John Davis Paris
Encyclopedia
John Davis Paris was an American Christian missionary to the island of Hawaii
. Coming to the island by accident, he supervised construction of several historic churches, some of which survive today.
.
His father was George Paris and his mother was Mary Hudson. He graduated from Hanover College
in Indiana in 1833, and Bangor Theological Seminary
in 1839.
He married Mary Grant in October 1840, and they had two daughters: Anna Matilda (1843–1917) and Mary Aletta. Mary and John embarked in November 1840, and arrived in Honolulu on May 21, 1841, on the Gloucester, along with the ninth company sent by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
. Other members of this company included William Harrison Rice
and Daniel Dole
and their wives.
They and the Rice family had been assigned to the Oregon Territory
, but were told that an uprising had wiped out the mission station there, so were advised to stay in Hawaii.
The family was assigned to the remote southern-most station at Waiōhinu in the Kaū district
of the island of Hawaii
. There Paris built the Kauahaao Church (named for a nearby spring).
Mary Paris died in 1847, and John Paris returned to the United States with his two young daughters on the ship Montreal in 1849. In September 1851 Paris married Mary Carpenter (1815–1896) of New York. They decided to return to Hawaii, left in November and arrived in March 1852. This time he was posted to the slightly less remote Kona District on the same island. They had a daughter Ellen (known as Ella) Hudson (1852–1938) and a son John Davis, Jr. (1854–1918).
, in an area known as Kuapehu, inland from the town now known as Nāpoopoo, on the south end of Kealakekua Bay
) but it had fallen into ruin after six years without a pastor. Paris built a smaller but longer-lasting stone church called Kahikolu
on the foundation of the old one. In the Hawaiian language
kahikolu was the name for the Holy Trinity.
He also rebuilt a house at a cooler, higher elevation which he called Mauna Alani, on Kapiolani's former house site. A cistern and kitchen were completed in 1852, and a two-story house built of wood from mountain forests was finished in 1853. Paris also constructed a kiln to bake coral, which was made into lime mortar. This material would prove to be stronger than the previous materials. The workers trained in these new techniques were applied to more projects in the area.
Paris supervised the construction of a smaller church known as Hale Halawai O Holualoa
("the meeting house at Holualoa", now known as "Living Stones Church") completed in 1855 on Holualoa Bay
.
He also had Helani Church built at Kahaluu Bay
in 1861; this church was one of the first to use a native Hawaiian as a pastor. In 1863 he hosted Rufus Anderson
from the American board, on a tour of the island's missions. Paris mentioned he was saddened by how the land was being bought up by outsiders.
Over his career Paris would be involved in the construction of several more churches, adapting his building materials to suit the location. Churches at higher elevations, such as Central Kona Union, Pukaana Church, and Mauna Ziona in North Kona, were made from wood instead of stone. His last church was Lanakila Church in Kainaliu
, started in 1865 and completed in 1867. He is known as one of the most prolific church builders of his time.
In 1870 Paris and his wife moved to Honolulu, where he founded the theological department of the North Pacific Institute. In 1874 he retired and moved back to Kona, where his son had become a rancher. He died on July 28, 1892 in the same house, and is buried in the cemetery of the Lanakila Church in Kainaliu.
s. At first, Paris welcomed the help. Kaona had grown up in the area, and served in the government of the Kingdom of Hawaii
as a district judge and in its House of Representatives in 1853. However, Kaona's erratic behavior alarmed Paris. Kaona claimed he was a prophet sent to warn of the end of the world. He predicted a lava flow would soon destroy everyone except his followers (called Kaonaites) after the earthquakes of April 1868
. He had also predicted destruction a few earlier times, but after the appointed day passed, postponed it. Paris learned that Kaona had been sentenced to an asylum a few years earlier after claiming he could raise someone from the dead. Paris tried to lock the Lanakila Church, but the door fell off its hinges and Kaona claimed it was a miracle. When the Kaonaites occupied the church and refused to leave, a local judge ordered it closed and the occupiers evicted.
Kaona told people to withdraw their children from school and join him in a communal home at the shore. Kaona had his followers chant Psalm 150
for seven days while beating drums made from sugar kegs and tin pots. They wore white robes and flew seven banners because they thought the number seven to be mystical. Although they attempted to pay rent, William F. Roy, the lease-holder of the land asked them to leave. When Sheriff R. B. Neville tried to evict them on October 16, 1868, they refused. Neville had been fire chief of Honolulu, but moved to Kona for what he hoped would be a quieter life. On his second try, on October 19, Kaona's followers clubbed Neville to death. A native constable was killed trying to retrieve Neville's body.
