► King Kalakaua Intervenes

Excerpt from The Honolulu Star Bulletin
Clarice B. Taylor's Tales About Hawaii
June 30, 1953

NAME IS CHANGED BY KING KALAKAUA

Hidden Alii, No. 14

     Kalilioku Piianaia found her Chinese husband to be a perfect partner except for one thing. He wanted to make his oldest boy, Abraham, a Chinese gentleman.

     Akuna had all the virtues of a Chinese husband. He was a good provider, he cooked, tended the children and kept the family well dressed. When farming failed on Lanai,he brought his family back to Honolulu and engaged in business.

     By the time Abraham was entering his teens, Akuna had made enough money to go back to China and live as a Chinese gentleman.

     Kalilioku did not want to go to China. Akuna tried to talk to her into allowing him to return with just one boy, Abraham. He told her she could keep the other two boys and three girls.

KING KALAKAUA ACTS

     The distracted mother turne to King Kalakaua with her problem. She begged him to stop her husband from taking the boy out of Hawaii.

     Kalakaua agreed to forbid the boy leaving for China. He went further, he said he would protect all the children by officially changing their name to Piianaia instead of Akuna.

     And that is how it happens that the Piianaia children have their mother's name instead of their father's. In some obituaries the members of the family were identified as the son or daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Piianaa Akuna. 

     Akuna took the King's decision with grace. He gave up returning to China and lived in Honolulu with a son to a ripe old age. He was almost 90 when he died in the 1900s.

SENT TO ENGLAND

     Having kept Abraham Piianaia in Hawaii, King Kalakaua began to take interest in the bright young man. When he attained funds to send young Hawaiians to England and Europe to be educated, Abraham Piianaia was among the group. A friend John Lovell, was sent at the same time and returned at the same time.

     When he returned from England, Abrahama became Abraham St. Chad Piianaia as has been told before in this story. 

     During the residence at St. Chad College, Abraham St. Chad Piianaia made friends with an Englishman, Leopold Blackman. The friendship continued after Piianaia returned to Hawaii. 

     Eventually Mr. Blackman came to Hawaii and settled her. He became a writer on articles about Hawaiiana.

Next: The Weddng

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source: https://familysearch.org/patron/v2/TH-300-43958-0-84/dist.pdf?ctx=ArtCtxPublic

► Maria P. Chamberlain's 1846 Journal

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Thursday, January 15, 1959 - "Clarice B. Taylor's Tales about Hawaii"

     Bad health again forced Levi Chamberlain to take another recuperative sea voyage in 1846 and his wife Maria again kept a journal for his benefit.

     This time Mr. Chamberlain sailed in the Swallow, Captain John Dominis, for the China coast. 

"Honolulu January 3rd 1846
     "My Very Dear Husband, 
" -  I have baked the communion bread today and prepared the wine - It is three weeks since you left and I think you are approaching China -

     "Monday 5th A new term commenced at Punahou I went up with the children in our wagon - I made arrangements with Mr.and Mrs. Rice for James to become a boarding scholar - to room with Dwight Baldwin.

CLOCK STOPS
     "Wed. Feb. 5 The clock stopped this foremoon - Mr. B called - in the kindness of his heart undertook to put it to rights. He took it to pieces, stepped on the case of the piano scratched the case with the nails in his shoes and after working a while bade us good bye say I have done it no harm & I have done it no good.

     "Wednesday (March 12) A brig arrived in China. Dr. J(udd) sent up a note informing us that Mr. C has arrived in China and was quite sick. We received no letters and no other information.

     "Wednesday April 1 Had the great satisfaction of receiving letters & journals from my beloved husband and of hearing of the improvement of his health.

     "Thursday 23rd The children as soon as it was light went up to the garret to look for the Swallow.

DISAPPOINTED
     "Mr.Castle & Mr. Armstrong went down in a wagon to bring up Mr. C(hamberlain) and we waited breakfast, but they soon returned to inform us that it was the Schooner Shark from the coast.

     "Wed. April 29 Experienced another severe disappointed. Capt. Dominis' schooner was discovered about 10 a.m. We made every arrangement & preparation to welcome a beloved husband - Mr. Castle & Mr. Smith - returned to say he was still in China.

     "I had - letters from him and may expect him in the U.S. Friggate Columbus with Commodore Biddle in three months"

     NEXT: Kauai Trip.