Cemeteries of Hawaii & Genealogy

Dear Friends,       I get asked all the time why I do what I do. Simple. For a long time I didn’t know where I came from. It wasn’t until I had my third child, who’s father has a large family, that I realized how important knowing your predecessors are. Back story: My father was an only child, and my grandfather, his father, Gabriel, was the only surviving child of three, and he divorced my grandma and moved to San Francisco when my dad was a small child so I never knew a thing about him or our Mau side. Just that alone, I am lucky to exist. My father’s mom (Saijo/Woo) got dimensia the year she came to stay with us after my dad died, so I didn’t know anything about her or her family. My mom’s parents (Myers/Nipp) talked about their childhoods here and there but nothing to the extent of sharing their familial histories. After they passed, I became obsessed with making sure my children knew who they were. My own mother would only share stories of how she and her siblings hardly ever got

Ever wonder about the story behind this beautiful plant? It’s called the ʻŌhiʻa Lehua. It’s not a common plant here on O’ahu. It is normally seen on our Big Island “Hawai’i.” A little break from genealogy for a quick Hawaiian legend about two lovers and their encounter with the Goddess Pele. There are many versions of this legend of love and jealousy, but this is almost like the version I heard as a child growing up. (See below for link to full write up on this version of this legend.) “According to the legend, Ohia was a strong, handsome young man; a natural athlete who excelled at every sport. It was love at first sight when Ohia first gazed upon the gentle, young Lehua, known throughout the island for her true beauty. After being introduced by Lehua’s father at a village dance, the two had eyes only for each other and soon settled into a blissful life together. Pele, the fire goddess, decided one day to walk through the forest near where the happy couple made thei

It's been about three months since I've last blogged. It's been a very interesting as well as busy three months. Right after writing my last post, I left my house one day with the intention of visiting the Manoa Chinese Cemetery. When I arrived, they were closed, and as I sat there disappointed, I made the decision to head to the Kawaiaha'o Church off of Punchbowl Street, so that I could try to find the graves of my SO's great-great grandparents. As I arrived there with my youngest daughter in tow, I pulled up to find that most of the cemetery was closed off to the public. We crossed the street to the Hawai'i Mission Houses gift shop to ask for information on where to go. The man in the gift shop told me that there was a set of stairs I had to take and a bell to ring, and IF someone was working, they might be able to help me. So, we crossed over to the church again, and found the stairs and rang the bell. A very nice woman answered the door and funny enou

      Hi Everyone! I’ve decided to start blogging my Genealogy adventures. I’ve been at this for almost 13 years, and I learn something new everyday. Not too many people blog about cemeteries, unless it’s to talk about a visit to a cemetery for a loved one or friend, or simply out of curiosity. I’m not your average, degree in Anthropology or Social Sciences type of Genealogist. I’m a family genealogist, who started out of curiosity about my son’s father’s family, turned I want to help anyone and everyone learn more about who they really are. The saying goes, “You can’t know who you are, unless you know where you came from.”  It’s very true! If you think about it, take me for example, I knew nothing about my father and his family. My dad was an only child, who’s mother had Dementia, as well as her sister who also sadly got dementia a few years after she did. I was very young when my dad died, so I never got to learn much about his side of the family, if at all. It wasn’t until I started