Wordless Wednesday: Hawaiian Ceremony?

When we went to Waimea Canyon and Koke'e State Parks on Kaua'i in Hawai'i on May 27 during our recent cruise, we witnessed a ceremony at the Pu'u O Kila Lookout (the furthest one out, where on a clear day - this was not -you can see the Kalalau Valley of the Na Pali Coast).

The ceremony started a little before noon and involved the young people pictured above. One of them blew on a conch shell to start it. Some were carrying musical instruments, most just a staff. It looks like the woman in the second picture who is separate from the line is sprinkling something. They did a lot of chanting (in Hawaiian I think), facing in one direction and then the other. The ceremony was quite long and we had to leave before they were finished, so we did not get a chance to ask them what they were doing. Anyone have any ideas?

© Amanda Pape - 2010

Tombstone Tuesday: Brosig Kolajajck, S1c, 1915-1941

On our recent trip to Hawaii, I took a close-up of one of the many names in the Arizona Memorial shrine. The name is B. Kolajajck, S1c, which my aunt told me was the brother of a fellow nun. He was one of 1177 sailors and marines that died on the USS Arizona in the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941.

I did a little research and found out this was Brosig Kolajajck, Seaman First Class. I was able to find him on the 1930 census (spelled as Brozac Koleyojack), age 14. He was living in Anderson, Grimes County, Texas, with his parents, Frank (age 46) and Maggie (age 35); sisters Elizabeth (19), Martha (12), Mary (10), and Margareta (6); and brothers Lewis (8) and Howard (aka Harold M.) (4). All of them were born in Texas, but Frank's father was born in Ohio and his mother in Poland. Maggie first married at age 19, so Brosig was her oldest child, but Frank first married at age 22, so Elizabeth is a daughter from that previous marriage. Frank is listed as a farmer, and Maggie, Elizabeth, Brosig, and Martha as farm labor.

The United States Department of Veteran Affairs shows the date of birth for Brosig to be December 4, 1915.

Mary, born September 12, 1919, became Sister Juliana Kolajajck, CVI. She passed away November 6, 2004, and is buried at Forest Park Cemetery, Houston, Texas.

© Amanda Pape - 2010

Wordless Wednesday: Plumeria (aka Frangipani), Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

Taken outside Holy Innocents Episcopal Church on 24 May 2010. This flower is often used in making leis. My mother used to grow frangipani in Houston when I was a kid.

I've been home from Hawaii over three weeks now, and am still not even halfway through going through my photos, editing and uploading them! The goal is to hit that halfway point later tonight...

© Amanda Pape - 2010

Tombstone Tuesday: USS Arizona Survivors

Inside the USS Arizona Memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii, there is a listing of men who survived the initial attack on the Arizona on December 7, 1941, but later chose to be interred with their shipmates. According to a National Park Service (NPS) website,

Since the early 1980s, the cremated remains of men who served aboard USS Arizona have been deposited at the USS Arizona Memorial. Pearl Harbor survivors -- those men who were formally assigned to the ship on December 7, 1941 -- may have their ashes entombed within the ship, while other USS Arizona veterans may have their ashes scattered on the water directly over the vessel.

The most recent interment, of retired Lieutenant Commander Anthony Robert Schubert (then an ensign), occurred on May 7, 2010, about two weeks before our visit to the Memorial. Our tour guide, NPS ranger Kennedy Forsythe, described the ceremony, where at the end an NPS diver holds the urn of cremains above his/her head while slowly descending "into the open barbette of gun turret number four and proceed to a large open 'slot' that measures approximately 6" x 5'. The urn is placed into this slot and slides into the ship," (according to an NPS FAQ).

The ship is still leaking oil--you can sometimes see an oil sheen on the surface around the memorial. The "official" word is that the Arizona will leak for another 50-75 years, but the legend is that she will stop leaking once all of the survivors have passed away. There are at least 21 survivors left as of today. Forsythe said that all have announced that they plan to be interred in the Arizona with their shipmates. The ranger said that the survivors believe that the Arizona is "crying" and that will stop once the entire crew is together again.