When word of the uprising reached Honolulu, John Owen Dominis
was sent to the site with 200 troops. The Sheriff of Hilo, J. H. Coney, also arrived with about 200 men, and the two groups captured the Kaonaites. At Kaona's trial in May 1869, Albert Francis Judd
and David Kalākaua were appointed for the defense, but Kaona used his oratorical skills to defend himself. His charge was reduced to manslaughter and he was sentenced to ten years of hard labor. Kaona was pardoned when Kalākaua became king in 1874; he returned to Kona and died in 1883.
). The Kahikolu church has held an annual choral event since 1999 called Aha Mele O Hualalai in her honor.
Son John Davis II (also known as John Davis Jr.) married Hannah Johnson (1855–1938), the granddaughter of John Davis (nephew of Isaac Davis
). Hannah's sister Mary married the wealthy Hilo businessman William Herbert Shipman
, whose father had replaced the Paris family at Waiōhinu. The Johnson sisters were daughters of Eliza Johnson Roy (1821–1912), on whose property the Kaona followers were camped. John Jr. served in the Hawaii House of Representatives 1887–1898, and then the territorial Senate 1901–1905.
Jack London
visited the family in 1907, and mentions a Paris daughter showing the visitors the nearby historic sites.
The April 1868 earthquake, estimated to be the largest ever to hit Hawaii destroyed his church in Waiōhinu.
Kahikolu Church was damaged on August 21, 1951, by an earthquake centered almost under the church. Kahikolu was abandoned in 1953 as a result of the damage, but reconstructed from 1982 to 1986, and re-opened in 1999.
Kauahaao Church was rebuilt (with wood) in 1888, but demolished in April 1998.
Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl has written a one-act play titled A Visit to Kalukalu which depicts Ella Hudson Paris visiting a local store in 1888, performed on location by the Kona Historical Society.
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
. Coming to the island by accident, he supervised construction of several historic churches, some of which survive today.
Life
John Davis Paris was born on September 22, 1809, in Staunton, VirginiaStaunton, Virginia
Staunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat of Augusta County....
.
His father was George Paris and his mother was Mary Hudson. He graduated from Hanover College
Hanover College
Hanover College is a private liberal arts college, located in Hanover, Indiana, near the banks of the Ohio River. The college is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church . The college was founded in 1827 by the Rev. John Finley Crowe, making it the oldest private college in Indiana. The Hanover...
in Indiana in 1833, and Bangor Theological Seminary
Bangor Theological Seminary
Located in Bangor, Maine, and Portland, Maine, Bangor Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary, founded in 1814, in the Congregational tradition of the United Church of Christ. It is the only accredited graduate school of religion in Northern New England....
in 1839.
He married Mary Grant in October 1840, and they had two daughters: Anna Matilda (1843–1917) and Mary Aletta. Mary and John embarked in November 1840, and arrived in Honolulu on May 21, 1841, on the Gloucester, along with the ninth company sent by 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...
. Other members of this company included William Harrison Rice
William Harrison Rice
William Harrison Rice was a missionary teacher from the United States who traveled to the Hawaiian Islands and managed an early sugar plantation.-Life:...
and Daniel Dole
Daniel Dole
Daniel Dole was a Protestant missionary educator from the United States to the Hawaiian Islands.-Life:Daniel Dole as born September 9, 1808 in Skowhegan, Maine...
and their wives.
They and the Rice family had been assigned to the Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
, but were told that an uprising had wiped out the mission station there, so were advised to stay in Hawaii.
The family was assigned to the remote southern-most station at Waiōhinu in the Kaū district
Kau, Hawaii
thumb|right|300px|The districts of the [[Hawaii |Big Island]]. From Northernmost, clockwise; [[Kohala, Hawaii|Kohala]], [[Hamakua]], [[Hilo, Hawaii|Hilo]], [[Puna, Hawaii|Puna]], Kau , [[Kona District, Hawaii|Kona]]...
of the island of Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
. There Paris built the Kauahaao Church (named for a nearby spring).
Mary Paris died in 1847, and John Paris returned to the United States with his two young daughters on the ship Montreal in 1849. In September 1851 Paris married Mary Carpenter (1815–1896) of New York. They decided to return to Hawaii, left in November and arrived in March 1852. This time he was posted to the slightly less remote Kona District on the same island. They had a daughter Ellen (known as Ella) Hudson (1852–1938) and a son John Davis, Jr. (1854–1918).
