Benjamin Pitman (Hawaii)
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Pitman, was an American businessman who married Hawaiian nobility.
.
His father was Benjamin Cox Pitman (1790–1845) and mother was Sally Richardson (1789–1858). He had two sisters Sally (died 1822) and Mary Elizabeth (died 1825).
His father Benjamin Cox Pitman came to the Hawaiian islands
on trading missions with Stephen Reynolds in 1826 and 1828.
He brought his son in 1836 and settled in Hilo, Hawaii. About a year later he married Chiefess Kinoole o Liliha
, who controlled vast lands under King Kamehameha III
.
On September 11, 1845 his father died and was buried in the new Oahu Cemetery
.
Around 1846 he opened a small thatched hut with only a mat over a floor of bare earth at the rim of Kilauea
volcano called Volcano House
. He charged $1 a day, but eventually gave up the remote site.
He opened a store in Hilo (called a ship chandler
) to supply whaling
ships.
As the whaling business grew, so did his fortunes. He started added "Esq."
at the end of his name and acted as district magistrate
, but there is no record of his being educated in law.
In 1849 a visitor described him as the major businessman in town.
By 1852 he was growing coffee
, arrowroot
, sugarcane
, and served as vice president of the Royal Hawaiian Agricultural Society.
He employed Chinese laborors on his sugar plantation.
Pitman served as customers collector and first postmaster on the island of Hawaii.
In 1854, after the Hilo Boarding School and Church started by Sarah Joiner and David Belden Lyman
burned down, he raised funds to rebuild it.
Their children were Mary Pitman Ailau (1838–1905), Henry Hoolulu Pitman (1843–1863), and Benjamin Keolaokalani Franklin Pitman (1845–1918).
His first wife Kinoole died in 1855.
He married for a second time on August 5, 1856 on Oahu. Maria Louisa Walsworth was born in Cleveland, Ohio
, May 20, 1822, married Rev. Henry Kinney, and had come in 1848 as missionary to the island. When Henry's health failed, they traveled to California
, where Henry died in 1854. Maria moved back and married Pitman, but this second wife died on March 6, 1858 in Hilo. Daughter Maria Kinoole Pitman (1858–1905) married Fred Mory of Chicago in 1881.
When his business partner Reynolds died in 1859, Pitman became sole owner of the plantations, and built a house in Honolulu.
About two years later, he sold his house and sugar plantation at Amauulu (Puueo) to Thomas Spencer, and moved back to Boston
so the children could attend school there.
In January 1868 he founded a "Hawaiian Club" in Boston.
The family met future Queen Liliuokalani on her visit to Boston in 1887. (Daughter Mary Pitman Ailau had been a bridesmaid of the Princess.)
Pitman was buried in a family plot in the Mount Auburn Cemetery
.
Henry Hoolulu served in the American Civil War
as a private in a "colored" regiment because of his mixed race. He was captured, and died on February 27, 1863.
Benjamin K. F. Pitman married Almira Hollander (1854–1939) in 1875 and became a partner in his father-in-law's law firm L. P. Hollander & Co. Myra became active in the movement for Women's suffrage in the United States, and returned to visit Hawaii in 1917. Their son Benjamin attended Harvard College, and their other son Theodore Pitman became a sculptor, dedicating a monument to his ancestors in 1928.
Another Theodore, their great-grandson, donated a valuable manuscript of notes from 1836 to 1861 to the Bishop Museum
in 2007.
Life
Benjamin Pitman born October 12, 1815 in Salem, MassachusettsSalem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
.
His father was Benjamin Cox Pitman (1790–1845) and mother was Sally Richardson (1789–1858). He had two sisters Sally (died 1822) and Mary Elizabeth (died 1825).
His father Benjamin Cox Pitman 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...
on trading missions with Stephen Reynolds in 1826 and 1828.
He brought his son in 1836 and settled in Hilo, Hawaii. About a year later he married Chiefess Kinoole o Liliha
Kinooleoliliha
Kinooleoliliha Pitman née Hoolulu , also written as Kinoole-o-Liliha, was a member of the royal family during the Kingdom of Hawaii. She was known as Mrs. Pitman after her marriage. In the Hawaiian language, kino 'ole means "thin" and liliha can mean "heartsick".-Life:Her father was High Chief...
, who controlled vast lands under King Kamehameha III
Kamehameha III
Kamehameha III was the King of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name was Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa Kalani Waiakua Kalanikau Iokikilo Kiwalao i ke kapu Kamehameha when he ascended the throne.Under his...