© Amanda Pape - 2010

Sentimental Sunday: Happy Father's Day, Dad! (Fred Pape)

These photos were taken sometime between April 4, 1957 (when I was born - yup, the nekkid baby is me) and the end of September 1957, the date stamped on the prints that indicates when they were processed. My parents were living in Chicago, Illinois, then, but I think these pictures might have been taken on a visit to Houston - note the palm tree in the background.  I'm guessing summer - maybe even Father's Day. Dad was 28 then and he is 81 now. Notice all the diapers hanging on the clothesline!


© Amanda Pape - 2010

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week 24 - Library Classification Systems

I'm so behind on all these challenges! I decided to do a quick post on this one...being a librarian and all...

The Week 24 challenge (developed by my friend Amy of We Tree and hosted by Geneabloggers.com) was:

Read about the differences and understand the different ways of classification. You may have heard of the Dewey Decimal Classification system, but do you really know its nuts and bolts? What about the Library of Congress system? Check out some web sites for summary information on Dewey Decimal Classification, Library of Congress Classification (including Understanding LoC Call Numbers). Don’t worry if it seems confusing. Just look at the categories and ways library items are organized. Do you see other areas that may include books of genealogy interest? Explore those areas of your library for other materials. Bloggers are encouraged to share their experiences with this challenge.

I was reading Tina Lyons' post for this week about the classification system used at the Allen County (Indiana) Public Library's Genealogy Center and was thinking...hmm, that sure sounds like it's based on Dewey.

Looks like it is. I found a great guide at the St. Louis County (Missouri public) Library website: an alphabetical listing of counties in each state and their Dewey Decimal numbers. For example, here is the page for the 254 counties in Texas.

My workplace, being a university, uses Library of Congress, but we have added a few things to the call numbers in our Local History and Genealogy room. The call number starts with "LOCAL HIST" but then is followed with the location the book deals with - either US, TEXAS, or the county name, for our county (ERATH) and the seven counties bordering it. The books are shelved in this room by these locations, which makes it easier for our patrons to browse them.

© Amanda Pape - 2010

Wordless Wednesday: Moa at Russian Fort Elizabeth, Kauai

Moa running away from me (the chickens!) at Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park just outside Waimea on Kauai, Hawaii.

Gone through about half of my 600 Hawaii photos so far...

© Amanda Pape - 2010

Tombstone Tuesday: St Benedict's Painted Church Cemetery (mauka), Captain Cook, Hawaii

This is a view of the upper or mauka (pronounced "mau-kah," in Hawaiian it means heading towards the mountains or inland) cemetery at the famous St. Benedict Roman Catholic Church (aka "The Painted Church") in the town of Captain Cook, south of Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. Click on the photo for a bigger view.

© Amanda Pape - 2010

Wordless Wednesday: Rainbow Eucalyptus on the Road to Hana, Maui, Hawaii

Rainbow Eucalyptus on the Road to Hana, May 23, 2010 © Amanda Pape 

OK, this has nothing to do with genealogy and everything to do with posting a photo of one of the neatest things I saw on the Road to Hana on our trip to Hawaii: Rainbow Eucalyptus trees (click on the photo for a larger view).

Been working on some of the Pape ancestry and hope to write about that a little more this weekend.

© Amanda Pape - 2010

Tombstone Tuesday: Honokalani Cemetery, Maui, Hawaii

In Wai'anapanapa State Park, on the Road to Hana.

© Amanda Pape - 2010

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Birthday, Eric! (yesterday)

My son Eric, born in 1986 at 4:12 PM, one month early (yes he was a preemie), weighed 7 pounds 6 ounces, 19 and 3/4 inches long, head circumference 13 and 1/2 inches.

He is now six foot six.

© Amanda Pape - 2010

Tombstone Tuesday: St Benedict's Painted Church Cemetery (makai), Captain Cook, Hawaii

Just got back yesterday from nine nights in Hawaii...

This is a view of the lower or makai (pronounced "ma-kigh," in Hawaiian it literally means "towards the sea") cemetery at the famous St. Benedict Roman Catholic Church (aka "The Painted Church") in the town of Captain Cook, south of Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. Click on the photo for a bigger view.

Hopefully back to regular blogging now...

© Amanda Pape - 2010