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Alexander Adams (Hawaii)
Encyclopedia
Captain Alexander Adams (1780–1871) was a Scotsman
who served in the British Royal Navy
and then came to the Hawaiian islands
and served in the navy of the Kingdom of Hawaii
. Known to the Hawaiians as Alika Napunako Adams, he claimed to have originated the Flag of Hawaii
.
, Angus
, Scotland
. He said his father was John Fyfe, whom he said was the "Earl of Fyfe", born in Abroath c. 1754. His mother was Jean Adams, born in Abroath c. 1758.
Leaving Scotland in 1792, he worked 4 years aboard the Zephyr belonging to Husson & Co. out of Newcastle upon Tyne
, England
. In 1896, he left the Zephyr, and joined Calcutta out of Lancaster
for 2 trips. He was drafted into Naval service aboard after the Battle of Trafalgar
in the Napoleonic Wars
.
.
He met King Kamehameha I
and joined English sailor John Young
, who had arrived in 1790, to command the navy of the Kingdom of Hawaii
. He was awarded control of over 2000 acres (809.4 ha) in the Niu Valley (east of Honolulu, coordinates 21°17′24"N 157°44′20"W).
In April 1816 at Kawaihae Bay, Adams negotiated to buy a ship called Forrester under Captain John Ebbetts which had been owned by American John Jacob Astor
.
Prince Liholiho
(soon to become King Kamehameha II) purchased the ship with sandalwood (Santalum ellipticum
), and changed its name to Kaahumanu after his powerful stepmother Queen Kaahumanu. A condition of the deal was for Adams to take command of the ship. It was a small two-masted trading ship called a brig
.
On March 7, 1817, the Kingdom of Hawaii
sent Adams to China
on his ship to sell sandalwood. To enter the harbor, the ship paid $3000 in port charges, making it not a financial success. Upon returning October 5, 1817, at Hilo and hearing of the amount Adams had to pay, King Kamehameha decided Hawaii should also generate revenue from port charges.
He refused to sail under the American flag once the War of 1812
broke out.
When Adams sailed the Kaahumanu to China, it was the first vessel under the flag of Hawaii
. Some traditions also credit him with designing the flag, though this honor has also been claimed for King Kamehameha I himself or another British sailor of the time, George C. Beckley.
His reasoning for adding the British jack into the flag was due to the power of the British Empire
at the time. He quotes "if we don't pledge allegiance to Britain we may all perish".
He was sent to Kauai
by Kamehemeha I to remove Russian Fort Elizabeth
that had been set up in 1817. His words were "upon arriving they were soon dispatched".
He stood on the shore with John Young when the first Christian missionaries anchored off shore in 1820. He helped convince the King to allow the missionaries to come ashore and speak to the King. He served as the Honolulu Harbor Pilot after Naihekukui
left in 1823. When the arrived in 1825, Adams helped the Scottish naturalist distribute some plants he thought would be commercially successful in the tropical climate.
Queen Kaahuman gave Adams over 290 acres (117.4 ha) of land in Kalihi
Valley (on the island of Oahu
a few miles from Waikiki
) in gratitude for his services. The area was called Apili.
After 30 years of piloting, Adams retired in 1853, grew fruit on his land in Kalihi Valley, and was great host to visitors. Adams kept a journal which his notes were taken from and printed in Honolulu Star Bulltein May 4, 1935. Adams lived the remainder of his life in the Hawaiian islands
, where he married three times and left many descendants. His given the Hawaiian name Alika Napunako Adams. His first wife was Sarah Kaniaulono or Kale Davis, daughter of Isaac Davis
. Two of his marriages were to Sarah Ulukaihonua Harbottle and then to her sister Charlotte Oili Harbottle (died 1893). Both were daughters of Papapaupu (or Papapaunauapu, the adopted grand daughter of King Kamehameha) and John Harbottle, another Scotsman serving as Honolulu pilot. By his account he had 15 children; 10 were still alive at the time of his death.