.
On September 11, 1845 his father died and was buried in the new Oahu 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....
.
Around 1846 he opened a small thatched hut with only a mat over a floor of bare earth at the rim of Kilauea
Kilauea
Kīlauea is a volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, and one of five shield volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaii. Kīlauea means "spewing" or "much spreading" in the Hawaiian language, referring to its frequent outpouring of lava. The Puu Ōō cone has been continuously erupting in the eastern...
volcano called Volcano House
Volcano House
Volcano House is the name of a series of historic hotels built at the edge of the Kīlauea volcano, within the grounds of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park on the Island of Hawai'i. The original 1877 building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and now houses the Volcano Art Center...
. He charged $1 a day, but eventually gave up the remote site.
He opened a store in Hilo (called a ship chandler
Ship chandler
A ship chandler is a retail dealer in special supplies or equipment for ships.For traditional sailing ships items that could be found in a chandler might include: rosin, turpentine, tar, pitch , linseed oil, whale oil, tallow, lard, varnish, twine, rope and cordage, hemp, oakum, tools A ship...
) to supply whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
ships.
As the whaling business grew, so did his fortunes. He started added "Esq."
Esquire
Esquire is a term of West European origin . Depending on the country, the term has different meanings...
at the end of his name and acted as district magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
, but there is no record of his being educated in law.
In 1849 a visitor described him as the major businessman in town.
By 1852 he was growing coffee
Coffea
Coffea is a genus of flowering plants in the Rubiaceae family. They are shrubs or small trees native to tropical and southern Africa and tropical Asia. Seeds of several species are the source of the popular beverage coffee. Coffee ranks as one of the world's most valuable and widely traded...
, arrowroot
Arrowroot
Arrowroot, or obedience plant , Bermuda arrowroot, araru, ararao, is a large perennial herb found in rainforest habitats...
, sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
, and served as vice president of the Royal Hawaiian Agricultural Society.
He employed Chinese laborors on his sugar plantation.
Pitman served as customers collector and first postmaster on the island of Hawaii.
In 1854, after the Hilo Boarding School and Church started by Sarah Joiner and David Belden Lyman
David Belden Lyman
David Belden Lyman was an early American missionary to Hawaii who opened a boarding school for Hawaiians. His wife Sarah Joiner Lyman taught at the boarding school and kept an important journal. They had several notable descendants.-Family life:David Belden Lyman was born in on July 28, 1803 in...
burned down, he raised funds to rebuild it.
Their children were Mary Pitman Ailau (1838–1905), Henry Hoolulu Pitman (1843–1863), and Benjamin Keolaokalani Franklin Pitman (1845–1918).
His first wife Kinoole died in 1855.
He married for a second time on August 5, 1856 on Oahu. Maria Louisa Walsworth was born in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, May 20, 1822, married Rev. Henry Kinney, and had come in 1848 as missionary to the island. When Henry's health failed, they traveled to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where Henry died in 1854. Maria moved back and married Pitman, but this second wife died on March 6, 1858 in Hilo. Daughter Maria Kinoole Pitman (1858–1905) married Fred Mory of Chicago in 1881.
When his business partner Reynolds died in 1859, Pitman became sole owner of the plantations, and built a house in Honolulu.
About two years later, he sold his house and sugar plantation at Amauulu (Puueo) to Thomas Spencer, and moved back to Boston
Boston
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...
so the children could attend school there.
In January 1868 he founded a "Hawaiian Club" in Boston.
The family met future Queen Liliuokalani on her visit to Boston in 1887. (Daughter Mary Pitman Ailau had been a bridesmaid of the Princess.)
Pitman was buried in a family plot in the Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery was founded in 1831 as "America's first garden cemetery", or the first "rural cemetery", with classical monuments set in a rolling landscaped terrain...
.
Henry Hoolulu served in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
as a private in a "colored" regiment because of his mixed race. He was captured, and died on February 27, 1863.
Benjamin K. F. Pitman married Almira Hollander (1854–1939) in 1875 and became a partner in his father-in-law's law firm L. P. Hollander & Co. Myra became active in the movement for Women's suffrage in the United States, and returned to visit Hawaii in 1917. Their son Benjamin attended Harvard College, and their other son Theodore Pitman became a sculptor, dedicating a monument to his ancestors in 1928.
Another Theodore, their great-grandson, donated a valuable manuscript of notes from 1836 to 1861 to the Bishop Museum
Bishop Museum
The Bishop Museum , is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu...
in 2007.