John Palmer Parker
Encyclopedia
John Palmer Parker was the founder of the Parker Ranch
on the island of Hawaii
in Hawaii
.
. His father was Samuel Parker (1742–1822) and mother was Ann Palmer Parker (1753–1841).
Parker arrived in Hawaii around 1809 by jumping off of a ship. John Parker came to the attention of King Kamehameha I, the chief who united the eight separate islands into the Kingdom of Hawaii
, and was given important tasks by the king. John traveled to China
during the War of 1812
, returning to Hawaii in 1815. Having brought back with him a new, state-of-the-art American musket
, Parker was given the privilege of being the first man allowed to shoot some of the thousands of feral
cattle that roamed Hawaii’s remote plains and valleys. These animals were the descendants of one bull and five cows given by British
Captain
George Vancouver
to Kamehameha as a gift in 1793.
A year after he returned to Hawaii in 1815, he married Chiefess Kipikane (1800–1860), the daughter of a high-ranking chief (by some accounts granddaughter of Kamehameha I), who took the Christian name Rachel. Rachel Parker bore John a daughter Mary Ann Kaulalani (1819–1859) and two sons Ebenezer (1829–1855) and John Palmer Kamaikaaloa Kalanioku (1827–1900). The Parker dynasty figured in the next two centuries of Hawaiian history. The family first settled at a small farm in the Kohala district
. In 1835 he was hired by Honolulu merchant William French to start a commercial operation selling products of the wild cattle near the present town of Waimea. With his New England
education, Parker became accountant of French's business and managed a store called Puuloa.
Beef from these cattle was salted
and sold to whaling
vessels. Live cattle were driven down to the harbor at Kawaihae
and shipped to Honolulu. Meat, animal products, and hides were shipped to South America and the United States
. Salted beef eventually replaced the increasingly scarce sandalwood
as the island’s chief export.
On January 8, 1847, Parker acquired some land in the remote uplands of Mauna Kea
at about 3500 feet (1,066.8 m) elevation at 19°59′48"N 155°33′29"W called Mānā.
Mānā means "arid" in the Hawaiian language
.
The first Parker homestead was a small cottage called Hale Mānā at this site. After the Great Mahele
allowed private land ownership, he purchased 640 acres (2.6 km²) around Mānā in 1850 and another thousand acres in 1851. More land was leased from King Kamehameha III
, and the ranch continued to grow.
Over time Parker switched from hunting wild animals to domesticating and raising them in fenced paddocks.
His son John Palmer II married Hawaiian Hanai on October 6, 1845, and then after her death, Leiakaula on January 3, 1865. Ebenezer married Kilia June 7, 1849.
Parker also developed orchards and a dairy operation. Despite the death of his son Ebenezer in 1855 and a drought in 1856, he added yet more land in the area known as Paauhau by 1861.
After his first wife Kipikane died, he married another Hawaiian woman named Leiakaula. His health began to fail in 1867.
Parker died August 20, 1868 on Oahu
and was buried back at the family cemetery near Hale Mānā.
He was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners
at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
in 2008.
The ranch would be inherited by John Palmer II and Ebenezer's son Samuel Parker
(only 15 years old at the time).
John Palmer II took over operation of the ranch, although he was appointed to the upper House of Nobles in the legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom
in 1873.
Son Samuel became more active in politics, so after John II's death Alfred Wellington Carter
became ranch manager.
Parker Ranch
Parker Ranch is a working cattle ranch on the Island of Hawaii in the state of Hawaii, now run by a charitable trust.-History:The ranch was founded in 1847 and is one of the oldest ranches in the United States, pre-dating many mainland ranches in Texas and other southwestern states by more than 30...
on the island of Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
Life
John Palmer Parker was born May 1, 1790 in Newton, MassachusettsNewton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
. His father was Samuel Parker (1742–1822) and mother was Ann Palmer Parker (1753–1841).
Parker arrived in Hawaii around 1809 by jumping off of a ship. John Parker came to the attention of King Kamehameha I, the chief who united the eight separate islands into 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...
, and was given important tasks by the king. John traveled 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...
during the War of 1812
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...
, returning to Hawaii in 1815. Having brought back with him a new, state-of-the-art American musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
, Parker was given the privilege of being the first man allowed to shoot some of the thousands of feral
Feral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
cattle that roamed Hawaii’s remote plains and valleys. These animals were the descendants of one bull and five cows given by British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
Captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
George Vancouver
George Vancouver
Captain George Vancouver RN was an English officer of the British Royal Navy, best known for his 1791-95 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of contemporary Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon...
to Kamehameha as a gift in 1793.
A year after he returned to Hawaii in 1815, he married Chiefess Kipikane (1800–1860), the daughter of a high-ranking chief (by some accounts granddaughter of Kamehameha I), who took the Christian name Rachel. Rachel Parker bore John a daughter Mary Ann Kaulalani (1819–1859) and two sons Ebenezer (1829–1855) and John Palmer Kamaikaaloa Kalanioku (1827–1900). The Parker dynasty figured in the next two centuries of Hawaiian history. The family first settled at a small farm in the Kohala district
Kohala, Hawaii
thumb|right|300px|The districts of the [[Hawaii |Big Island]]. From Northernmost, clockwise; Kohala , [[Hamakua|Hāmākua]], [[Hilo, Hawaii|Hilo]], [[Puna, Hawaii|Puna]], [[Kau, Hawaii|Kaū]], [[Kona District, Hawaii|Kona]]...
. In 1835 he was hired by Honolulu merchant William French to start a commercial operation selling products of the wild cattle near the present town of Waimea. With his New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
education, Parker became accountant of French's business and managed a store called Puuloa.
Beef from these cattle was salted
Salting (food)
Salting is the preservation of food with dry edible salt. It is related to pickling . It is one of the oldest methods of preserving food, and two historically significant salt-cured foods are dried and salted cod and salt-cured meat.Salting is used because most bacteria, fungi and other potentially...
and sold to 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...
vessels. Live cattle were driven down to the harbor at Kawaihae
Kawaihae
Kawaihae is an unincorporated community on the west side of the island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii, north of Kailua-Kona. Its harbor includes a fuel depot, shipping terminal and military landing site. Outside of the man-made breakwall of the harbor is a popular surf spot and the Pua...
and shipped to Honolulu. Meat, animal products, and hides were shipped to South America and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Salted beef eventually replaced the increasingly scarce sandalwood
Santalum
Santalum is a genus of woody flowering plants, the best known and commercially valuable of which is the Indian Sandalwood tree, S. album. Members of the genus are trees or shrubs. Most are root parasites which photosynthesize their own food but tap the roots of other species for water and...
as the island’s chief export.
On January 8, 1847, Parker acquired some land in the remote uplands of Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea is a volcano on the island of Hawaii. Standing above sea level, its peak is the highest point in the state of Hawaii. However, much of the mountain is under water; when measured from its oceanic base, Mauna Kea is over tall—significantly taller than Mount Everest...
at about 3500 feet (1,066.8 m) elevation at 19°59′48"N 155°33′29"W called Mānā.
Mānā means "arid" in the Hawaiian language
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
.
The first Parker homestead was a small cottage called Hale Mānā at this site. After the Great Mahele
Great Mahele
The Great Mahele or just the Mahele was the Hawaiian land redistribution act proposed by King Kamehameha III in the 1830s and enacted in 1848.-Overview:...
allowed private land ownership, he purchased 640 acres (2.6 km²) around Mānā in 1850 and another thousand acres in 1851. More land was leased from 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...
, and the ranch continued to grow.
Over time Parker switched from hunting wild animals to domesticating and raising them in fenced paddocks.
His son John Palmer II married Hawaiian Hanai on October 6, 1845, and then after her death, Leiakaula on January 3, 1865. Ebenezer married Kilia June 7, 1849.
Parker also developed orchards and a dairy operation. Despite the death of his son Ebenezer in 1855 and a drought in 1856, he added yet more land in the area known as Paauhau by 1861.
After his first wife Kipikane died, he married another Hawaiian woman named Leiakaula. His health began to fail in 1867.
Parker died August 20, 1868 on 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...
and was buried back at the family cemetery near Hale Mānā.
He was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners
Hall of Great Westerners
The Hall of Great Westerners was established by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1958. Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.A., the Hall was created to celebrate the contributions of men and women of the American West...
at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of American rodeo, photographs, barbed wire, saddlery, and early rodeo trophies...
in 2008.
The ranch would be inherited by John Palmer II and Ebenezer's son Samuel Parker
Samuel Parker (Hawaii)
Samuel Parker, known as Kamuela Parker was a major landowner and businessman on the island of Hawaii, heir to the Parker Ranch estate...
(only 15 years old at the time).
John Palmer II took over operation of the ranch, although he was appointed to the upper House of Nobles in the legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom
Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom
The Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom was the bicameral legislature of the Kingdom of Hawaii. A royal legislature was first provided by the 1840 Constitution and the 1852 Constitution was the first to use the term "Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom", and the first to subject the monarch to...
in 1873.
Son Samuel became more active in politics, so after John II's death Alfred Wellington Carter
Alfred Wellington Carter
Alfred Wellington Carter was a lawyer and judge in the Republic of Hawaii and the Territory of Hawaii who managed the Parker Ranch.-Life:...
became ranch manager.