He had a home on what named Adams Lane in 1850, a small lane in downtown Honolulu next to the Hawaiian Telephone company
building at coordinates 21°18′33"N 157°51′34"W, as well as in Kalihi Valley. Adams died October 17, 1871. He is buried next to his friend and fellow Scotsman Andrew Auld
in the Nuuanu Cemetery
. Their common tombstone contains the following inscription in the Scots dialect
:
The estate in Niu Valley was held by his granddaughter Mary Lucas, who started subdividing in the 1950s for beachfront gated communities. One grandson of Lucas was Air Force General Benjamin B. Cassiday Jr.,
another was Paul R. Cassiday, trustee of the Campbell Estate.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
who served in the British Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and then came 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...
and served in the navy 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...
. Known to the Hawaiians as Alika Napunako Adams, he claimed to have originated the Flag of Hawaii
Flag of Hawaii
The flag of the state of Hawaii is the official standard symbolizing Hawaii as a U.S. state. The same flag had also previously been used by the kingdom, protectorate, republic, and territory of Hawaii...
.
Britain
Adams was born December 27, 1780 in ArbroathArbroath
Arbroath or Aberbrothock is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus in Scotland, and has a population of 22,785...
, Angus
Angus
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He said his father was John Fyfe, whom he said was the "Earl of Fyfe", born in Abroath c. 1754. His mother was Jean Adams, born in Abroath c. 1758.
Leaving Scotland in 1792, he worked 4 years aboard the Zephyr belonging to Husson & Co. out of Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In 1896, he left the Zephyr, and joined Calcutta out of Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
for 2 trips. He was drafted into Naval service aboard after the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
in the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
Hawaii
He arrived in Hawaii some time between 1809 and 1811 on the American trading ship the Albatross from BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
He met King Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I , also known as Kamehameha the Great, conquered the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. By developing alliances with the major Pacific colonial powers, Kamehameha preserved Hawaii's independence under his rule...
and joined English sailor John Young
John Young (Hawaii)
John Young was a British subject who became an important military advisor to Kamehameha I during the formation of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was left behind by Simon Metcalfe, captain of the American ship Eleanora, and along with a Welshmen Isaac Davis became a friend and advisor to Kamehameha...
, who had arrived in 1790, to command the navy 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...
. He was awarded control of over 2000 acres (809.4 ha) in the Niu Valley (east of Honolulu, coordinates 21°17′24"N 157°44′20"W).
In April 1816 at Kawaihae Bay, Adams negotiated to buy a ship called Forrester under Captain John Ebbetts which had been owned by American John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor , born Johann Jakob Astor, was a German-American business magnate and investor who was the first prominent member of the Astor family and the first multi-millionaire in the United States...
.
Prince Liholiho
Kamehameha II
Kamehameha II was the second king of the Kingdom of Hawaii. His birth name was Liholiho and full name was Kalaninui kua Liholiho i ke kapu Iolani...
(soon to become King Kamehameha II) purchased the ship with sandalwood (Santalum ellipticum
Santalum ellipticum
Santalum ellipticum, commonly known as Iliahialoe or Coast Sandalwood, is a species of flowering plant in the European mistletoe family, Santalaceae, that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It is a sprawling shrub to small tree, typically reaching a height of and a canopy spread of , but is...
), and changed its name to Kaahumanu after his powerful stepmother Queen Kaahumanu. A condition of the deal was for Adams to take command of the ship. It was a small two-masted trading ship called a brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
.
On March 7, 1817, 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...
sent Adams to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
on his ship to sell sandalwood. To enter the harbor, the ship paid $3000 in port charges, making it not a financial success. Upon returning October 5, 1817, at Hilo and hearing of the amount Adams had to pay, King Kamehameha decided Hawaii should also generate revenue from port charges.
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
broke out.
When Adams sailed the Kaahumanu to China, it was the first vessel under the flag of Hawaii
Flag of Hawaii
The flag of the state of Hawaii is the official standard symbolizing Hawaii as a U.S. state. The same flag had also previously been used by the kingdom, protectorate, republic, and territory of Hawaii...
. Some traditions also credit him with designing the flag, though this honor has also been claimed for King Kamehameha I himself or another British sailor of the time, George C. Beckley.
