Stop and Have a Sandwich!

Strange things that happened on the way to a cemetery…..

Francis Wyman, d. 1699 Woburn, Massachusetts

Several years ago, it was a weekend, and we were bored. Of course, when my husband suggested a ride in the car, I pulled out my list of cemeteries to visit. (Only genealogists have backup lists of cemeteries for days such as this!) I decided on a cemetery in Woburn, and we set off with a full tank of gas, the camera, note book and family tree. Woburn is only an hour’s drive from home.

Our destination was the First Burial Ground in Woburn, Massachusetts. I had a list of ancestors from my father’s side of the family, with surnames such as Converse, Carter and Thompson. However, my husband wanted to stop at his office on the way, so I sat in the car, listened to music, read a book, got bored… time ticked by. Finally, he got back in the car and we were on our way. However, now we were both hungry and since it was late, it was now past lunchtime.

So, the next stop was for a sandwich. Not knowing the town of Woburn, we meandered, decided on a sandwich shop, and then had fun people watching whilst eating our lunch. Now it was midafternoon, and I wanted to find the cemetery, find the gravestones, and get a few photos before the shadows got too long. I wasn’t worried; it was turning out to be an interesting day.

After driving in circles around the Woburn town common, we finally found the correct one-way street to the First Burial Ground. It was my favorite kind of New England cemetery, installed on a hill, with lots of crooked and interesting stones from the 1600s and 1700s. I knew I would want to spend hours there, even though it was already late in the day. Only one other family was there, and I needed to find some time to chat up the locals, too.

We started looking and snapping photos, and eventually ended up next to the other family group. Of course, we all started to ask “Who are you looking for?” and “Is it an ancestor?” and “How are you related?” I was looking for the Converse surname. It turns out that they were looking for Francis Wyman, and I pulled out my copy of my family tree and said, “I think I’m descended of him, too!”

It turns out that on my mother’s side of the family tree, there were Wymans, and Francis Wyman was the first immigrant ancestor. He was one of the first settlers in Woburn, and his gravestone is one of the oldest in Massachusetts. Soon we were all comparing notes, angling for photographs and exchanging names. One of the other people was on the board of the “Wyman Family Association” and she was soon telling me all about the 1666 Frances Wyman House. It is the oldest house in Burlington (formerly part of Woburn) and is still owned by the family association. Five minutes later, they were gone, and so were we. Our brief cemetery visit was complete.

If we hadn’t dawdled that morning, stopped at the office, spent time lingering over lunch we never would have met up with strangers in the burial ground. We were there ten minutes, and so were they. We easily could have missed each other, and never have met to exchange stories. But within the next few days we joined the Wyman Family Association, attended a fantastic family reunion and toured our ancestor’s home. We made friends, met new cousins, and added pages and pages of notes to our genealogy data base.

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Lesson learned: Stop, slow down and enjoy the ride! You never know what will happen on the way to the cemetery (or once you get there!)

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For further information:

"Ye Olde Woburn"  A genealogy website centered on Woburn, Massachusetts  http://www.webring.org/l/rd?ring=ports;id=7;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eyeoldewoburn%2Enet%2Findex%2Ehtml 

http://www.wyman.org/- The website of the Wyman Family Association

My own blog post of August 25, 2009 “New Hampshire Descendants of Francis Wyman”

Click here to see all the blog posts I have done on the Wyman family

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Copyright 2010, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Compiled Genealogy Bibliography

I learned about this idea from Martin Hollick at the “Slovak Yankee” blog. He posted a list of compiled genealogies that contain his closest ancestors. It is amazing how making up a list like this shows the holes in my research, or perhaps the need for me to put together some sort of a book or genealogical article for some of these families. Some old colonial families are so well documented that I stopped looking for compiled genealogies on some lineages, and that is certainly a hole in my research, too. It is also amazing how old some of these compiled genealogies are, and the need for some updates!

At the same time I charted this out, I also added the “Surnames to 9 Generations” tab at the top of the page on my blog. I first listed all the surnames, now I am slowly adding their migration routes. I’m also tagging some of the important, well known named ancestors (Mayflower, Great Migration, Reverends, historical figures, etc.). I had never listed all the surnames before, and again I found some good places for more research. Certain branches I haven’t looked at in a long, long time.

Great Grandparents:

Albert Munroe Wilkinson-(1860-1908) No book has ever been written on the Wilkinsons of northern New England, nor have they been in any genealogical articles. The first immigrant Wilkinson was Thomas Wilkinson, a native of London, England, who married Elizabeth Caverly in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1715. This is my maiden name, and a big pet project.

John Peter Bowden Roberts and his wife, Emma Frances Warren, were immigrants from Leeds, Yorkshire, England in 1915 via Ellis Island. There is no compiled genealogy of either family.

Joseph Elmer Allen and his wife, Carrie Maude Batchelder, are in the Batchelder, Batcheller Genealogy by Frederick Clifton Pierce, published by the author in Chicago, 1898, (with various updates), on page 329. Lists only two children, three more were born after publication. The Allen Family comes from William Allen of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, but this branch has not been documented. There are several books with the first five generations or so of the Allen family.

Arthur Treadwell Hitchings-(1868 – 1937) There is no book on the Hitchings/Hitchens family, which goes back to Daniel Hitchins (1632 -1731) of Lynn, Massachusetts. They are well documented in the local history books, and in journal articles.

