Harvey Rexford Hitchcock
Encyclopedia
Harvey Rexford Hitchcock (1800–1855) was an early protestant missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii
from the United States
. With his three sons, he and his wife started a family that would influence Hawaii's history. He had at least three namesakes in the subsequent generations.
. His father was David Hitchcock and mother was Sarah Swan. He was the oldest son of 11 children. He graduated from Williams College
in 1828, and Auburn Theological Seminary
in 1831.
His younger brother George B. Hitchcock
(1812–1872) also became a minister, and was active in the American abolitionism
movement known as the Underground Railroad
.
He married Rebecca Howard (1808–1890) on August 26, 1831 in Auburn, New York
, and sailed on November 26 to the Hawaiian Islands
, as part of the fifth company from the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
. They arrived in Honolulu May 17, 1832. Also on this voyage were missionaries William P. Alexander, David Belden Lyman
, and Lorenzo Lyons
. His sister Elizabeth Hitchcock (1802–1857) arrived 3 years later and in 1836 married missionary printer Edmond Horton Rogers (1806–1853).
They were assigned to start the first mission on the island of Molokai
. He took a short scouting mission around the island in the summer of 1832, and in September held the first Christian service in the open air. By June 19, 1833, with the assistance of Lowell Smith (1802–189), a thatched hut was chartered as the first church in an area called Kaluaaha. Ka lua aha means "the gathering pit" in the Hawaiian language
, the name of the ahupuaa (ancient Hawaii
an land division) there.
On December 6, 1835 a more permanent meeting house was dedicated with a stone base and wooden frame, about 90 feet (27.4 m) long by 42 feet (12.8 m) wide. From 1843 to 1847 they were assisted by Peter Johnson Gulick
(1796–1877) and his wife. An even larger church building was dedicated April 3, 1844 for the growing congregation. This stone building with plaster finish was about 100 feet (30.5 m) long by 50 feet (15.2 m) wide with a gallery level above.
Another home was built at a higher elevation called Maunaoluolu to escape the heat.
He died at the Kaluaaha home August 29, 1855, and is buried on the hillside overlooking the church. The church was restored and rededicated in 1917, but after suffering from termite damage on May 15, 1967 the steeple toppled and the church was in ruins for several decades.
The small congregation maintains the site, and on September 27, 2009 had a rededication ceremony under a temporary corrugated metal roof.
It is located at 21°4′2"N 156°49′13"W near the settlement known as Pukoo.
Besides two daughters who died young in 1834 and 1838, they had three sons.
David Howard Hitchcock, born May 29, 1832, married Almeda Eliza Widger (1828–1895) March 13, 1857 and had a son also named David Howard Hitchcock (1861–1943) who was a painter. David Howard Hitchcock Sr. was a lawyer who served in the legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom
,
and partnered with his daughter Almeda Eliza Hitchcock Moore (1863–1895) who was the first woman lawyer in Hawaii.
He died December 12, 1899.
Harvey Rexford Hitchcock, Jr. (generally known as H. Rexford Hitchcock) was born in 1835 and published a dictionary of the Hawaiian language
while principal of Lahainaluna School, in an effort to teach Hawaiians the English language.
He married Alice Field Hardy (1854–1895) on May 30, 1877, was elected to the House of Representatives
of the Kingdom from 1862 through 1870.
He died June 6, 1891.
Edward Griffin Hitchcock
was born January 20, 1837, married Mary Tenney Castle, daughter of Castle & Cooke
founder Samuel Northrup Castle
(1808–1894), and died October 9, 1898.
Edward and Mary also named a son Harvey Rexford Hitchcock (1864–1931), who married Hannah Julia Meyer (1866–1912), daughter of German businessman Rudolph Wilhelm Meyer
(1826–1897). Their son Harvey Rexford Hitchcock, Jr.
(1891–1958) was on the 1913 College Football All-America Team
from Harvard.
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. With his three sons, he and his wife started a family that would influence Hawaii's history. He had at least three namesakes in the subsequent generations.
Life
Harvey Rexford Hitchcock was born March 13, 1800 in Great Barrington, MassachusettsGreat Barrington, Massachusetts
Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,104 at the 2010 census. Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut, Great Barrington includes the villages of Van...
. His father was David Hitchcock and mother was Sarah Swan. He was the oldest son of 11 children. He graduated from Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
in 1828, and Auburn Theological Seminary
Auburn Theological Seminary
Auburn Theological Seminary was founded in 1818. Auburn Theological Seminary focuses on religious leadership development, movement-building, and research. Auburn is based in New York City and exists in covenant with the Presbyterian Church ....
in 1831.
His younger brother George B. Hitchcock
George B. Hitchcock
Reverend George Beckwith Hitchcock was an American involved in housing slaves on their way to freedom. His house in Lewis, Iowa, now a National Historic Landmark, was part of the Underground Railroad.- Life :...
(1812–1872) also became a minister, and was active in the American abolitionism
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
movement known as the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
.
He married Rebecca Howard (1808–1890) on August 26, 1831 in Auburn, New York
Auburn, New York
Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 27,687...
, and sailed on November 26 to the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
, as part of the fifth company from the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was the first American Christian foreign mission agency. It was proposed in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College and officially chartered in 1812. In 1961 it merged with other societies to form the United Church Board for World...
. They arrived in Honolulu May 17, 1832. Also on this voyage were missionaries William P. Alexander, David Belden Lyman
David Belden Lyman
David Belden Lyman was an early American missionary to Hawaii who opened a boarding school for Hawaiians. His wife Sarah Joiner Lyman taught at the boarding school and kept an important journal. They had several notable descendants.-Family life:David Belden Lyman was born in on July 28, 1803 in...
