Kokua Line
Kokua Line
Question: My mother died a few months ago and in going through some of her things, I found what might be an important original document that the children of "Miyashita Haruemon and wife Soyi" might want. To Miyashita descendants:
Your historic papers awaitIt is an immigration document allowing the aforementioned into Hawaii as sugar-cane workers. The contractor is the Olaa Sugar Company. The date of the contract is Jan. 11, 1900. It's printed on what appears to be soft rice-type paper, about 12-inches square.
I've done a Web search on "Miyashita Haruemon" and have found nothing. Can you help me find his and his wife's descendants? If so, I will send the contract to them.
Answer: If any of our readers have any connection to or knowledge of the descendants of the Miyashitas, please call Kokua Line (529-4773) and leave a contact number.
We tried calling some of the Miyashitas listed in the Big Island phone directory with no success. However, we were able to find out a little bit more about the couple.
According to state archivist Jolyn Tamura, the State Archives has the passenger manifests from ships -- not all ships and not complete lists -- that docked in Honolulu between 1843 and January 1900.
Other possible sources of early passenger lists are the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Japanese Consulate General and Bishop Museum, she said.
From her files, Tamura found a listing for Haruemon and Riyo (probably Soyi was mistranslated onto the immigration form) Miyashita, who arrived aboard the SS Joicey, in steerage, from Niigata Ken, Japan, on Jan. 9, 1900. He was listed as a farmer, aged 34.1 years. Her age was put at 34.6 years. There was no other information, Tamura said.
We next checked with Karen Peacock, head of the special collections section at the University of Hawaii Library.
Part of the special collections is the Hawaiian Sugar Planters Association Archives. There's material from a limited number of plantations, Peacock noted, but some of it has proven to be "enormously useful material" for people interested in looking up their family histories or doing genealogical research, as well as for those engaged in scholarly research.
Unfortunately, most of the personnel records of Olaa Sugar Co. were from the 1930s, and only a few were from the early 1900s, Peacock said. There was nothing on anyone named Miyashita, but that doesn't mean anything other than that the information was not contained "in the particular records that survived and came to us," she said.
We also called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Family History Center on Beretania Street, but were told we'd probably have better luck with the sugar-company archives.
However, the public is welcome to visit any one of the church's Family History Centers, located throughout Oahu, as well as on the neighbor islands. The centers provide access to most of the data on microfilm and microfiche in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Locally, in addition to general Census data, there is "quite a collection of Hawaiiana," including donated information and films on alii lines.
The only charges are for film that is ordered, making copies of materials, etc.
Mahalo
On May 4, a car ran a stop sign and hit my car, causing it to overturn. Thanks to the many residents who live on Makakilo Drive, I was able to get emergency help quickly and police were able to track down the driver who fled the scene.We also were able to find our puppy after I got out of the hospital. Witnesses saw her running away after the car flipped. I can't express in words how much this show of "aloha" has meant to my wife and me, and subsequently changed our outlook on life. -- Kevin and Cathy Wong
Got a question or complaint?
Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered.
E-mail to kokualine@starbulletin.com