Florence Etta Hoogerzeil (1871- 1941)– Her grandfather was Peter Hoogerzeil, immigrant to America before 1828. The family was written up by the Netherlands in articles (in Dutch) by Erik A. N. Kon, going back to Arijen Bruynen born about 1631 in Krimpen ann de Lek. No compiled genealogy book. Kon’s work is extensive, including all the known Hoogerzeil/Hogerzeil families and the American branch down to Florence and her children.

2x Great Grandparents:

Caleb Rand Bill (1833-1902) in the History of the Bill Family, edited by Ledyard Bill, 1867, p. 200 along with his wife Ann Margaret Bollman. Daughter Isabella Lyons Bill married Albert Munroe Wilkinson. They are also in the update by Harry Bill.

Sarah Burnham Mears (1844- 1913) There is no book on the Mears family of Essex, Massachusetts. I have traced this line back to Alexander Mears, born about 1750 in London, England, yet have gone no further.

Mary Katherine Emerson (1847 – 1932) and her husband, George E. Batchelder (1848 – 1914), are in The Ipswich Emerson, A. D. 1636-1900: A Genealogy of the Descendants of Thomas Emerson of Ipswich, Mass., by Benjamin Kendall Emerson, Boston, David Clapp & Son, 1900, page 306. This page also gives an explanation of her adoption by the Harris family of Boston (her paternal aunt) which solved a great brick wall problem for me! The Batchelders are described above.

Hannah Eliza Lewis (1844 – 1921) This is one of my brick wall lineages, since I have only traced back to her grandfather, Thomas Lewis and wife Amelia (unknown maiden name). I don’t know from which Massachusetts Lewis family he descends.

3x Great Grandparents:

Mercy F. Wilson (1803-1883) – The great Wilson researcher, Ken Stevens of Walpole, New Hampshire was working on a compiled genealogy of the Wilsons of Danvers, Massachusetts, but hadn’t published his notes. He assured me my lineage was correct back to the first Wilson, Robert Wilson b. 1630 in England and died 18 September 1675 at Deerfield, Massachusetts in the Bloody Brook Massacre. I think he hit a brick wall with the rest of the Danvers Wilsons. I haven’t been able to untangle it, either, beyond my direct lineage to Robert Wilson.

Luther Simonds Munroe (1805 – 1851) in the History and Genealogy of the Lexington, Massachusetts, Munroes, compiled by Richard S. Munroe, published by the author, 1966, page 71. This goes back to the Scots prisoner of war, William Munroe (1625 – 1718) in Lexington.

Olive Flint (1805-1875) – is in the book Genealogical register of the descendants of Thomas Flint, of Salem : with a copy of the wills and inventories of the estates of the first two generations, compiled by John Flint and John H. Stone, Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1994, and both her parents were Flints (first cousins John Flint and Phebe Flint) so this was easy.

Isabella Lyons (1806 – 1872)– I have found no Lyons family genealogy. She was born in Nova Scotia, but her roots go back to Connecticut.

Bremner Frederick Bollman (1802 – 1838) No Bollman book. His father, Dr. Johann Daniel Bollman, was a surgeon and Hessian soldier during the American Revolution, born in Hammersleben, Germany and settled in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

Sarah Elizabeth Lennox (1805 - ?) married to B. F. Bolllman. There is no Lennox book. Her father John Lennox, was a Scotts settler in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, and her mother, Ann Margareta Schupp, was the daughter of German immigrants.

Orpha Andrews – (1804-1869)- in the book The Descendants of Lieut. John Andrews: Who Came From England in 1635, and Settled in Chebacco Parish (now Essex) Mass., By Elliott Morrison Andrews. I have several Andrews lineages in this book.

Sarah Ann Burnham (1821-1848)- in the book The Burnham family : or, genealogical records of the descendants of the four emigrants of the name, who were among the early settlers in America, by Roderick H. Burnham. I have more than ten Burnham lineages, all in this book, but there are many errors.

Abigail M. Locke (1825-1888) in the Book of the Lockes : a genealogical and historical record of the descendants of William Locke, of Woburn. With an appendix, containing a history of the Lockes in England, also of the family of John Locke, of Hampton, NH, and kindred families and individuals by John Goodwin Locke, 1853

Mary Esther Younger (1826-1910) – No compiled genealogy on the Younger family of Gloucester, Massachusetts, which I have traced back only to William Younger who married Lucy Foster in Gloucester in 1750.

Eliza Ann Treadwell (1812-1896) – No compiled genealogy of the Treadwell family, as far as I know, but they are a well documented family from Ipswich dating back to Thomas Treadwell born about 1603 in London, England, died 1671 in Ipswich.

Eunice Stone (1807 – 1886) I haven’t found a compiled genealogy yet of this family, which begins with John Stone (abt. 1595-abt 1670) in Salem, Massachusetts. There might be one out there, but there was so much other information I stopped looking…shame on me!

Joseph Edwin Healy and his wife, Matilda Weston, are in Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, Volume II, Part II Edward Doty, (a “Silver Book”) compiled by Peter B. Hill, General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1996, page 185

4x great grandparents:

Mercy Nason (b. 1764 in Kittery) I haven’t used a Nason book for this line, it was well documented in vital records, town histories, articles. (But again, is there a Nason book?)

Mary Southwick (1777-1854) Genealogy of the descendants of Lawrence and Cassandra Southwick of Salem, Mass.: the original emigrants, and the ancestors of the families who have since borne his name, by James M. Caller and Mrs. M. A. Ober, reprint by Higginsons (originally 1881) This book is old and contains errors, but was a good guide to start.

