The Hawaii Plantation Museum is hosting an event that could help residents learn more about their ancestors.
The Hawaii Plantation Museum is hosting an event that could help residents learn more about their ancestors.
Six volumes of books listing more than 22,000 Portuguese immigrants who immigrated to Hawaii from Sao Miguel and Madeira between 1878 and 1913 will be on display at the museum from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Kahealani Martins Curammeng, of the Portuguese Family History Collections of Hawaii, spent five years researching the names of thousands of Portuguese immigrants.
After his own experience of discovering his ancestors, Martins Curammeng decided to pursue this challenge to help the descendants of plantation workers find their families and learn about their history.
“Finding my grandfather took me 30 years, because his name has changed. The English changed many names when the Portuguese immigrated,” said Martins Curammeng. “That’s what got me going, and I decided I was going to set the records for everyone.”
Most names include birth, baptism and marriage dates. The books also list the ship each person took and their immediate family members who traveled with them or who were born shortly after their arrival.
Many names also have a passport number, Portuguese citizen registration number and passenger list number.
Martins Curammeng hopes to digitize his work and make it more accessible to the general public. Until then, Saturday will be the only day to look at the volumes of Portuguese immigrant names.
During the event, attendees will have the opportunity to visit the museum to learn more about the lives of Portuguese immigrants who immigrated to Hawaii.