Kona churches
A large stone church had been built in 1839 on land donated by Chiefess KapiolaniChiefess Kapiolani
High Chiefess Kapiolani was an important member of the Hawaiian nobility at the time of the founding of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the arrival of Christian missionaries...
, in an area known as Kuapehu, inland from the town now known as Nāpoopoo, on the south end of Kealakekua Bay
Kealakekua Bay
Kealakekua Bay is located on the Kona coast of the island of Hawaii about south of Kailua-Kona.Settled over a thousand years ago, the surrounding area contains many archeological and historical sites such as religious temples, and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places listings on...
) but it had fallen into ruin after six years without a pastor. Paris built a smaller but longer-lasting stone church called Kahikolu
Kahikolu Church
Kahikolu Church is one of only two stone churches from the 19th century on the island of Hawaii. It was built from 1852–1855 on the site of an earlier building known as Kealakekua Church that was built around 1833 in the Kona district.-History:...
on the foundation of the old one. 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...
kahikolu was the name for the Holy Trinity.
He also rebuilt a house at a cooler, higher elevation which he called Mauna Alani, on Kapiolani's former house site. A cistern and kitchen were completed in 1852, and a two-story house built of wood from mountain forests was finished in 1853. Paris also constructed a kiln to bake coral, which was made into lime mortar. This material would prove to be stronger than the previous materials. The workers trained in these new techniques were applied to more projects in the area.
Hale Halawai O Holualoa
Hale Halawai O Holualoa is a historic church, also known as Living Stones Church, located in the Kona District on the Big Island of Hawaii. It is located at 76-6224 Alii Drive.-History:...
("the meeting house at Holualoa", now known as "Living Stones Church") completed in 1855 on Holualoa Bay
Holualoa Bay
Hōlualoa Bay is a historic area between Kailua-Kona and Keauhou Bay in the Kona District of the Big Island of Hawaii. The community now called Hōlualoa is uphill from this bay....
.
He also had Helani Church built at Kahaluu Bay
Kahaluu Bay
Kahaluu Bay is a historic district and popular recreation area on the Kona coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.-Early history:This area has been populated for about 500 years, and in the 18th and 19th centuries was an important royal residence....
in 1861; this church was one of the first to use a native Hawaiian as a pastor. In 1863 he hosted Rufus Anderson
Rufus Anderson
Rufus Anderson was an American minister who spent several decades organizing overseas missions.-Life:Rufus Anderson was born in North Yarmouth, Maine, on August 17, 1796. His father, also named Rufus Anderson, was Congregationalist pastor of the church in North Yarmouth. His mother was Hannah...
from the American board, on a tour of the island's missions. Paris mentioned he was saddened by how the land was being bought up by outsiders.
Over his career Paris would be involved in the construction of several more churches, adapting his building materials to suit the location. Churches at higher elevations, such as Central Kona Union, Pukaana Church, and Mauna Ziona in North Kona, were made from wood instead of stone. His last church was Lanakila Church in Kainaliu
Kainaliu, Hawaii
Kainaliu is a small community in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States.-Geography:Kainaliu is located in the Kona district at coordinates, along the Hawaii Belt Road, also called the Māmalahoa Highway or state route 11....
, started in 1865 and completed in 1867. He is known as one of the most prolific church builders of his time.
In 1870 Paris and his wife moved to Honolulu, where he founded the theological department of the North Pacific Institute. In 1874 he retired and moved back to Kona, where his son had become a rancher. He died on July 28, 1892 in the same house, and is buried in the cemetery of the Lanakila Church in Kainaliu.
Kaona uprising
In 1866, a well-educated native Hawaiian named Joseph Kaona had asked Paris to use the new Lanakila church to store some bibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
s. At first, Paris welcomed the help. Kaona had grown up in the area, and served in the government of the Kingdom of Hawaii
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...
as a district judge and in its House of Representatives in 1853. However, Kaona's erratic behavior alarmed Paris. Kaona claimed he was a prophet sent to warn of the end of the world. He predicted a lava flow would soon destroy everyone except his followers (called Kaonaites) after the earthquakes of April 1868
1868 Hawaii earthquake
The 1868 Hawaii earthquake is the largest recorded in the history of Hawaii island, causing a landslide and tsunami that led to 77 deaths. The earthquake occurred at 4 p.m. local time on April 2, 1868...