Ruth Simonds (1763 – 1840) in the book Genealogical Sketch of William Simonds, by Edward Francis Johnson, 1889, but the family was also written up in the Woburn town histories.

Mary Rand (1758 – 1845) in the book Genealogy of Rand: from Robert Rand of Charlestown 1634 to 1867, by Thomas Bellows Wyman, 1867 and in the Martha’s Vineyard history, and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Genealogies.

Ann Skinner (1786 – 1815) again, in the Yarmouth Genealogies, and The Skinner Kinsmen, the descendants of John Skinner of Hartford, Connecticut, by Natalie R. Fernald.

Lucy Presson (1763 – 1852) This family name changed from Presbury, to Preston to Presson since the 1600’s. I don’t know if there is a book (I should put this on my list of things to look up next!).

Sally Poland (1780 – 1861) in the book The Polands of Essex County, Massachusetts, by Lloyd O. Poland, 1981

Margaret Welch (abt. 1796 – 1860) Another brick wall! I don’t know her parents, but she may have been born in Kittery.

Catherine Plummer Jones (1799-1828) formerly a brick wall, now solved! Absolutely no book, but I’ve blogged about this one!

Susanna Hix (1768 – 1859) – another brick wall! She doesn’t seem to belong to any of the other Hix/Hicks families in Beverly, Massachusetts. Another ongoing project…

Rebecca Crosby (1789-?) Her parents are in the Yarmouth Genealogies, an earlier branch of the Cape Cod/ Cambridge Crosbys who are written up in earlier generations in Simon Crosby the emigrant : his English ancestry, and some of his American descendants, by Eleanor Davis Crosby, 1914

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Copyright 2010, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Earthquake!

This past weekend the Longwood Symphony Orchestra held a benefit concert for Haiti, and they raised over $100,000 for relief. This is an orchestra of doctors, nurses and health care workers from Boston. Many of them are on their way to help the people of Haiti. The concert will be broadcast in Boston on WSBK TV 38 at 10PM on Sunday, February 7th at 10 PM. In the interests of disclosure, my daughter is the assistant to the manager of the LSO.

Contributions to the fund can be made at the Longwood Symphony Website http://www.longwoodsymphony.org/

I’ve never experienced an earthquake. I thought I was safe from them here in Londonderry, New Hampshire. As I look through my notes about my New England ancestors I can see that there have been plenty of earthquakes in New England. Even earthquakes in other parts of the world have affected their lives, just like an earthquake in Haiti in 2010 can affect doctors in Boston. Here are some examples:

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Westley Burnham (1747 – 1835) My 6x great grandfather. "Captain Westley Burnham was in early life a sailor. At the age of seventeen he made a voyage to Lisbon, and rowed in a boat over the site of Old Lisbon, which had been destroyed and sunk by an earthquake in 1755.” From “Genealogical Records of Thomas Burnham the Emigrant”, by Roderick H. Burnham

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Reverend Nathaniel Gookin, (1687-1734) distant cousin. Nathaniel Gookin was a graduate of Harvard in the class of 1703, and was ordained at Hampton, November 15, 1710. There are copies of the sermons which he wrote on the occasion of the great earthquake in 1727, the first of which he delivered only a few hours prior to the event, from the text, "The day of trouble is near." In this sermon he expresses a foreboding that something terrible is about to happen. In the evening came the violent shock which threw the people of the town into the utmost terror. Afterwards recalling the sermon of their minister they felt that he was possessed of the gift of true prophecy, and, though not to his own liking, he became commonly known as "The prophet.” From “Seaborn Cotton, John Cotton, Nathaniel Gookin” by Alfred Gooding, Minister of the South Parish, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, from the Granite Monthly, Volume 42, pages 283-5 (1910)

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Rebecca Rawson (1656-1692) no direct relationship to my family tree. Rawson and his wife, Rachel Perne, had twelve children. The ninth child was Rebecca whose portrait at the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston. In 1679, Rebecca married a man she believed to be Sir Thomas Hale, Jr., the nephew of Lord Chief Justice Hale of England. She moved to England with her husband, only to find out shortly after their arrival that he had lied about his true identity. Despite being abandoned with a child, she stayed in England for thirteen years. She decided to return to Boston in 1692, but she met a tragic end—a severe earthquake rocked Port Royal, Jamaica, where the ship was docked, and all lives were lost. This story is featured in D. Brenton Simons award winning book “Witches, Rakes and Rogues”, Commonwealth Editions, Boston, 2005.

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From “Historic Storms of New England”, by Sidney Perley, about famous earthquake of 1727: “At Londonderry, N.H., when the pastor of the town, Rev. Mr. MacGregor, became aware of what was occurring around him, his Scottish heart being full of sympathy for the people of his charge, he at once arose, dressed, and started out. He was met by someone with the reminder this family would need his presence. “Oh!” said he, “I have a still greater family which I must care for.” He hastened toward their houses, but had not gone far before he met large numbers of them flocking to his own dwelling, seeking advice and comfort in the trying and dreadful hour.”

Another earthquake in Londonderry: “The Earthquake shock on Nov. 18, 1755, was so severe in Nutfield that Moses Barnett, the town clerk, felt that some mention of it should be made in the records. This is the entry he made, and it is the only authentic account which has been handed down of that memorable event: "on Tusday nobr ye 1755 at foure aclock in the morning and ten minets there was an Extrornary Shock of An Earthquaik and continuous afterwards with smaller shocks." From “Willey's semi-centennial book of Manchester, 1846-1896: and Manchester edition of the Book of Nutfield”; by G. F. Willey, Manchester, NH 1896, page 274.


