As genealogists, we sometimes overlook the cause of death in records. The jargon is unfamiliar or the terms so old we can’t find them in modern dictionaries. What our ancestors died of can tell us a lot about the region where they lived and the times they lived in. Unlike names and dates, what they…
Author: Melody Lassalle
Child Laborers on Hawaiian Plantations
Not many know that children were a vital part of the Hawaiian sugar plantation work force. They were employed to do many jobs the adult workers did as well as many jobs that they didn’t. The Portuguese played an important part in providing a child labor force. Unlike Asians who migrated as individuals, the Portuguese…
The Importance of Nicknames in Portuguese Genealogy
In researching your family tree, you’ll come across an exorbitant amount of people by the names of Joao, Francisco, Manuel, Maria, Isabella, Alexandrina, Jacinto, Jacinta, Antonio, and Jose. It seems that every Portuguese family expecting a child referred to the same, very short baby name book. That why nicknames are so important to our research! …
Short Term Immigration to Hawaii
There is a small group of immigrants to Hawaii who did not stay very long. These individuals signed sugar plantation contracts, did their time in Hawaii, and left as quickly as they came. Most went to California, but some went to other parts of the US. A very small percentage went back home. These short…
Important Dates in Hawaiian History
You may not realize it but their were many important dates in Hawaiian history that changed Hawaii from isolated islands to a kingdom to a territory and then to statehood. This is a compilation of historical events as well as dates important to genealogists. The Hawaiian Island were populated long before James Cook made his…




