Honolulu County Genealogical Society August 13, 2022

 

 AUGUST 13, 2022

ZOOM  MEETING OF THE   HONOLULU COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

Present: Kathy & Don Hudson, Karin & Stanley Jones, Isabelle Rivera, Trisha Robertson, Ellen Schneider, Susan Victor and Donna Wendt

   There was no formal presentation today. Lenore Hansen-Stafford is again on the road heading to the East Coast and Europe. She was unable to join us this month. Though members present were able to meet on Lenore’s Zoom account, Donna Wendt was unable to access the share screen.

Today’s meeting became an open discussion and sharing session.

CALABASH BOWL:

     Donna Wendt had returned from visiting family in Denver. Susan Victor is coming in from Michigan in the midst of an electrical storm. Kathy and Don Hudson are surviving 100+ degree heat in Utah. Karin and Stan Jones are joining us from cool and comfortable Sweden.  

      Kathy Hudson shared the exciting news that she and Don will be moving back to Oahu in the spring of 2023.

    Waiting to leave for the airport in Sweden, Karin Jones shared some wonderful genealogical discoveries she has made in Sweden. She and Stan attended approximately 7 family gatherings and visited with around 40 family members. Her family helped to identify “unknowns” in some 1958 photos, visited the sarcophagus in Vasteras Cathedral of Eric XIV (1560-1568) and viewed the first Bible translated into Swedish during the reign of Eric’s father, Gustav I (aka Gustav Eriksson and Gustav Vasa) (1496-1560).  The Bible was named the Gustav Vasa Bible (published 1540-41). Karin is a descendent of these kings of Sweden.  Stan and Karin are continuing their travels to London and Glasgow.

   In last month’s meeting, Susan Victor, spoke of the 7-times married wife, Martha Hawley, of a relative.  Since last month, she has been in contact with the granddaughter of Martha Hawley. She lives in the same Michigan town as Susan and they have plans to meet.

   Trisha Robertson recently had a situation which makes one pause regarding sharing family history. Trisha had spoken before of the Polish letters her mother had kept. Trish had recently shared copies of these letters with 2 younger cousins (granddaughters of the letter writer). 1 cousin was very excited to receive and view the letters, but the other was so embarrassed that her opinion of her grandmother was changed.  Though saddened by the reaction of one cousin, the joy the other expressed confirmed that it was the right decision to share the letters.

   Last month, Donna Wendt began sharing excerpts from a wonderful journal she discovered years ago at the Buffalo, NY, public library. This author, Wesley Stevens, was a brother of Donna’s ancestor, Phineas Stevens.  This morning Donna continued reading from, “The Journal of Wesley Stevens”. We left off last month with Wesley and the vessel rounding the tip of Cape Horn.  Wesley continued to marvel at porpoises “throwing themselves out of the water snorting like horses”, a sighting of a white whale, the birth of a child on board to a German woman whom no one realized had been pregnant, and simple gift boxes of figs and raisins from the Captain. He endured a gale storm, his longing to receive word from his wife and children, and times of despondence.  After 155 days at sea, the ship finally arrives at San Francisco. From there he traveled to Sacramento, took a stagecoach to Marysville , continued to Dobbin’s Ranch, Foster’s Bar and Mountain House.  Wesley purchased mining equipment and headed out to find gold. Wesley arrived 3 years after gold was first discovered. It did not take long to ascertain that there was no gold on his grubstake in Oregon Creek, CA.  This is where we leave Wesley for this month, on a claim with no gold.

   Susan Victor had a relative who walked across the country, from Bloomfield, NY, to the gold fields in California. He accomplished this feat with a group of friends. He later walked to a Wisconsin town where a brother had died and the widow resided. He may have made some money in California for Susan knows that he purchased plots for everyone in the family.

Our next meeting will be on Saturday, September 10, 2022, 9:00 a.m.

Meeting adjourned at 10:37 a.m.

 by Bella Rivera, Secretary