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Copyright 2010, Heather Rojo

Baker Nason, murdered his brother? 1691

It is interesting to find a Blacksheep ancestor. They always leave behind court records! I used to peruse the message boards at the International Black Sheep Society Genealogists (now defunct) and heard over and over again how the records left behind by some naughty or miscreant relatives helped family members to trace their genealogies. This was the case with me in investigating Baker Nason, and other relatives.

Baker Nason was the son of Richard Nason and Sarah Baker, born in Berwick, Maine about 1642. In those days, this section of Maine was known as York County, Massachusetts. Berwick is located near the border of New Hampshire, which roughly follows the Piscataqua River down to the Atlantic Ocean in Portsmouth. The fine harbor in Portsmouth is formed near where the river empties out near the Great Bay, which is a large estuary. To cross from Maine to New Hampshire today you still must cross one of several bridges across the river, estuary or marshlands.

In 1691 Baker Nason “accidentally” dispatched his brother Jonathan with an oar on the Piscataqua River. Judge Samuel Sewall’s diary entry for the date 11 March 1691/2 reads ..."Capt Wincoll brought us the Jury's verdict about Baker Nason killing his elder brother Jonathan Nason with his Oar in the Canoe in Piscataquer River: and asks advice whether to keep him there, or send him to Boston Prison. Seems to have done it in's own defence March 1 1691/2"

There are only a few court records on this case, and not enough to satisfy my curiosity. In the Province and Court Records of Maine, Volume IV, The Court Records of York County, page 10-11, April 1693 "The Grand Jury passing upon the Indictment against Baker Nason brought in their verdict and found that Baker Nason Did Kill his brother Jonathan Nason". In the same book for 4 July 1693 for the Court of Sessions of the peace, "Whereas Baker Nason was Indicted to this court for wilfully murthering of his brother Jonathan Nason... The Jury finds him not Guilty"

I don’t know how Baker got off on this one, but it must have been an interesting trial, especially if Judge Samuel Sewall was writing about it in Massachusetts. Baker Nason came from a family that was infamous for being in the courts. His father, Richard Nason, was in the records in 1645 for a dispute with his father-in-law, Richard Baker, who was tried in New Hampshire and fined 5 shillings “for beating Richard Nason that he was black and blue and for throwing a fire shovel at his wife [his own daughter?]” In 1655 Richard Nason was fined at York for not attending church meetings. In 1665 he was accused of blasphemy. Philip Chesley of Oyster River was witness against him. The General Court did "not judge him so guilty of that fact as that by our lawe he ought to die," but he had to post a £40 bond for good behavior.

Death? For blasphemy? Jeez, I wouldn’t have survived in those days!

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The NASON genealogy:

Generation 1: Richard Nason, baptized on 3 August 1606 at Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire, England; died after 15 March 1696 in Kittery, Maine; married about 1637 to Sarah Baker, daughter of John Baker and Sarah Wall, born about 1614, died about 1663 in Kittery. They had nine children.

Children:
1. Charles Nason, born about 1639; married to Abigail Willoughby
2. John Nason, born about 1640, died 1719 in Dover, New Hampshire; married on 7 October 1697 in Kittery to Bridget Weymouth. My 7x great grandparents.
3. Baker Nason, born about 1642 and died 1729 in Berwick, Maine; married to Elizabeth Hatch, daughter of Phillip Hatch and Patience Edge.
4. Jonathan Nason, born about 1645, murdered in 1691; married about 1668 to Sarah Jenkins.
5. Sarah Nason, born about 1653; married to Henry Child
6. Mary Nason, born about 1655; died after December 1723 in Newington, New Hampshire; married in 1681 to Ephraim Trickey
7. Joseph Nason, born about 1655 in Kittery, died 1714 in Nantucket, married to Mary Swain.
8. Richard Nason, born about 1657’ married to Shuah Colcord
9. Benjamin Nason, born about 1662, died about Jul 1714; married on 30 June 1677 to Martha Canney.

UPDATE October 2013, Roxanne Saucier of the Bangor Daily News has written an article about Baker Nason, ancestor of Stephen King, the spooky author.
http://bangordailynews.com/2013/10/27/living/did-stephen-kings-ancestor-suffer-death-by-canoe-oar/


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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Baker Nason, murdered his brother?  1691", Nutfield Genealogy, posted on February 4, 2010, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/02/baker-nason-murdered-his-brother-1691.html: accessed [access date]).

2010 New Hampshire Mayflower Society Memorial Scholarships

Deadline March 31, 2010



The 2010 New Hampshire Mayflower Society Memorial Scholarships are available to any college student (undergraduate or graduate) or high school senior. You don’t need to be a member of the Mayflower Society, but members and relatives of members will receive preference (defined as members, junior members, siblings, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren). Applicants with no affiliation to the NH Mayflower Society are also invited to apply.

This is one of the few Mayflower scholarships in the USA awarded to non-members. Applicants MUST be able to attend the award ceremony, in person, on May 8th, 2010 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is expected that at least two to four scholarships of $500 to $1000 will be awarded in May 2010.