. He had also predicted destruction a few earlier times, but after the appointed day passed, postponed it. Paris learned that Kaona had been sentenced to an asylum a few years earlier after claiming he could raise someone from the dead. Paris tried to lock the Lanakila Church, but the door fell off its hinges and Kaona claimed it was a miracle. When the Kaonaites occupied the church and refused to leave, a local judge ordered it closed and the occupiers evicted.
Kaona told people to withdraw their children from school and join him in a communal home at the shore. Kaona had his followers chant Psalm 150
Psalm 150
Psalm 150 is a psalm in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. In it, the writer urges the congregation to praise God with music and dancing. The text, beloved by Jews and Christians alike, has often been set to music...
for seven days while beating drums made from sugar kegs and tin pots. They wore white robes and flew seven banners because they thought the number seven to be mystical. Although they attempted to pay rent, William F. Roy, the lease-holder of the land asked them to leave. When Sheriff R. B. Neville tried to evict them on October 16, 1868, they refused. Neville had been fire chief of Honolulu, but moved to Kona for what he hoped would be a quieter life. On his second try, on October 19, Kaona's followers clubbed Neville to death. A native constable was killed trying to retrieve Neville's body.
When word of the uprising reached Honolulu, John Owen Dominis
John Owen Dominis
John Owen Dominis was an American-born statesman. He became Prince Consort of the Kingdom of Hawaii upon his marriage to the last reigning monarch, Queen Liliuokalani...
was sent to the site with 200 troops. The Sheriff of Hilo, J. H. Coney, also arrived with about 200 men, and the two groups captured the Kaonaites. At Kaona's trial in May 1869, Albert Francis Judd
Albert Francis Judd
Albert Francis Judd was a judge of the Kingdom of Hawaii who served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court through its transition into part of the United States.-Life:...
and David Kalākaua were appointed for the defense, but Kaona used his oratorical skills to defend himself. His charge was reduced to manslaughter and he was sentenced to ten years of hard labor. Kaona was pardoned when Kalākaua became king in 1874; he returned to Kona and died in 1883.
Legacy
Ella Hudson Paris translated many hymns into the Hawaiian language under the pen name "Hualalai" (for the nearby volcano HualālaiHualalai
Hualālai is a dormant shield volcano on the island of Hawaii in the Hawaiian Islands. It is the third-youngest and the third most active of the five volcanoes that form the island of Hawaii, following Kīlauea and the much larger Mauna Loa, and also the westernmost. Its peak is above sea...
). The Kahikolu church has held an annual choral event since 1999 called Aha Mele O Hualalai in her honor.
Son John Davis II (also known as John Davis Jr.) married Hannah Johnson (1855–1938), the granddaughter of John Davis (nephew of Isaac Davis
Isaac Davis (Hawaii)
Isaac Davis was a Welsh advisor to Kamehameha I and helped form the Kingdom of Hawaii. He arrived in Hawaii in 1790 as the sole survivor of the massacre of the crew of The Fair American. He along with John Young became friends and advisors to Kamehameha...
). Hannah's sister Mary married the wealthy Hilo businessman William Herbert Shipman
William Herbert Shipman
William Herbert Shipman was a wealthy businessman on the island of Hawaii. One estate of his family was used to preserve an endangered species of Hawaiian Goose. A historic house associated with his family for over a hundred years is called the W. H. Shipman House in Hilo, Hawaii...
, whose father had replaced the Paris family at Waiōhinu. The Johnson sisters were daughters of Eliza Johnson Roy (1821–1912), on whose property the Kaona followers were camped. John Jr. served in the Hawaii House of Representatives 1887–1898, and then the territorial Senate 1901–1905.
Jack London
Jack London
John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...
visited the family in 1907, and mentions a Paris daughter showing the visitors the nearby historic sites.
The April 1868 earthquake, estimated to be the largest ever to hit Hawaii destroyed his church in Waiōhinu.
Kahikolu Church was damaged on August 21, 1951, by an earthquake centered almost under the church. Kahikolu was abandoned in 1953 as a result of the damage, but reconstructed from 1982 to 1986, and re-opened in 1999.
Kauahaao Church was rebuilt (with wood) in 1888, but demolished in April 1998.
Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl has written a one-act play titled A Visit to Kalukalu which depicts Ella Hudson Paris visiting a local store in 1888, performed on location by the Kona Historical Society.