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Category: Hawaii Genealogy

finger pointing in judgement
We Shouldn’t Judge Our Ancestors By Today’s Standards: The Reality of Work Discipline in the Late 1800s

We Shouldn’t Judge Our Ancestors By Today’s Standards: The Reality of Work Discipline in the Late 1800s

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An interesting conversation broke out in the Portuguese Hawaiian group on Facebook over the role foremen and lunas played on plantations in Hawaii. Lunas and foremen were the ones who kept workers in line and kept work flowing.  Although I’m concentrating on the Hawaiian Sugar Plantation system, my thoughts could apply to any authority figure in a supervisory role during this era. Our Ancestors Did What Was Expected of Them at the Time Some folks were shocked when they learned…

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voyage SS Hansa
Why Did The S.S. Hansa Carrying Azorean Sugar Contract Laborers Heading for Hawaii Run into Problems in Portugal?

Why Did The S.S. Hansa Carrying Azorean Sugar Contract Laborers Heading for Hawaii Run into Problems in Portugal?

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I thought I understood the migration trail the Azorean sugar plantation contract workers took to Hawaii: Azores to South America to San Francisco to Hawaii. After reading an old newspaper article about the voyage of the S.S. Hansa in 1882, the ship my Pacheco ancestors were on, I found that I was wrong. I expected to find an usual article with basic information about the voyage.  You know, date of arrival, length of voyage, number of passengers, and so forth. …

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Caucasian But Not White: Race and the Portuguese in Hawaii

Caucasian But Not White: Race and the Portuguese in Hawaii

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How would you define your Portuguese ancestors who went to Hawaii?  You might start by calling them Azorean, Madeiran, and Portuguese.  You would call them Caucasian, wouldn’t you?  But, would you call them White?  Those who controlled Hawaii’s business and political interests in the 1870s did not.  The Portuguese who went to Hawaii were officially classified as “Caucasian But Not White”. How is that possible?  Aren’t Caucasians White? In order to answer those questions we need to transport ourselves back…

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Helen’s Adoptive Mother Had No Last Name

Helen’s Adoptive Mother Had No Last Name

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How do you learn the name of a person when all you have to go on is their daughter’s name and what sounds like a nickname for their first name? This genealogy research journal will explore the mystery of Helen (Pacheco) Correia and her adoptive mother whose name was lost over time. Helen was part of the Pacheco clan, but it was unclear which part. My grandfather had at least 45 cousins who reached adulthood.  She could fit in anywhere. …

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The Case of the Two Ida’s

The Case of the Two Ida’s

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In an earlier research journal, I showed how confusing the Camara and Cosma families of Kauai had become.  Surname changes made it impossible to sort out relationships. In this research journal, I follow the same family, but with a different problem.  Through my interviews with relatives, I kept hearing about “Ida Camara”. It seemed that Ida Camara was everywhere, married multiple times, and living in multiple places.  Was there only one Ida Camara or were there two? The details of…

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