Applications and Instructions are available at the website www.nhmayflower.org , and applications and all required paperwork is due strictly before March 31, 2010. They may be mailed to:

Heather Rojo
NH Mayflower Scholarship Committee Chair
71 Old Nashua Road, Apt. 45
Londonderry, NH 03053

Or you may email Heather Rojo at scholarship@nhmayflower.org for more information and further instructions. The New Hampshire Mayflower Society may also be found on Facebook.

The requirement to attend the spring meeting may be waived at the discretion of the NH Mayflower Governor due to such issues as travel distance, illness, or death in the family. Should the recipient receive a waiver from the Governor due to a hardship, a letter from the recipient to the Society must be submitted to be read at the meeting, as well as a photograph of the recipient for display. In such cases, parents or relatives may attend the award ceremony to accept the award on the recipient’s behalf.

(Photograph of my daughter, from Plimoth Plantation, 2008. She was also a 2007 scholarship recipient!)

More Hawaiian Relatives via the Chronicling America Website

Photo of Queen Lili'uokalani and John Owen Aimoku Dominis



So far, over the last few nights I’ve learned quite a few facts about my cousins from the Hawaiian newspapers. From obituaries I’ve learned their burial places, information about their arrival in Hawaii, occupations, funeral arrangements, etc. I also learned a few other interesting bits of trivia…

#1 Being the Prince Consort to the Queen of Hawaii doesn’t mean that certain legal obligations can be forgotten. It was very interesting to read in the legal notices of the The Hawaiian Gazette (Honolulu) 1865-1918, October 20, 1891:
“Executor’s Notice
Notice is Hereby given to all persons having claims against the estate of John Owen Dominis, late of Honolulu, deceased, to present the same to the undersigned within six months from the date of the publication of this notice, or they will be forever barred. And those indebted to said estate are requested to make immediate payment at my office, over the bank of Bishop & Co., Kaahumanu Street.
W. F. Allen
Executor Will of John O. Dominis,
Honolulu, Oct. 1, 1891 1395-4t 2887-1w”

#2 Since Governor John Owen Dominis had a son born out of wedlock, I wonder if there were any legal documents in the court records after his death, especially since his legal wife adopted the child, John Owen Aimoku Dominis. I found no clues in the newspapers, but in some passenger lists for ships leaving Honolulu I did find his name with Queen Lili’uokalani. For example:

The Independent (Honolulu) November 4, 1903, page 5 “For San Francisco, per S. S. Sonomas, Nov. 3….Queen Liliuokalani, Miss Myra Heleluhe, J. D. Aimoku, John Aea.” This was prior to 1910 when she adopted John and his name changed from John Dominis Aimoku to John Owen Aimoku Dominis. There were many times he was listed in the newspapers, accompanying her on board ships.

#3 It is well known in Hawaii, but perhaps not elsewhere, that Queen Lili’uokalani was a talented musician. She wrote several famous songs, including the beautiful “Aloha Oe” that I remember learning to sing in grade school in Massachusetts. If I had only known then what I know now, what a tale I could have told my classmates!. She must have provided a musical education for John Aimoku, he appears in several social pages under recitals and concerts, for example in The Hawaiian Gazette, December 24, 1897, page 1, “Santa On Deck - Christmas Cheer Abounded in Several Places….. Iolani College had an entertainment and Christmas tree. Head master Fenn was in charge. This was the program:…[several musical offerings listed] Duet- All’s Well…. By Brahms, J. Aimoku and P. Hatsfield….Musical Selection [many children listed including J. Aimoku]”

#4 Since Aimoku was an unusual name, I tried it in the Chronicling America search engine to see if it would come up in places other than Hawaii. Of course, I saw it on the passenger lists in San Francisco newspapers, but also in Washington DC . From the Washington Times (Washington DC), December 16, 1909, page 13 in an article entitled “Queen Lil’s Will Causes Surprise - Property All Disposed of AS She Desires Before Her Death – Favorite Cut Off With Small Sum……” Further down inside the article described “John Dominis Aimoku becomes the heir of the bulk of the property…John Dominis Aimoku is to get Washington Place for his lifetime and the lifetime of his lawfully begotten heirs, or so long after the death of John Dominis Aimoku as the law will permit, with reversion to the trustees. He is also given an annuity of $5,000.” Much of her estate was left to an orphanage for native Hawaiian children.

#5 In 1908 the Queen visited Washington DC to petition president McKinley for a reversal of the annexation. The University Missourian (Columbia, Missouri) December 15, 1908, page 3, has an article “Liliuokalani is Here- Washington DC, Dec. 13- Ex-Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii, accompanied by Prince and Princess Kalanianaole and her secretary, Aimoku, have reached Washington from Honolulu. Hawaii’s former ruler is here to appear before Congrss and urge the passage of Delegate Kalanianole’s relief bill to indemnify the queen for certain lands which were confiscated by the United States…She contends that at the time the lands were confiscated- the period of occupation by American troops in Hawaii- property of the crown yielded an income of $50,000 a year.” I had read about this in Washington and Boston newspapers (the Boston newspapers carried her news because of her husband’s link to Boston) but I didn’t expect to read about it in Missouri newspaper!

Yes, Randy, I’m still in my PJs and I’m enjoying this online ride in time back to Hawaii in the days of the Kingdom!
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The Library of Congress Chronicling America Website http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/

Randy Seaver’s blog posting about the Chronicling America Website is at http://www.geneamusings.com/ Genea-Musings: Using the Library of Congress "Chronicling America" Site

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Copyright 2010, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Chronicling America Website, Part Two

Four John Dominises- Continued from Yesterday…

Governor John Owen Dominis was the son of Captain John Dominis, the sea captain who brought his Boston born wife, Mary Lambert Jones, and son to Hawaii in 1837. They had left behind two young daughters to be educated in Schenectady, New York. J. O. Dominis never saw his sisters again. Both little girls died in New York at around age 12. Life in Hawaii would be very different from life in Boston for this branch of the family!

