by: Kāwika Kolomona Kamake'e'āina
August 1, 2011
Preface:
Using vital records to research mo'okūauhau (genealogy) is essential. The types of documents considered to be vital records are those that pertain to births, marriages, divorces, and deaths. The definition of vital records is determined by the state in which the documents are issued and kept. Some states also include baptismal, citizenship* and other documents in their list of vital records.
*See the Resources section of this article below for further information on citizenship records
The state of Hawai'i considers birth, marriage, divorce and death documents as part of their vital records collection.
History and Methodology:
Researching Kānaka Māoli (Native Hawaiian) mo'okūauhau (genealogy) can be challenging and doesn't get any easier when including vital records in your search.
It is important to note the Hawaiian words used for events such as births, deaths and marriages. This is helpful as most documents prior to; and some even after, the establishment of the Republic of Hawai'i in 1894 and the Territory of Hawai'i in 1898, were written in Ka 'Ōlelo Hawai'i (The Hawaiian Language).
- Birth: Hānau (primarily used), hanauna, ho'ohānau, hānau ēwe (premature), hānau 'e'epa (peculiar/unusual).
- Marriage: Male 'Ana (primarily used), noho pū 'ana, ho'āo, launa male (marriage relationship/rights), palapala male (marriage license), uku male (marriage fee), puke i kākau 'ia ka po'e male (marriage records), ho'omale (to perform the marriage ceremony), alohiki ('ohana united by marriage).
- Death: Make (primarily used), make loa.
- Figurative and poetic expressions of death: Hiamoe loa, hā'ule, lele ka 'uhane, lele ka hoaka, ala ho'i 'ole mai, mākūkoa'e, waiho nā iwi, moe kau ā ho'oilo, ā lele nui nā mauli, kani ka papa wa'a, 'ao'ao mau o ka honua.
Source: Wehewehe: Hawaiian Dictionaries
Familiarize yourself with all variations of the terms birth, marriage and death as you may find one or more of them used when researching documents written in Ka 'Ōlelo Hawai'i. These terms were used in both the physical vital records and in newspaper and other written accounts of the events such as diaries, bibles, etc.
Missionaries began to keep death and birth records as early as 1826, but these records are few and far between. The Kingdom of Hawai'i began to keep records of births and deaths around 1853, but these records are incomplete prior to 1896 before and during the Republic of Hawai'i.
While some individuals did register the birth of a keiki (child), not everyone did and it was not mandated by law that parents do so. While some births were officially registered with the Kingdom of Hawai'i, Republic of Hawai'i or Territory of Hawai'i, it was not a common practice and enforcement of such was not put into place until after 1905, but the process proved difficult.
Prior to the 1890's, some births were kept by individual counties and districts in Hawai'i. But in some cases only the first name of the keiki and parents were listed. To add to the frustration, a Latin name may have been used for the keiki and/or parent(s), making it difficult to match the Hawaiian name of the individual(s) given at birth, to the Latin name.
Listings of births, marriages and deaths were also published in the various newspapers in Hawai'i between the mid-1850's and early 1900's.
In 1911, the Territory of Hawai'i began to issue Delayed Birth Certificates. These documents were a way for individuals born prior to 1911, to prove that they were born in Hawai'i. This was important as the Territory of Hawai'i; under the juridiction of the United States, was moved to conform to management standards for vital records. This meant that every individual living in the Territory had to have a birth certificate and other documents when they were married, divorced and death certificates would be issued to the 'ohana (family) upon the person's passing.
As part of the Delayed Birth Certificates (a.k.a. Certificate of Hawaiian Birth; DBC & CHB) process, an individual would attend a hearing in the pressence of the Secretary of State for the Territory (and subsequently the State) of Hawai'i. During this hearing, the individual applying for a Delayed Birth Certificate, would testify to the fact that they were born in Hawai'i. They would bring any evidence they had to prove this, including birth registry listings, newspaper articles, photographs, etc. Most would also bring witnesses along with them that could attest to the birth in the Kingdom, Republic or Territory.
These testimonies would be typed verbatim (word for word) and compiled into a document referred to as a Testimony for Certificate of Hawaiian Birth (Testimony for CHB). After the hearing, evidence and testimony presented, the Secretary of State would render a decision based on the facts. If the decision was in favor of the facts, the individual would then be presented with a Certificate of Hawaiian Birth (CHB). These documents would also be accompanied by a photograph; taken at the time of the hearing, of the individual applying for the DBC/CHB.
DBC/CHB's can contain important information as standard questions (i.e.: name of mother, name of father, place and date of birth, etc.) were asked of each applicant at the beginning of the hearing. While there have been known to be mistakes contained within the typed versions of these documents, they are not as common; or at least not reported and/or known. Despite possible errors, these documents are still important clues to your quest for information.