His reasoning for adding the British jack into the flag was due to the power of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
at the time. He quotes "if we don't pledge allegiance to Britain we may all perish".
He was sent to Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
by Kamehemeha I to remove Russian Fort Elizabeth
Russian Fort Elizabeth
Russian Fort Elizabeth is a fort on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. It was the last remaining Russian fort on the Hawaiian islands, built in the early 19th century by the Russian-American Company as the result of an alliance with High Chief Kaumualii to gain influence in Hawaii...
that had been set up in 1817. His words were "upon arriving they were soon dispatched".
He stood on the shore with John Young when the first Christian missionaries anchored off shore in 1820. He helped convince the King to allow the missionaries to come ashore and speak to the King. He served as the Honolulu Harbor Pilot after Naihekukui
Naihekukui
Naihe-Kukui Kapihe , known as "Captain Jack" or "Jack the Pilot" to visitors, served as Honolulu harbor master and admiral of the royal fleet in the early Kingdom of Hawaii. His daughter would become a Queen consort.-Life:...
left in 1823. When the arrived in 1825, Adams helped the Scottish naturalist distribute some plants he thought would be commercially successful in the tropical climate.
Queen Kaahuman gave Adams over 290 acres (117.4 ha) of land in Kalihi
Kalihi
thumb|300px|Historically, Kalihi was an [[ahupua'a|ahupuaʻa]], or area of land ruled by chief or king and managed by the members of the [[alii|alii]]Kalihi is a neighborhood community of Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu in Hawaiʻi, United States...
Valley (on the island of Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
a few miles from Waikiki
Waikiki
Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City and County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikīkī....
) in gratitude for his services. The area was called Apili.
After 30 years of piloting, Adams retired in 1853, grew fruit on his land in Kalihi Valley, and was great host to visitors. Adams kept a journal which his notes were taken from and printed in Honolulu Star Bulltein May 4, 1935. Adams lived the remainder of his life in 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...
, where he married three times and left many descendants. His given the Hawaiian name Alika Napunako Adams. His first wife was Sarah Kaniaulono or Kale Davis, daughter 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...
. Two of his marriages were to Sarah Ulukaihonua Harbottle and then to her sister Charlotte Oili Harbottle (died 1893). Both were daughters of Papapaupu (or Papapaunauapu, the adopted grand daughter of King Kamehameha) and John Harbottle, another Scotsman serving as Honolulu pilot. By his account he had 15 children; 10 were still alive at the time of his death.
He had a home on what named Adams Lane in 1850, a small lane in downtown Honolulu next to the Hawaiian Telephone company
Hawaiian Telcom
Hawaiian Telcom is the incumbent local exchange carrier or dominant local telephone company, serving the state of Hawaii. It was formed in 2005 by The Carlyle Group, following its purchase of the Hawaii assets of Verizon Communications, which was known as Verizon Hawaii, Inc., and previously as...
building at coordinates 21°18′33"N 157°51′34"W, as well as in Kalihi Valley. Adams died October 17, 1871. He is buried next to his friend and fellow Scotsman Andrew Auld
Andrew Auld
Andrew Auld was a native of Linlithgow, Scotland. He was the best friend of Captain Alexander Adams, who commanded Kamehameha I's navy. He was a ship's carpenter and wheelwright. He arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in 1816. and became a close friend of Adams for 40 years and is buried next to...
in the Nuuanu Cemetery
Oahu Cemetery
The Oahu Cemetery is the resting place of many notable early residents of the Honolulu area. They range from missionaries and politicians to sports pioneers and philosophers. Over time it was expanded to become an area known as the Nuuanu Cemetery....
. Their common tombstone contains the following inscription in the Scots dialect
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
:
"Twa croanies frae the land of heather,
Are sleepin' here in death th'gether."
The estate in Niu Valley was held by his granddaughter Mary Lucas, who started subdividing in the 1950s for beachfront gated communities. One grandson of Lucas was Air Force General Benjamin B. Cassiday Jr.,
another was Paul R. Cassiday, trustee of the Campbell Estate.