Tombstone Tuesday ~ Seen in Honolulu

This tombstone was photographed at the Oahu Cemetery, on Nu'uanu Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii.  The stark black granite with the white porcelain photograph caught my eye, across the lane from the Dominis family plot where I was paying my respects.  After reading the epitaph and photographing this gravestone, I knew I had to share it on my blog.  After all, when you get to the last line you read that she was not only nobility, she was a genealogist, too!

High Chiefess

Elizabeth Kekaaniau Laanui Pratt

Longest Royal Survivor

Born September 11, 1834

Died December 20, 1928

Elizabeth Kekaaniauokalani Kalanijuiohilaukapu

Laanui was a favorite at the royal courts of King's 

Kamehameha III, IV, Lunalilo and Kalakua. The

latter four were her schoolmates at the Royal Boarding

School, founded by Kamehameha III for the preparation

of Hawaii's future Rulers. Kekaaniau was the last

surviving member of it's original 16 royal students.  In

1864, She married Franklin Seaver Pratt of Boston, who 

served as Consul General and Minister of Finance to the

Hawaiian Kingdom.  In 1920, she published memoirs of

the illustrious Kamehameha dynasty and collateral

branches of the Keoua lineage in

"Keoua Nui - Father of Kings"

"Last of Great Alii's Hears Final Call"

Honolulu Advertiser 1928

You can see Elizabeth's lineage at this link: http://www.royalark.net/Hawaii/hawaii.htm  (she is listed near the bottom of the page).  There is a wikipedia entry for her at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Kekaaniau with her complete biography.  Her husband, Franklin Seaver Pratt of Boston (1829 - 1894) is buried next to her in the same plot at Oahu Cemetery. They had no children.

Interesting Historical Note!

Franklin Seaver Pratt may have followed his sister to Hawaii!  His sister, Maria Pratt, married Charles Brewer, the son of Isaac C. Brewer and nephew to Captain Charles Brewer of the trading company C. Brewer and Co. of Honolulu.  They were married on 27 March 1845 and immediately went to Hawaii so that Captain Charles Brewer could retire from business and return to Jamaica Plain, Boston.

The Brewer family exchanged many, many letters with my Great Aunt Mary (Jones) Dominis, and I have photos of the originals found in the Hawaii State Archives.  They were such close friends that Captain Brewer named his second son John Dominis Brewer (1845 - 1879).  Most of his other children stayed in Massachusetts, but John D. Brewer assisted with the business in Hawaii and died in Honolulu in 1879.

Not only that, but Franklin Seaver Pratt is a distant cousin to genealogist and genea-blogger, Randy Seaver of San Diego, California. We have been exchanging genealogy information on Franklin Seaver Pratt and his sister, Maria.

Randy's response at his blog "GeneaMusings" today is at this link: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/12/im-related-by-marriage-to-hawaiian.html

---------------------------
Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo