Dreaming Of Kilauea, Kauai: The Second Home of my Ancestors

I don't really have the money to travel. And, I'm physically disabled to boot! But if I had my druthers, I'd love to take a trip to Kilauea, Kauai, Hawaii. You see, that's where my Portuguese ancestors lived. Kilauea is very much a part of my family history.

It would be an amazing adventure to see the landscape that my ancestors knew, to walk through the cemetery and visit the church, to smell the ocean breeze, and to listen to the music they enjoyed. I can imagine my ancestors working and playing in those very same places.

I think it would be an incredible. This page is how I would imagine it. Join me in this journey.

[Photo courtesy of: guuzi at Stock.xchng]

Well, not my ancestors, but somebody elses! Not many people know that the ukulele was brought to Hawaii in the 1880s by Portuguese immigrants. Jose do Esperito Santo and Augusto Diaz are given credit as being the first to adapt the small Portuguese guitars known as the cavaquino or braguinha to create the instrument known as the ukulele.

I wonder if my ancestors enjoyed ukulele music. Maybe some of them played the instrument.

You need to go back to the sugar plantation era to find my ancestors in Hawaii. It was 1882. They came from the villages of Maia and Achada on the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores. They were poor laborers who owned no land. They were uneducated with no hope for advancement.

When agents for various Hawaiian sugar plantations came to the villages to recruit laborers, the poor peasants were ripe for recruitment. If you signed a plantation contract, you got free housing, a little garden of your own, medical care, education for your children, and a salary. My ancestors would never have this opportunity in the Azores. So, my Great Great Grandparents signed sugar plantation contracts, picked up their roots, and left the Azores for good.

My Pacheco relatives were assigned to the Kilauea Sugar Plantation in Kilauea on the island of Kauai. The de Braga's went to another plantation first. By 1890 both families lived and worked on the Kilauea Sugar Plantation.

I wonder what it was like for them to be so far from home. What it must have been like to live in a small secluded village on Sao Miguel Island and then to be introduced to the plantation life with different ethnicities all living together. Culture shock would be an understatement.

It would be great to visit the places that made up their world and try to experience what they might have gone through.

The Kilauea Lighthouse Point is an iconic view. It is easily recognize by those you haven't even been to the islands.

Sky Wall Decals can be adhered to your walls without a mess. They are safe for painted walls, too. Just peel and stick to any smooth location.

Can't get to Kilauea? Bring Kilauea to you! This is a beautiful shot of the coastline with the famous lighthouse standing out for all to see.

I think it is something magical to visit one's ancestral homeland, to visit the same places your Grandmother or Great Grandfather called home.

My Great Great Grandmother, Ana Jacinta (de Mello) Pacheco, was a widow when she brought her children to Hawaii. Despite the fact that she lived there for 20 years, there are no records of her existence on the island. That is, except for her tombstone.

I would love to visit the Kilauea Catholic Cemetery. There I would visited the burial sites of my relatives. I would stand before Ana Jacinta's grave site with it's fallen, crumpled stone. And, I would know that she had been there, that she really did exist.

There are several relatives buried in this cemetery. Though I have photographs of the tombstones, it would be wonderful to walk through, read the names, and leave flowers. Then others would know that there are people out there who still care.

My ancestors were probably part of the first class

The Kilauea School in Kilauea, Kauai, Hawaii was established in 1882. It's listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It once bordered the Kilauea Sugar Plantation.

The school opened the same year my ancestors arrived in Kilauea. My Great Grandfather, Theodoro Pacheco, was 6 years when they settled in Kilauea in 1882. I bet he was one of the first children to attend the school!

Portions of the complex are from the original school, however, the main building was built in 1922. This means that the descendants of my great great uncles and aunts attended this school.

I would still like to walk around the grounds and imagine my great grandparents walking to their lessons or playing with their friends. I would like to have a look inside the classrooms. I wonder if any of the school's history has been preserved. I am sure there must be photographs of the Pacheco's and their descendants who have attended this school over the generations.

My ancestors lived in the Hanalei District. This is the place they called home. In fact, I have relatives living there today.

You may know it for its famous lighthouse. Its background is one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world.

There's more to the island of Kauai than a lighthouse. Explore a lesser known area of the Hawaiian Islands. This handy guide can help you find the spots you might otherwise miss. Take the time to explore Hanalei and Princeville where my ancestors called home. You'll be happy you visited this island that a little further away from the tourist magnets.

The little Catholic church in Kilauea has a long history. Father Sylvester Strappers arrived in Kilauea in the early 1870s. As a community was growing around the Kilauea Sugar Plantation, he decided to establish a congregation in the area. He built the church that is still there today.

The church has an unusual octagonal shape. It's built from lava rock. There are frescoes created by the artist, Jean Charlot.

Very little information is available out St. Sylvester's Church. It is mentioned in "Pioneers of the Faith: History of the Catholic Mission in Hawaii (1827-1940)" by Robert Schoofs, c 1978. There is no mention of the church being rebuilt, which would be quite an accomplishment. St. Stephen's located in Moloa'a and built in the same era, was destroyed by constant tidal activity. Other churches were destroyed by weather and accidents over the decades.

My Great Grandparents, Theodoro Pacheco and Maria de Braga, were married in the church on 22 Dec 1895. Many of their cousins and the children of their cousins were also attended this church.

Kilauea is part of the Hanalei District, which includes some beautiful landscape as well as historic points. Here are some points of interest for you to explore.

One of the finest wildlife refuges can be found at Kilauea Point. It was established in 1985 to preserve an ecosystem unique to the Hawaiian Islands. It's where you'll find the famous lighthouse and the National Marine Sanctuary.

Thanks for coming along for this trip to Kilauea