, and Lorenzo Lyons
Lorenzo Lyons
Lorenzo Lyons or "Makua Laiana" was born in Colrain, Franklin County, Massachusetts, April 18, 1807. He graduated from Union College in 1827. Ordained as a Congregationalist minister at Auburn Theological Seminary, September 20, 1831, he embarked from Boston, Massachusetts on November 26, 1831, on...
. His sister Elizabeth Hitchcock (1802–1857) arrived 3 years later and in 1836 married missionary printer Edmond Horton Rogers (1806–1853).
They were assigned to start the first mission on the island of Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
. He took a short scouting mission around the island in the summer of 1832, and in September held the first Christian service in the open air. By June 19, 1833, with the assistance of Lowell Smith (1802–189), a thatched hut was chartered as the first church in an area called Kaluaaha. Ka lua aha means "the gathering pit" in the Hawaiian language
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
, the name of the ahupuaa (ancient Hawaii
Ancient Hawaii
Ancient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian human history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. After being first settled by Polynesian long-distance navigators sometime between AD 300–800, a unique culture developed. Diversified agroforestry and...
an land division) there.
On December 6, 1835 a more permanent meeting house was dedicated with a stone base and wooden frame, about 90 feet (27.4 m) long by 42 feet (12.8 m) wide. From 1843 to 1847 they were assisted by Peter Johnson Gulick
Peter Johnson Gulick
Peter Johnson Gulick was a missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii and Japan. He was patriarch of a family that also carried on the tradition of missionary work, and included several scientists.-Life:...
(1796–1877) and his wife. An even larger church building was dedicated April 3, 1844 for the growing congregation. This stone building with plaster finish was about 100 feet (30.5 m) long by 50 feet (15.2 m) wide with a gallery level above.
Another home was built at a higher elevation called Maunaoluolu to escape the heat.
Death and legacy
The family traveled back to the United States for medical care in 1853, and returned on November 28, 1854.He died at the Kaluaaha home August 29, 1855, and is buried on the hillside overlooking the church. The church was restored and rededicated in 1917, but after suffering from termite damage on May 15, 1967 the steeple toppled and the church was in ruins for several decades.
The small congregation maintains the site, and on September 27, 2009 had a rededication ceremony under a temporary corrugated metal roof.
It is located at 21°4′2"N 156°49′13"W near the settlement known as Pukoo.
Besides two daughters who died young in 1834 and 1838, they had three sons.
David Howard Hitchcock, born May 29, 1832, married Almeda Eliza Widger (1828–1895) March 13, 1857 and had a son also named David Howard Hitchcock (1861–1943) who was a painter. David Howard Hitchcock Sr. was a lawyer who served in the legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom
Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom
The Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom was the bicameral legislature of the Kingdom of Hawaii. A royal legislature was first provided by the 1840 Constitution and the 1852 Constitution was the first to use the term "Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom", and the first to subject the monarch to...
,
and partnered with his daughter Almeda Eliza Hitchcock Moore (1863–1895) who was the first woman lawyer in Hawaii.
He died December 12, 1899.
Harvey Rexford Hitchcock, Jr. (generally known as H. Rexford Hitchcock) was born in 1835 and published a dictionary of the Hawaiian language
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
while principal of Lahainaluna School, in an effort to teach Hawaiians the English language.
He married Alice Field Hardy (1854–1895) on May 30, 1877, was elected to the House of Representatives
Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom
The Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom was the bicameral legislature of the Kingdom of Hawaii. A royal legislature was first provided by the 1840 Constitution and the 1852 Constitution was the first to use the term "Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom", and the first to subject the monarch to...
of the Kingdom from 1862 through 1870.
He died June 6, 1891.
Edward Griffin Hitchcock
Edward Griffin Hitchcock
Edward Griffin "Holy Terror" Hitchcock was a law enforcement officer in the Kingdom of Hawaii, who rose to the position of Marshal of the Republic of Hawaii.-Life:...
was born January 20, 1837, married Mary Tenney Castle, daughter of Castle & Cooke
Castle & Cooke
Castle & Cooke, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based company that was once part of the Big Five companies in territorial Hawaii. The company at one time did most of its business in agriculture...
founder Samuel Northrup Castle
Samuel Northrup Castle
Samuel Northrup Castle was a businessman and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Samuel Northrup Castle was born August 12, 1808 in Cazenovia, New York. His middle name is sometimes spelled "Northrop"...
(1808–1894), and died October 9, 1898.
Edward and Mary also named a son Harvey Rexford Hitchcock (1864–1931), who married Hannah Julia Meyer (1866–1912), daughter of German businessman Rudolph Wilhelm Meyer
Rudolph Wilhelm Meyer
Rudolph Wilhelm Meyer was a German who managed an early agricultural business in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Rudolph Wilhelm Meyer was born on April 2, 1826 to Rudolph Heinrich Meyer and Christine Ludewike Sengevald. They lived in the Hanse district of Hamburg, Germany on the estuary of the Elbe...
(1826–1897). Their son Harvey Rexford Hitchcock, Jr.
Harvey Rexford Hitchcock, Jr.
Harvey Rexford Hitchcock, Jr. was on the 1913 College Football All-America Team. From an influential missionary family in the Hawaiian Islands, he went insane during World War I.-Biography:...
(1891–1958) was on the 1913 College Football All-America Team
1913 College Football All-America Team
The 1913 College Football All-America team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-America Teams selected by various organizations in 1913...
from Harvard.