William Patterson Alexander
Encyclopedia
William Patterson Alexander (1805–1884) was an American missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii
. His family continued to influence the history of Hawaii.
on July 25, 1805. His father was James Alexander (1770–1821) and mother was Mary Rose Depuy (1765–1841). He attended Centre College
in Danville, Kentucky
and then Princeton Theological Seminary
. He was a distant cousin of Archibald Alexander
, the founder of the Presbyterian seminary. On October 25, 1831 he married Mary Ann McKinney who was born January 5, 1810 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
.
He was ordained October 13, 1831. They sailed on the Whaleship Averick, under Captain Swain, from New Bedford, Massachusetts
, November 26, 1831, and arrived at Honolulu, May 17, 1832.
Alexanders and the rest of the fifth company from the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
arrived in April 1832 to the Hawaiian Islands
.
They were sent on a scouting mission to the Marquesas Islands
(at the time called "Washington Islands") with Reuben Tinker and Samuel Whitney. On July 2, 1833 they then traveled back to establish a Marquesas mission with Richard Armstrong, Benjamin W. Parker with their wives via Tahiti
. However, they abandoned the Marquesas to European missionaries and arrived back in Honolulu on May 12, 1834.
The Alexanders were assigned to the mission at Waioli
1834 until 1843.
Looking for a drier climate, they were transferred to Lahainaluna School in 1843. After the departure of founder Lorrin Andrews
and death of Sheldon Dibble
, he became principal until 1856.
He preferred to live at cooler, higher elevations, and often camped at what would become Ulupalakua Ranch.
Although the American Board was withdrawing support, he continued to assist efforts such as the Kaahumanu Church
in Wailuku, Hawaii
from November 1856 until 1882.
He and his wife traveled back to New Bedford by April 1858 on a fund-raising trip, and returned by December 1859. He helped unite Presbyterian and Congregational churches into the Hawaiian Evangelical Association.
He died August 13, 1884 in Oakland, California
and was buried in the Mountain View Cemetery.
The Alexanders had 9 children:
The Baldwins were children of fellow missionary Dwight Baldwin
.
Mary Ann McKinney Alexander moved back to Maui and lived with family, where she died on June 29, 1888.
A street was named for him in Honolulu at 21°18′4"N 157°49′47"W.
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
. His family continued to influence the history of Hawaii.
Life
William Patterson Alexander was born in Paris, KentuckyParis, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,183 people, 3,857 households, and 2,487 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,222 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.23% White, 12.71% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.16%...
on July 25, 1805. His father was James Alexander (1770–1821) and mother was Mary Rose Depuy (1765–1841). He attended Centre College
Centre College
Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, USA, a community of approximately 16,000 in Boyle County south of Lexington, KY. Centre is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution. Centre was founded by Presbyterian leaders, with whom it maintains a loose...
in Danville, Kentucky
Danville, Kentucky
Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....
and then Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
. He was a distant cousin of Archibald Alexander
Archibald Alexander
Archibald Alexander was an American Presbyterian theologian and professor at the Princeton Theological Seminary...
, the founder of the Presbyterian seminary. On October 25, 1831 he married Mary Ann McKinney who was born January 5, 1810 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
.
He was ordained October 13, 1831. They sailed on the Whaleship Averick, under Captain Swain, from New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...
, November 26, 1831, and arrived at Honolulu, May 17, 1832.
Alexanders and the rest of the fifth company from the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was the first American Christian foreign mission agency. It was proposed in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College and officially chartered in 1812. In 1961 it merged with other societies to form the United Church Board for World...
arrived in April 1832 to the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
.
They were sent on a scouting mission to the Marquesas Islands
Marquesas Islands
The Marquesas Islands enana and Te Fenua `Enata , both meaning "The Land of Men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean. The Marquesas are located at 9° 00S, 139° 30W...
(at the time called "Washington Islands") with Reuben Tinker and Samuel Whitney. On July 2, 1833 they then traveled back to establish a Marquesas mission with Richard Armstrong, Benjamin W. Parker with their wives via Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
. However, they abandoned the Marquesas to European missionaries and arrived back in Honolulu on May 12, 1834.
The Alexanders were assigned to the mission at Waioli
Waioli Mission District
The Waioli Mission District at Hanalei Bay, on Route 560 along the north shore of the island of Kauai, is the site of a historic mission. The first permanent missionaries to the area arrived in 1834, and the district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.-Description:Wai oli...
1834 until 1843.
Looking for a drier climate, they were transferred to Lahainaluna School in 1843. After the departure of founder Lorrin Andrews
Lorrin Andrews
Lorrin Andrews was an early American missionary to Hawaii and judge. He opened the first post-secondary school for Hawaiians called Lahainaluna Seminary, prepared a Hawaiian dictionary and several works on the literature and antiquities of the Hawaiians. His students published the first newspaper,...
and death of Sheldon Dibble
Sheldon Dibble
Sheldon Dibble was a missionary to Hawaii who organized one of the first books on Hawaiian history, and inspired students to write more.-Early life:...