The Family History Libraries (FHL['s]) in Hawai'i have a collection of 50,000 delayed birth records (DCB/CHB's) and some also have the Testimony for CHB's. Recently; however, the FHL's throughout the state, have been transitioning the files back to the Hawai'i State Deparement of Health (DOH), yet some locations still maintain original and/or duplicate microfilms. Most times, only one or two FHL's contain these records, it is important that you contact the closest FHL to you in order to obtain the location of these microfilms. There is a nominal cost for a copy of each through the FHL's and is much less than the $10 per copy charge that DOH will apply to your request.
Marriage records are also hold important information. Beside the standard name of the groom and bride, they also contain the name of the parent or parents of each, along with the birth date and location of the bride and groom. Some also contain witnesses to the marriage, sometimes being members of the bride and/or groom's 'ohana. The individual performing the ceremony is also listed, which in some cases was also a member of the bride and/or groom's 'ohana.
Death certificates also carry vital information pertaining to the individual you are researching. This includes the individuals full legal name, date and sometimes location of birth, date and sometimes location of death. They may also contain the name of a spouse and/or parent, depending on the state from which the record is obtained.
Death records were also kept through the Social Security Death Index. This resource contains the first and last name of the deceased, date of birth, date of death, location the last Social Security Benefit (SSB) was sent to, state of residence upon death, where the Social Security Number (SSN) was issued and the last known address of the deceased. However, this only pertains to those individuals who elected to receive their SSB and does not contains information on individuals who did not exercise this option or have it available to them.
Birth, marriage and death announcements in Hawaiian language newspapers are not as extensive in the amount of information they carry as the actual vital record. However, this should not dissuade you from exploring this important resource. Sometime these listings contain variant spellings of individuals names, alternate locations of the event, etc.
Vital records are paramount when researching mo'okūauhau (genealogy) and can not be overlooked. They are contain key data and information that is exactly what their title implies, vital.
Resources:
There are several resources that can be employed in researching these documents. Below is a list of the top four resources used by researchers of Kānaka Māoli (Native Hawaiian) mo'okūauhau (genealogy) and can be accessed from anywhere if you have a computer with internet access. Each resource contains a brief description.
Other resources can be found within the Online Resources section of our website.
Note: Click on the name of the resource if it is bolded and highlighted in a different color to access that particular resource's website.
- State of Hawai'i Department of Health (DOH): Vital Records falls under the State of Hawai'i DOH and are maintained by the Office of Health and Status Monitoring. To obtain vital records from this division of DOH, you must complete specific forms that must be submitted along with payment. The forms can be easily access under the Research Aids section of our website and the category titled Vital Records-State of Hawai'i (click to access).
- Hawai'i State Archives Digital Collections: A digital collection and searchable database of births, marriages, deaths and some divorces as recorded in the original books kepts prior to the standardization of vital records. Many of these documents are in Hawaiian and handwritten. Some are difficult to read, but one is pressed to explore these records as they contain a vast wealth of information. To ensure you know what is written on a particular page, compair the handwritting to other samples of similar form. This will kokua (help) you with matching particular letters and determaning spelling.
- Ulukau: Hawaiian Genealogy Indexes: This resource contains a searchable (by first and/or last name) online database of marriage, divorce, death and citizenship records. The collection includes:
- Marriages:
- Hawai'i Island: 1832-1929
- Kaua'i Island: 1826-1929
- Maui Island: 1842-1929
- Moloka'i Island: 1850-1929
- O'ahu Island: 1832-1929 (Volumes 1 & 2)
- Ni'ihau Island: 1849-1856
- Divorces (by Circuit Court):
- First Circuit
- Second Circuit
- Third Circuit
- Fourth Circuit
- Fifth Circuit
- Deaths (by Probate Court Indexes):
- First Circuit
- Second Circuit
- Third Circuit
- Fourth Circuit
- Fifth Circuit
- Deaths (by Minute Books of Probate Court)
- Third Circuit
- Fourth Circuit
- Deaths (by Wills on file with the Circuit Court)
- First Circuit
- Misc. Other Circuits
- Citizenship:
- Naturalization
- Denization*
- Passports
*Denization is the "act of making one a denizen or adopted citizen; naturalization. Source: Webster Dictionary
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FamilySearch & the LDS Church: The LDS Church is a great resource for vital records and information pertaining to individuals in Hawai'i. Their catalogs of microfilm and other resources span the spectrum of vital records. One of their resources is the website FamilySearch.com, which contains a vast amount of information. The information can be in the form of documents, testimonies or patron submitted (entered/submitted by a patron/member of the church). They also have a resource called the International Genealogical Index (IGI) which is a worldwide list of names and selected vital data of more than 150 million individuals.