, about 2000 mounted birds, 2 million butterflies and moths, 300,000 bird skins, 144 giant tortoises, 200,000 birds’ eggs and 30,000 relevant books.” (Rothschild Archive)

“In spite of his family’s great wealth, the eccentric baron was sometimes short of money. He sold most of his beetles to raise funds for his museum, and in 1931 a personal crisis forced him to sell his bird collection to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.” (Natural History Museum)

“When he died at 69 in 1937, he left his remaining research collections, the public museum, its contents and the surrounding land to the Natural History Museum in London.”

“His collection is the biggest private natural history collection ever assembled by one person, and the largest bequest of specimens ever received by the Museum. … Today, Museum staff working at Tring look after more than a million bird specimens, nests and eggs. Researchers from around the world travel to Tring to use this important collection.” (Natural History Museum)

May 20, 2024 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Crossing Anahulu Stream

When the Reverend John Emerson and his wife Ursula arrived in Hawai‘i in 1832, they were assigned to establish an American Protestant missionary station in Waialua. (Clark)

“[T]wo new houses are building which we shall occupy as soon as they are finished. Only a few rods from them is a fine spring of running water, which feeds a small river large enough for canoes.”

“This is the Anahulu which, bending and broadening, empties about a third of a mile away into Waialua Bay, where the ocean waves roll in upon a sandy beach.” “The home was known thereafter as ‘Waipuolo,’ ‘The Bubbling Spring.’” (Emerson)

“The Anahulu river (cave of the hulu – a kind of fish) is a narrow estuary averaging forty feet wide, which makes up from Waialua Bay a mile or more to the mouth of the Kawailoa stream.”

“On its opposite banks were two homes facing each other. On one side were the Gulicks, and on the other the Emersons. In each family there were seven boys and a younger sister, the Gulicks ranging three or four years older than the Emersons.” (Emerson)

Later it was found that a “need of the Waialua farmers was easier access to the Honolulu market, which could only be reached by a horse-trail leading through deep gulches and streams, or by small coasters that had to contend with currents and baffling winds.”

“Accordingly, after much urging, it was decided by the Government to develop the horse-trail into a road and bridge the streams. Of course this work required supervision. The only man at hand who could plan it and handle both native and white workmen, was my father, so he was asked to add to his other duties that of being the road supervisor of the district.”

“During the two years my father held this office, the road up and down the sides of five gulches was graded and made fit for carriages and oxcarts, and over the streams five bridges were built. Eighteen miles of roadway were constructed to connect with the road already built from Honolulu to Ewa.”

“Some of the time my father had a gang of fifty or more natives under him making the road, and several white carpenters at work building the bridges. When all was finished, business in Waialua began to boom.” (Emerson)

Later, “the law declares that vehicles weighing more than 15 tons shall not cross public bridges or traverse public roads … (Star Bulletin, July 22, 1915) The bridge crossing Anahulu Stream in Haleiwa was designed to carry horse-drawn carriages. (Griffin)

Then, “traffic was stopped … when the Anahulu bridge between Waialua and Waialee collapsed under the weight of a twenty two ton plow tractor owned by the Waialua plantation.” (Hawaiian Gazette, July 20, 1915)

Around-the-island traffic stopped, “The Anahulu bridge, over the Anahulu stream at Waialua on the main road between Haleiwa and Kahuku; will be closed to traffic until further notice.” (Star Bulletin, July 20, 1915)

Then a new reinforced concrete bridge was planned across Anahulu Stream. George E Marshall was given a $62,000 contract to build the double arched span (each 80 feet long). (Advertiser, Aug 26, 1920)

During construction, the bridge was almost lost. “Working in the pouring rain from 9 o’clock Thursday night to 2 o’clock Friday morning, a gang of workmen directed by George e Marshall saved the new Haleiwa bridge, for which Marshall is the contractor, from probable destruction.”