, he became principal until 1856.
He preferred to live at cooler, higher elevations, and often camped at what would become Ulupalakua Ranch.
Although the American Board was withdrawing support, he continued to assist efforts such as the Kaahumanu Church
Ka'ahumanu Church
Kaahumanu Church is a Church in Wailuku, Maui Hawaii. Upon visiting a religious service in Wailuku in 1832 by Jonathan Smith Green, Queen Ka'ahumanu requested that a more permanent church structure be named for her, but her request was not honored until 1876 when the current structure was built by...
in Wailuku, Hawaii
Wailuku, Hawaii
Wailuku is a census-designated place in Maui County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 12,296 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Maui County.Wailuku is located just west of Kahului, at the mouth of the Īao Valley...
from November 1856 until 1882.
He and his wife traveled back to New Bedford by April 1858 on a fund-raising trip, and returned by December 1859. He helped unite Presbyterian and Congregational churches into the Hawaiian Evangelical Association.
He died August 13, 1884 in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
and was buried in the Mountain View Cemetery.
The Alexanders had 9 children:
- William DeWitt AlexanderWilliam DeWitt AlexanderWilliam DeWitt Alexander was an educator, author and linguist in the Kingdom of Hawaii and Republic of Hawaii.He then constructed maps for the Territory of Hawaii.-Life:...
(1833–1913) married Abigail Charlotte Baldwin (1833–1913) in 1861. - James McKinney Alexander was born January 29, 1835. He graduated from Williams CollegeWilliams CollegeWilliams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
and Princeton Theological Seminary and died in 1911. - Samuel Thomas AlexanderSamuel Thomas AlexanderSamuel Thomas Alexander co-founded a major agricultural and transportation business in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Early life:In November 1831, the Reverend William Patterson Alexander and Mary Ann McKinney Alexander arrived in April 1832 as missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands...
was born October 29, 1836, married Martha Eliza Cooke, daughter of Amos Starr CookeAmos Starr CookeAmos Starr Cooke was an educator and businessman in the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was patriarch of a family that influenced Hawaii during the 20th century.-Life:Amos Starr Cooke was born in Danbury, Connecticut, December 1, 1810....
, co-founder of Castle & CookeCastle & CookeCastle & Cooke, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based company that was once part of the Big Five companies in territorial Hawaii. The company at one time did most of its business in agriculture...
on January 26, 1864. Samuel was a co-founder of Alexander & BaldwinAlexander & BaldwinFollowing World War II, the company entered a new business: land development and real estate. The company formed a new subsidiary, the Kahului Development Co., to develop housing in the Kahului area. In the following years, the company became more involved in the development of its land and the...
who died September 10, 1904. - Henry Martyn Alexander (1839–1910) married Eliza Yates Wight and then Ina B. Weist.
- Mary Jane Alexander (1840–1913) of which not much is known.
- Ann Elizabeth Alexander (1843–1940) married Charles Henry Dickey. Their son was architect Charles William DickeyCharles William DickeyCharles William “C.W.” Dickey was an American architect famous for developing a distinctive style of Hawaiian architecture...
, and daughter Belle Dickey married Pineapple planter James Drummond Dole. - Emily Whitney Alexander (1846–1943) married Henry Perrine BaldwinHenry Perrine BaldwinHenry Perrine Baldwin was a businessman and politician on Maui in the Hawaiian islands. He supervised the construction of the East Maui Irrigation System and co-founded Alexander & Baldwin, one of the "Big Five" corporations that dominated the economy of the Territory of Hawaii.-Life:Henry Perrine...
(co-founder of Alexander & Baldwin) in 1869. - Charles Hodge Alexander (1848–1885) married Helen Goodale Thurston (1860–1885), granddaughter of missionaries Asa and Lucy Goodale ThurstonAsa and Lucy Goodale ThurstonAsa Thurston and Lucy Goodale Thurston were in the first company of American Christian Missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands.-Asa Thurston:...
and Lorrin AndrewsLorrin AndrewsLorrin Andrews was an early American missionary to Hawaii and judge. He opened the first post-secondary school for Hawaiians called Lahainaluna Seminary, prepared a Hawaiian dictionary and several works on the literature and antiquities of the Hawaiians. His students published the first newspaper,...
, and sister of Lorrin Andrews Thurston. - Ellen Charlotte Alexander (1852–1924) married Giulio Ferreri and moved to ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
The Baldwins were children of fellow missionary Dwight Baldwin
Dwight Baldwin (missionary)
Dwight Baldwin was an American Christian missionary and physician on Maui, one of the Hawaiian Islands, during the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was patriarch of a family that founded some of the largest businesses in the islands.-Life:...
.
Mary Ann McKinney Alexander moved back to Maui and lived with family, where she died on June 29, 1888.
A street was named for him in Honolulu at 21°18′4"N 157°49′47"W.