Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Tombstone Tuesday ~ George H. Spaulding, Honolulu

This tombstone was photographed at the Oahu Cemetery, at Honolulu, Hawaii.  It caught my eye because it said that George H. Spalding was a "native of Salem, Mass."   I asked my husband to photograph it (complete with bird droppings!) and tried to research the name.  I found a marriage record on FamilySearch.org for his son, Henry G. Spalding who married second (as a widower) to  Kamealani B. Gray on 31 July 1913, and he listed his parents as George H. Spalding and Kealohapauole Spalding.


GEORGE H. SPALDING
A NATIVE
OF
SALEM, MASS
JUNE 1, 1819
MAY 20, 1908

Even trying variations on the names SPAULDING or SPALDING, I was unable to trace George Spalding in the Massachusetts records. The death index at the Hawaii State Archiveslists George as the uncle of E. I. Spalding, born 3 June 1854 in Honolulu and died 20 June 1935, the son of Josiah and Elizabeth Spalding.

In the book Spalding Memorial: A Genealogical History of Edward Spalding, of Massachusetts Bay and his Descendants , by Samuel Jones Spalding, 1872, on page 357, it lists the following:

6893.  JOSIAH 7 [3610] (Samuel 6, Samuel 5, Henry 4, Henry 3, Andrew 2, Edward 1), b. Feb. 15, 1797.  He was for many years master of a vessel.  
"Captain Josiah Spalding, one of our best citizens, died suddenly of apoplexy, on Friday evening.  He had been out in the afternoon, although his health had for some time been feeble from similar attacks.  He had been a resident of Salem from his boyhood, and became a very successful ship-master, retiring from the seas some years ago, having realized a competency.  He was a gentleman of great amiablility and inegrity of character, a patriotic and exemplary citizen, and always ready with heart and hand to aid in every good work"  [Salem Register, Monday, April 6, 1868]
He m. Rebecca Chapman, of Salem, Ms, April 10, 1825; she was b. Feb. 5, 1800 in Salem, Ms.
Children all b. in Salem, Ms.
6894. Josiah Chapman [8918] b. June 29, 1827
6895. George Henry, b. June 1, 1829
6896. Edward Heald, b. April 23, 1831; d. April 1, 1832
6897. Ellen Rebecca, b. Feb. 15, 1836
6898. Edward Heald, b. Aug. 12, 1843

The year of birth is different, but I think we may have the same person here.

-----------------------------------
Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

5 comments:

  1. How interesting! I would love to know when and why he came to Hawaii. I wonder if he was a sugarcane or pineapple farmer or something. Can you imagine what Hawaii would have been like during that time period!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This would not be the first time I have seen a tombstone off by ten years! Are Hawaii death records online? Makes me want to figure this one out too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I read with interest your post about George Spaulding. I am a descendant of the Massachusetts’ Spauldings. Have you read the following Rootsweb article about George Spaulding in Hawaii?
    http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/SPALDING/1998-11/0910454594
    Karin
    www.theartofgenealogy.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great! Thanks so much for the link. Apparently I have the correct George Spaulding sincy the rootsweb article mentions the same excerpt from the Spaulding book. I'm glad to know he married and had descendants!

      Delete
  4. My gr-gr grandparents, Emma & Antone Silva, were in the 1890 census in Lihue, Kauai, living in the household of John and Pilika Tavares. Also in the household was Kealohapauole (age 62) and her two sons Isaac and Naluahine Kaopua. I just found out today that Kealohapauole also had a son George Henry Spalding Jr. from her 1st marriage. Also found out George married Mary Ann Tavares, John Tavares daughter from an earlier marriage. I still donʻt know the relationship of my gr-gr grandparents to Kealohapauole or the Tavares family.

    ReplyDelete