“[T]he stream, usually low, became a raging torrent due to the kona storm, and was fully 100 yards wide and 10 feet deep. Masses of sugar cane, wooden flumes, boards and debris of various kinds were buried against the bridge by the storm waters and desperate work was necessary to keep the debris from backing up the flood.” (Star Bulletin, Dec 27, 1920)

The bridge later faced a different threat, “The old bridge channels through itself all the life around it. Spanning the Anahulu River, it pulls together the banks of Haleiwa.”

“It remembers the old and sees the new. Its too-narrow arches funnel the tide of progress filtering through the town. ‘Slow down’ it says ‘look at me.’ Built in 1921 when Haleiwa was a sleepy town, the bridge tries to lessen the pace of the traffic it channels through the still sleepy town.”

“The bridge still hears the plop of boots through the taro patches and the lap of waves against the orange and white sampans. The shrill whistle of the cane train is gone, and the clanking rumble of the Tournahauler is fading.”

“The bridge heard the Big-City folk call its neighboring buildings ‘delapidated’ but only scoffed. ‘Old things are good things,’ it said. ‘They allow the old to remember and the young to learn.’

“The bridge feels the surge of the tide below and the stain of red mud on its once-white arches. It feels the weight of small boys jeering the long tour cars or quietly fishing.”

“As the new small boat harbor was carved into the earth at its side, the bridge watched in wonder. Man diverted its river. Man cut off a chunk of the ocean for quiet waters. Man could easily have blown up the too-narrow bridge. Fortunately he didn’t.”

“Beautification once meant to the bridge a new coat of white paint. Now it may mean survival to the matron of Haleiwa, the guardian of the rotting buildings.”

“Like all structures the bridge once faced destruction in the face of bigger and more modern thoroughfares. But plans were changed. The new highway that will bring new faces in search of recreation will pass through Haleiwa nearer the mountains.”

“The old Kamehameha Highway will become a scenic route, a roadway of the past, if the young people of Haleiwa have their way.”

“The rebuilding and new construction in Haleiwa will take on a theme, so have decided the young men who once fished from the bridge. The most dominant scene will be the harbor, the sampans, the fishing village. The other scene, further up the river, will be the taro patches, the small riverside vegetable farms.”

“The new life that grows up along the shores of the river and beaches will share the laziness and quiet of the old life. And standing as a guardian between the two scenes will be the bridge, listening, seeing, feeling.” (Star Bulletin, Feb 14, 1967)

Due to its shape, it earned the name ‘Rainbow Bridge’ – a little more appealing that its technical name, ‘Kamehameha Highway Bridge #603.’ It is one of the most recognized symbols of Hale‘iwa. (Historic Hawai‘i Foundation)

May 19, 2024 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

First Lady Lawyer

“Foreign missionary Harvey Rexford Hitchcock married Rebecca Howard. They sailed for the Hawaiian Islands on the whaleship Averick, arriving in Honolulu 17 May 1832, after a voyage of 173 days. His sister Elizabeth later came to Hawai’i to join them.”

Harvey and Rebecca Hitchcock; they had four children, David Howard, Harvey Rexford Jr, Edward Griffin, and Sarah Diana (who died very young).

“The boys were educated at home until it was time for them to attend O’ahu College (now Punahou). After his Island schooling, David went to Massachusetts, where he entered Williams College as a sophomore in 1853. He returned to Molokai in 1855 where he read law with one of the best lawyers in the Islands.”

“David remembered a young lady school teacher whom he had met in his days back East and sent Almeda Eliza Widger of Otselic, New York, a proposal of marriage, adding that if he did not hear from her, he would consider it a refusal.”

“The letter did not reach her at once on its arrival and she saw it listed in the list of advertised letters. She wrote him that she would come and sailed from Boston on board the Raduga which after a long voyage around Cape Horn arrived finally at Honolulu considerably overdue.”

“Rev. Mr. Armstrong accompanied David on board the Raduga, and he married Almeda on 13 March 1857; thus, she arrived in Honolulu as Mrs. Hitchcock.” (June Hitchcock Humme, grandniece of Almeda Eliza Hitchcock)

“Their first child, Ella Marian, arrived before the new home was completed. Born in this home were Cora Etta, David Howard Jr, Almeda Eliza, and Charles Henry Wetmore Hitchcock.”

“The last daughter, Almeda Eliza, was born Saturday, 5 December 1863. Her father, writing to his brother Edward on 15 January 1864, had this to say about her: ‘… baby grows like a weed. We call her ‘Alme’ or ‘Kitty’, mostly the latter, as she is so good to lie still.’”

Alme was taught at home until age 15, when she and her sister Cora went to O’ahu College (Punahou) as boarders in Honolulu. In 1880 there were 112 students in the school, many of them boarders.

“In a family letter of 15, June 1881, Alme’s aunt Mary Castle Hitchcock states: ‘Cora will be through with her course and David and Almeda have decided that Alme is not to go back to school next year, on account of her health, which has never been as good since she had a fall in Hilo, four or five years ago, which hurt her back.’” (Humme)

That leads us to another child of David and Almeda, David Howard (Howard) Hitchcock.

“His brothers and sisters were not such problems to their father. Cora graduated from Punahou, married an educator and became a teacher herself. Alme, (Almeda) went on to college at Anne Arbor.”

“The oldest daughter, Ella, married Albert Loebenstein, a businessman, and Charles the younger son worked for the new telephone company, and for the railroad, as tax assessor and court clerk, all practical and normal jobs.”

David Hitchcock wanted his son to be a lawyer … Howard Hitchcock wanted to be an artist.

Before his formal training abroad, D Howard Hitchcock was inspired by other Volcano School painters and was encouraged by Jules Tavernier to endeavor life as an artist. Hitchcock admits to following Tavernier and Joseph Strong around, ‘like a parasite.’ (NPS HAVO)

“One family legend says that when Howard insisted on painting, his father sent him up to his Puakala ranch to hunt beef, where he presumably would be cut off from art for lack of supplies. But he found some house paint and made a charming study of akala berries on a door, which still survives.” (Shipman info sheet at Haena)

“But it was another event which may have turned the key for Howard’s complete release into the world of art. The Hawaiian Gazette for November 6, 1888 has a story titled ‘A Lady Lawyer … Miss Hitchcock Admitted to the Hawaiian Bar – The Pioneer of Her Sex.’” (Shipman) (Her brother, D Howard Hitchcock, became a famous Hawai‘i artist.)

Almeda Hitchcock was admitted to the bar in Michigan on December 27, 1887, before her graduation, “under honors – as she is class prophet.” (She was apparently the only woman among the 143 graduates in the law class.) (Matsuda)

Then, “Miss Almeda E. Hitchcock, daughter of Hon. D.H. Hitchcock, of Hilo, was on October 29th admitted to practice in the Courts of this Kingdom. She submitted to the Judges of the Supreme Court her diploma as Bachelor of Laws from Ann Arbor University, Michigan, also her license to practice law in the Circuit and Supreme Courts of that state.” (Hawaiian Gazette, Nov 6, 1888)

“Miss Alme E Hitchcock … will doubtless be the first woman to be admitted to the bar outside of the United States’. She indicated that she felt there would be no reluctance on the part of men attorneys in her country …”

“… pointing out that ‘there are at present no women practicing law, but there are quite a number of practicing [women] Physicians. The popular feeling is for rather than against women in the professions.” (Matsuda)

David Hitchcock made his daughter his partner at once, and the law firm of Hitchcock and Hitchcock presented its first case … the next day.” (Almeda made and won her first motion – the court dismissed the case.) (Matsuda)

“Although her career was short, lasting only five years before her marriage [on May 24, 1892, Hitchcock married American physician William Levi Moore] and early death [she died May 9, 1895, at the age of 31], Almeda Hitchcock led the way for women as the first lawyer and law partner in Hawai‘i.” (Case)

“She was possessed of many pleasant qualities, which made her an always welcome guest and her loss keenly felt. She received an education in the Law school of the University of Michigan and has shown an unusual aptitude for the profession. Hers was a life of bright promises.” (Hawaiian Gazette, Humme)