Little John arrived in Hawaii at age five, and died there in 1891. He attended a day school next door to the Royal School. There was a little girl next door he used to watch through the fence. I don’t know if he knew that little girl was a royal princess, and I’m sure he didn’t know that someday he would marry her! He grew up and became secretary and chamberlain to King Kamehameha IV.

Upon his 1862 marriage to Princess Lydia Kamakaeha Paki (later known as Lili’uokalani) the couple lived in Washington Place. It must have been difficult living under the same roof as her mother-in-law, and in the Queen’s autobiography she describes Mary Dominis in unfriendly terms. There seemed to be some racial prejudice on the side of the mother in law. Apparently this changed over time, and they lived together until Mary’s death in 1889.

What is not commonly known is that Governor J. O. Dominis was a 33rd degree mason. When his wife, as Princess, went to London to visit Queen Victoria upon her Jubilee (50th anniversary of her reign as Queen of England), Prince Albert invited him to a large celebration at a Masonic temple in London. In the Queen’s Autobiography she wrote “As Governor Dominis passed in front of the Grand Master, still ignorant of his own position, Masonic salutations were exchanged; and much to his surprise my husband found himself conducted up to the platform, where on the right of the Prince of Wales the third seat had been assigned to him. His astonishment was succeeded by emotions of pride. Governor Dominis was always a most unassuming man; not at all eager to put himself forward, never presuming in the least to encroach on the rights or privileges of others. But when he found himself thus placed in one of the highest and most honorable positions, it was undoubtedly enough to make his bosom glow. But he valued the honor as a Mason more than as a man; for it was the recognition of his place in an organization whose bond of union was that of brotherly love, and whose ancient and noble rites these high-born or royally connected persons from every part of the globe had assembled to celebrate” John Owen Dominis sat on the dais with Prince Albert. It was a very high honor. But they were the highest ranking Masons in attendance who were also royalty!

Lydia and John could never have children of their own. John also chose to socialize with his own American friends, even having an affair with one of her ladies in waiting. The child he fathered out of wedlock, John Aimoku Dominis, was born in 1883. His royal marriage brought him many honors, including being appointed as the Royal Governor of Oahu. In 1891 Lili’uokalani became Queen, and he became the Prince Consort. He died less than a year later.

After her husband’s death, in 1910, Queen Lili’uokalani adopted her husband’s son and named him her heir. By this time, the United States had annexed the Hawaiian Islands and she had lost her throne through some ugly circumstances. This story is a long saga worthy of another blog posting entirely. However, I’m only related to Governor John Owen Dominis, so I’ll stick to his story.

In those days, the newspaper coverage of a state funeral reminded me of the blow by blow descriptions you hear on TV during a state funeral. I watched Ted Kennedy’s funeral last year, and compared the TV coverage to the newspaper coverage in 1891. They both described who was attending, where they sat, the order of the activities, the flowers, the cortege, every detail. It told me the cemetery he was buried at, and the place where the funeral was held.

From The Hawaiian Gazette (Honolulu) 1865-1819, September 1, 1891, page 1: “It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death of the Prince Consort, His Royal Highness John Owen Dominis, who breathed his last at 5 o’clock Thursday afternoon, at Washington Place, in this city. For the past two months he had been suffering from pneumonia and was confined to his room for the greater part of the time, suffering greatly at times from his disease, which baffled the skill of his physician, Dr. G. Trousseau.”

A few days later, from The Hawaiian Gazette (Honolulu) 1865-1918, September 8, 1891, front page, was a large article, running several columns, describing the state funeral. There was a lot of name dropping in the story, listing all the heads of state and dignitaries. I was most impressed with the paragraph describing the coffin and coffin plate: “The coffin of the Prince Consort was place in the centre of the Throne Room upon a raised foundation covered below by a cloth of blue satin and above by a rich yellow robe. Upon the latter rested the coffin itself, and over it was thrown a heavy mantle with broad alternated bands of red and yellow feathers. The coffin itself is a magnificent piece of work from the shops of C. E. Williams, made entirely of kou and koa, the body being of the latter, and the trimmings of the former wood. It contains more than two hundred pieces in all and the sides and the ends were magnificent specimens of Hawaiian wood. The plate, a fine piece of artistic work, came from Hubash. It is a piece of solid silver, about ten inches long in the shape of a lyre. At the top was the Hawaiian coat of arms raised and done in colors, surmounted by a crown. At the bottom was placed a Masonic emblem also in colors, between these two decorations was engraved the inscription surmounted by a wreath of green gold.”

At the end of the article, after the funeral, the procession to the Royal Mausoleum, the listing of the prayers offered and hymns sung, and the religious service at the Mausoleum, there was a short Masonic ceremony also described: “Then followed the imposing ceremonies of the Masonic Lodge Le Progres. The members of the Lodge, with members from Hawaiian Lodge and visiting brethren, marched in slow procession into the Mausoleum to the strains of soft music from the organ presided at by Mr. Wray Taylor, organist of St. Andrew’s Cathedral, who also played at other portions of the ceremony. After the members had taken their positions around the coffin, Bro. John Phillips, in distinct tones, commenced the service by reading “Once more, my brethren, have we assembled to perform the last sad and solemn duties to the dead. The mournful notes which betoken the departure of a spirit from its earthly tabernacle have again alarmed our outer door, and another has been taken to swell the numbers in that unknown land whither our fathers have gone before us.” Etc.

This was followed by the invocations rehearsed by Bro. J. T. Downey, the members responding “So mote it be.” Bro. Downey laid the white upon on the coffin, after which the brethren moved three times around it in procession, each depositing a spring of evergreen as he passed the head. The public grand honors were given three times the brethren saying “The will of God is accomplished. So mote it be. Amen.””

This side of my family has always been very involved with the Masons. In all the obituaries I can find in this line, it lists their lodges and memberships in Massachusetts. All their gravestones are decorated with Masonic symbols. My great grandfather died in the Masonic home in Shrewsbury, he was the grandson of Mary’s sister, Catherine Plummer Jones. I was not surprised to see that Governor Dominis was also a Mason. It was especially interesting to see how much in meant to him in life, and in death.

This is the story of four men named John Dominis. Their descendants call them Captain Dominis, Governor Dominis and Aimoku Dominis. The first was my great grand uncle, the second my first cousin many times removed, the third my second cousin many times removed. The last John Owen Dominis, son of Aimoku, died young. The Queen’s biography, Hawaiian local histories and encyclopedias only told me part of my cousins’ story. These Hawaiian newspapers are bringing more of their lives details to me.

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Family Tree Information:

Gen. 1. Captain John Dominis, probably born in Trieste, (now Slovenia), died in 1846 on a voyage from Hawaii to China; married on 9 October 1824 in Boston to Mary Lambert Jones, daughter of Owen Jones and Elizabeth Lambert (my 5x great grandparents). Three children, two daughters died young and a son.

Gen. 2. Governor John Owen Dominis, born 10 March 1832 in Chittenango, New York; died 27 August 1891 at Washington Place, Honolulu, Hawaii; married on 16 September 1862 in Honolulu to Lydia Kamekeha Paki (Lili’uokalani), daughter of High Chief Caesar Kaluaiku Kapa’akea and Chiefess Analea Keohokalole. No issue. Governor Dominis also had a relationship with Mary Purdy Aimoku, and had a son.

Gen. 3. John Owen Aimoku Dominis, born 9 January 1883 in Honolulu, Hawaii, died 7 Jul 1917 in Honolulu, Hawaii; married on 27 June 1911 at Washington Place to Sybil Frances McInerny, daughter of Edward Aylett McInerney and Rose Kapuakomela Wond. Three children

1. John Owen Dominis, born 1912, died 1933, unmarried
2. Sybil Francis Kaolaokalani O Lilukalani Dominis, b. 1914; died 22 December 1998; married first 5 Jul 1934 to William Herbert Schuh, two children; married second to David T. Silver; married third to Donald Dean.
3. Virginia Beatrice Kauhanenuiohonokawailani Dominis, born 27 October 1916, Washington Place, Honolulu, Hawaii, died 23 October 2007, Hale Ola Kino, Hawaii; married Frederick W. Koch, three daughters.


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For more information:

Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen by Lili’uokalani, Queen of Hawaii (1838-1917). Boston: Lee and Shepard, 1898. This is Queen Lili’uokalani’s Autobiography, published by her nephew, William Lee in Boston. It also can be read online at http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/liliuokalani/hawaii/hawaii.html

The Library of Congress Chronicling America Website http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/

Randy Seaver’s Blog GeneaMusings at www.geneamusings.com was the inspiration for this week’s research using the Chronicling America website. See his blog posting at Genea-Musings: Using the Library of Congress "Chronicling America" Site

The above photograph is Governor John Owen Dominis, husband to Queen Lili'uokalani of Hawaii

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Copyright 2010, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Chronicling America and Hawaiian Cousins

If you arrived at this post via the website www.nhgsoc.com (The Native Hawaiian Genealogy Society) please look at the right hand column for keywords such as HAWAII or DOMINIS to click and find over 50 other blog posts about Hawaiian genealogy.


According to fellow genealogy blogger, Randy Seaver, “Genealogy Research is like a box of chocolates- you never know what you’re going to find….” Well, Randy, not only do I like your quote, but I like the Library of Congress “Chronicling America” website you wrote about last week.

At the Chronicling America search page, you can find newspapers from 1880 to 1922 from only the following states: Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington. There is also a search directory to find out about newspapers on line from the United States from 1690 to the present. This will point you to other libraries and websites that carry online newspapers.

My ancestry is 95% New England back to the 1600’s, so I was initially disappointed at the list of states. Then I remembered that I had cousins in Hawaii in the 1800s. I’ve been researching the Dominis, Holt and Jones families of Hawaii for several years, trying to find all the Boston connections. Newspapers have been a huge part of this, and usually I go down to Boston to look at microfilms. Now I had the chance to stay home by in New Hampshire in my PJs and continue this research on Hawaii….

First, let me say that these families were certainly newsworthy people. My 4x great grandmother, Catherine Plummer Jones, had a sister, Mary Lambert Jones, who became the mother-in-law to Queen Lili’uokalani. I’ve read biographies, the Queen’s autobiography, local history books, and the Boston newspaper accounts of the Queen’s visits to Boston. The Boston press was not supportive of the Queen, especially after she lost the throne in 1893. During her visit after being deposed, the newspaper accounts were even less flattering. They were racially prejudiced against the marriage, and supported the United States taking over the sovereign nation of Hawaii.

However, to read about Mary Lambert (Jones) Dominis in the Hawaiian newspapers was very different from the views expressed in the Boston papers. I was able to find Mary’s obituary from 1889, and the descriptions of her state funeral. This was the mother of the Prince Consort, and she was also one of the first American women to build a home in Honolulu. I blogged about her in my very first blog back in July 2009, and again at Christmas time about her hosting the very first Christmas party with a Christmas Tree in Honolulu.

I also found an article reporting on a celebration of Mary Lambert (Jones) Dominis’s 50th anniversary in residence in Honolulu: “Reception to a Worthy Lady: Saturday last was the fiftieth anniversary of the arrival at these Islands of Mrs. Mary Dominis, mother of the Lieutenant-General John O. Dominis, and the event was fittingly observed by her numerous friends. Mrs. Dominis has continued to reside here-with the exception of a visit to Boston, in December 1841, returning to the islands in March, 1843- since her first landing on the Islands. An interesting letter, partly in this connection from the pen of the Hon. S. N. Castle appears in this issue. At 8 o’clock a. m. the venerable lady was serenaded by the Hawaiian Band, which continued to discourse sweet music on the premises throughout the day. At half-past 2 o’clock Mrs. Dominis held a reception, which was continued until close on to 6 o’clock, and a constant stream of friends and visitors called to pay their respects and tender their congratulations to this much respected lady, who received them all graciously and made them all welcome. A large number of the leading citizens of Honolulu were present, among whom were noticed Hon. A. S. Cleghorn and the Princess Ka’iulani, also the members of the Diplomatic and Consular corps. During the afternoon light refreshments were served to all present. From “The Hawaiian Gazette (Honolulu) 1865 -1918, April 26, 1887, page 8.

I found these articles to be of great value in identifying more extended family. The Mr. Archibald Cleghorn mentioned above was married to Queen Liliuokalani’s sister, and Princess Ka’iulani (Cleghorn’s daughter) would have been her niece. I blogged about Ka’iuulani a few months ago. She would have been Queen Lili’uokalani’s heir to the throne. At the time of this party, Lili’uokalani was still a just a princess, and her brother was the King. Later Washington Place, her home where this party took place, became the residence of the Governor of Hawaii.

In the above article, there is a reference to a letter from a Mr. Castle. I haven’t identified him yet, but his letter stated: “It is stated that since that time she has not left the island. On the 3d day of December, 1841, she embarked on the Ship Wm. Gray, Capt. Stickney, for Boston. On the 18th, fifteen days out, at 2 o’clock a. m., it being a bright starlight night, the ship barely escaped being wrecked upon Pennryhn Island. She arrived at her destination April 28, 1842. Mrs. Dominis returned to Honolulu in the bark Behring, Capt. B. F. Snow, sailing from Boston Nov. 2d, 1842, and arriving at Honolulu March 17th, 1843. Captain Dominis finally left the Islands in the brig Henry Neilson on the 5th day of August 1846, instead of 1848, as per Polynesian of Aug. 8, 1846. The writer was a fellow passenger with Mrs. Dominis and her son by both the Gray and Behring ….. S. N. Castle -April 25, 1887” also from The Hawaiian Gazette (Honolulu) 1865 -1918, April 26, 1887, page 8

I don’t know much about Mary Dominis’s trip to Boston in 1841-3, but I know that she had left two school aged daughters at home in Schenectady, New York to be educated while she went to Hawaii with her husband Captain Dominis. One daughter died in 1838 at about age 12, and the other died in January 1842, also at about age 12, just before she arrived in Boston. Did she know about their illnesses and try to come home to see the second little girl before she passed away? How sad because Mary lost her husband just three years later, in 1846.

Another newspaper article described her funeral in 1889. “Interment took place at the Nuuanu Cemetery. The chief mourners were Hon. John O. Dominis and Princess Liliuokalani, and Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Aldrich. The pall-bearers were Hons. H. A. Wildemann, W. F. Allen, C. P. Iaukea, S. Parker, and M. P. Robinson, and Messrs. S. C. Allen, J. O. Carter and A. Herbert.” The Hawaiian Gazette (Honolulu) 1865-1918, April 30, 1889, front page. Allen and Robinson are names from the extended family. My Mom was an Allen. Now I only have to decipher the initials, and figure out who might have been in Hawaii at this time period. Iaukaea and Wildemann were government officials. This article told me the cemetery she was buried at, and the place where the funeral was held. The rest of the article of the attendants had the names Dominis, Holt, etc. and gave me further clues about the extended family.

Later this year I will be visiting Honolulu for the first time. I will be the first person in my lineage from the Mary’s sister to go to Honolulu, in over 100 years. I will be looking for the Nuuanu Cemetery, Washington Place and other sights I uncover through these newspaper articles. Randy, I’ll be reading more newspapers tonight in my PJs!


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Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/

The Library of Congress Home Page http://www.loc.gov/index.html

Randy Seaver’s “Genea-Musings” Blog www.geneamusings.com and his posting on Chronicling America Genea-Musings: Using the Library of Congress "Chronicling America" Site

Photo of Washington Place, Honolulu, former home of Captain John Dominis and his wife Mary Lambert Jones, their son and daughter and law, Governor John Owen Dominis and Queen Lili'uokalani of Hawaii, and some of their descendants.

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Copyright 2010, Heather Wilkinson Rojo