|
|
|
Using City Directories to Determine the Plantation Your Ancestor Worked For
by Melody Lassalle
Sugar plantations were a big part of our ancestors’ lives. The plantation provided them with a place to live, a job, schooling for their children, and monthly wages. Our ancestors’ lives revolved around the plantation whether at home, work, or play.
For the most part, our ancestors left no clues as to which plantation they lived and worked on. Rare is the researcher who locates the actual plantation contract their ancestor signed. Census records may tell which plantation a person worked on. However, that bit of information was left entirely to the discretion of the enumerator. More times than not that voice whispered “don’t write it down” in the enumerator’s ear. Immigration records don’t have any answers as to where a person settled once they passed through Honolulu. Nowhere in the passport, ship manifest, or consulate logs is there a space for “plantation contracted to work for”. The only viable source for plantation records is the Hawaiian Sugar Plantation Archives. However, those records are not easily accessible and do not cover all plantations.
An often-overlooked source of information is city directories. The city directory was the predecessor to the modern telephone book. However, it provided far more details about a person than telephone books ever did. Early city directories listed the person’s name, address, occupation, and where they worked. Later, their spouse’s name, whether they owned or rented, and if they were widowed (with the deceased spouse’s name given) were added to the above information due to creative spelling of names.
City directories for Hawaii started about 1890. This may be the earliest record you’ll find of your ancestor’s employment outside the 1890 Census. The 1890 Census does not exist for all areas of Hawaii and is a challenge to search through.
What did a typical city directory entry look like? Here’s an example:
Duarte, August, employee, Koloa Sugar Co., r Koloa
The entry tells us that August Duarte worked for Koloa Sugar Co. and resided in Koloa.
Here’s another example:
Medeiros, F., luna, JK Smith & Co., r Koloa
This entry tells us that F. Medeiros was a luna for JK Smith & Co and resided in Koloa.
The above examples show the promise and pitfalls of using the city directories. August Duarte may be easy to match. There weren’t many Duartes in Koloa most likely. However, F. Medeiros is trickier. What does the “F” stand for? You can’t assume it’s Francisco. It could Fred, Fernando, or any other mangling of a Portuguese name. You will need to have enough information about your ancestor to depend on this data. If your ancestor’s name isn’t common, you can be more certain that you‘ve found the right person. And, if you already know where your ancestor lived, you can narrow things down. “Husted’s Directory of Honolulu and the Hawaiian Territory, 1900-1901” gives many examples of how hard the task might be. The section for Oahu lists 5 individuals named Manuel Pacheco. The section for the islands of Kauai and Niihau has 23 Souza’s and 11 Silva’s. The 1900-1901 directory is relatively small. Think about how many individuals were added by 1910!
With all these faults, the city directory is your best chance to discover the name of the plantation your pre-1900 ancestor worked on. The potential to learn the plantation name far outweighs the negatives. Once you learn the plantation, you can then read more about it. A whole new area of history opens up to you.
Where can you locate the Hawaiian City Directories? Here‘s a brief list of where city directories can be found. It may also be possible to locate city directories at college, university, or public libraries.
The Family History Library of the LDS Church has microfilmed some volumes. You’ll need to check the catalog to find out which years are available.
The Hawaiian Historical Society, 560 Kawaiahau St., Honolulu, HI 96813, has city directories dating to the 1890s. They will copy specific surnames, but not the entire book, for a small fee.
Ancestry.com has the 1890 City Directory for all of Hawaii. You must pay a subscription fee in order to access the city directory.
upd. 3/26/02
© 2002 Melody Lassalle
Return to the islandroutes.com home page