In July of 1863, the cousins Daniel McCorriston—one born in 1840 to Hugh McCorriston (1805-1848), the other born in 1845 to Hugh’s brother—departed their homes in County Londonderry, Ireland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and began a months-long voyage to the Hawaiian Islands. The cousins arrived in Honolulu on October 27, 1863, and, together with a later arrival of Hugh McCorriston (1836-1926) and Edward McCorriston (-1872), established a large, interconnected family that remains to this day. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Although all of the cousins—along with their cousin John C. McColgan (1814-1890)—all resided on Oʻahu, Daniel McCorriston (1845-1899) never resided on Molokai. We consider him the patriarch of the McCorristons of Honolulu.
As an aside: untangling which Daniel is which can get confusing. We relied heavily on dates, locations, professions, and industries to differentiate between the two.
A Little About Daniel McCorriston (1845-1899)
Daniel McCorriston (1845-1899) was a cabinetmaker and carpenter in the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi during the later half of the 19th century. He emigrated from Ireland in 1863, and was an active member in several fraternal orders, including the Independent Order of Good Templars and the Knights of Pythias. [6] [7] [8] [9]
Daniel married Jane Johnson (1848-1930) on October 27, 1874, and they had five children: Margaret Grace McCorriston (1876-1958), Frances Della “Fanny” McCorriston (1880-1966), Daniel Frederick McCorriston (1882-1955), Robert McCorriston (1884-1951), and Isabelle “Belle” McCorriston (1887-1972). [10] [11]
The McCorristons in Honolulu
During the later half of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century, the McCorristons became fixtures in Honolulu society. As previously mentioned, Daniel was a member of the Independent Order of Good Templars—a fraternal order similar to the Freemasons that promoted temperance—and the Knights of Pythias—a fraternal order and secret society founded in 1864 with a charter from President Lincoln. Daniel was an officer in both organizations, serving as the W.R.H.S. (unknown acronym) in the Good Templars and as the Outer Guard for the Knights of Pythias. He was also a member of the Honolulu Fire Department. [8] [9] [11]
Through marriage, Daniel and Jane were connected with Robert Love of Love’s Bakery, a current mainstay of baked goods in Hawaiʻi; with the Honouliuli ranch; and with the missionary Cooke family, partial heirs to Castle & Cooke Company. [12] [13] [14] [15]
Daniel’s and Jane’s sons, Daniel Frederick McCorriston and Robert McCorriston, were prominent businessmen in the 1910s-1940s. Daniel became a director of Theo H. Davies & Co., Ltd., a trading company founded in the 1840s, and Robert retired as the senior vice president of the Bank of Hawaii, in addition to sitting on the boards of several other companies. Both men were members of various clubs throughout Oʻahu. [16] [17]
Daniel’s and Jane’s daughter Belle was a member of the Daughters of Hawaiʻi, a benevolent society organized in 1903 whose object is “to perpetuate the memory and spirit of old Hawaii and to preserve the nomenclature and correct pronunciation of the Hawaiian language.” [18] [19]
The McCorristons of Molokai and of Honolulu
In the early years, there was a lot of crossover and contact between the McCorristons of Molokai and the McCorristons of Honolulu. Steamer passenger records show the Honolulu McCorristons going to Molokai, indicating a visit with their Molokai cousins. Near the end of the 19th century, Edward McCorriston (1872-1945) and Elizabeth McCorriston (1874-1931), the son and daughter of Daniel McCorriston (1840-1927) and Ann Nelson (c.1851-1907), lived on Oʻahu with their Honolulu cousins. [20] [21]
As time went on, however, the families divided along the lines of their ancestors and lost touch. On occasion, the two lines would cross again, as in one anecdote from Kapiʻolani Women’s and Children’s Hospital:
As the story goes, one of the (living, and therefore anonymous) descendants of Daniel McCorriston of Molokai met Dr. Colin McCorriston (1915-2001), a descendant of Daniel McCorriston of Honolulu, while working at Kapiʻolani. Dr. McCorriston was well known at the hospital, as he was the Chief of Staff of the Obstetrics department, and the two knew they were related because all (as far as we can tell) McCorristons in Hawaiʻi are related. They could not figure out what the connection was, however, and chalked it up to coincidence and losing the thread of information to history.
The McCorristons of Honolulu
The descendants of Daniel McCorriston and Jane Johnson are spread throughout Hawaiʻi and the Mainland US today. Many of their descendants settled on the West Coast of the United States, and can be found in California, Oregon, and Washington in varying numbers.
1. Daniel McCorriston (1845-1899), m. Jane Johnson (1848-1930)
2. Margaret Grace McCorriston (1876-1958), m. Charles Henry Smith (1868-1940)
7a. Theresa Marie Smith (1908-1983), m. Harvey Gail Miller (1908-1959)
7b. ‘‘, Kenneth Albert Tormoehlen (1909-1968)
8. Capella Frances Elizabeth Smith (1912-1993), m. Hollister McGuire Stolte (1911-2004)
3a. Frances Della “Fanny” McCorriston (1880-1966), m. Charles Woodbury Hudson (1872-)
9a. James W. Hudson (1904-1987), m. Mary Louise Evers (1901-1973)
17. Hudson (1932-)
9b. ‘‘, m. Myrna Ann Sedin (1899-1983)
10. Genevieve Eleanor Hudson (1906-2002)
3b. ‘‘, m. William Evans (1878-1922)
3c. ‘‘, m. Orville Whittinghill (1895-1940)
4. Daniel Frederick McCorriston (1882-1955), m. Nina Grace Craig (1887-1965)
11. Colin Craig McCorriston (1915-2001), m. Helen Elizabeth Doyle (1915-2015)
12. Jean McCorriston (1917-2000), m. William Irwin “Bill” Cunningham (1911-2005)
18. Patrick Daniel Cunningham (1943-2013)
19. Michael Craig Cunningham (1945-1974)
13. Patricia Anne McCorriston (1924-2004), m. Livingstone Porter, Jr. (1920-1994)
20. Daniel Frederick Porter (1949-2011)
5a. Robert McCorriston (1884-1951), m. Dorothy Hurd (1888-1928)
14. Mary Lou McCorriston (1920-1969), m. James Edward “Jimmy” Smith, Sr. (1914-1980)
5b. ‘‘, m. Dorothy Curry (1905-1984)
6. Isabelle “Belle” McCorriston (1887-1972), m. Edward Backus “Ned” Loomis (1884-1968)
15. Jane Loomis (1917-2009), m. Whitney Gerald Morse (1915-2008)
16. John Edward Loomis (1920-2008)
Version 1.0. Updated February 4, 2019.
Marine intelligence. New York. Sunday, Aug. 23. Arrived (1863, August 24), The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26249347/daniel_mccorriston_arrival_of_the/
“New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957,” database and digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : accessed 15 December 2018), search for Daniel McCorriston, arrived 1863; Year: 1863; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: M237, 1820-1897; Microfilm Roll: Roll 231; Line: 1; List Number: 764
Port of Honolulu, H.I. Arrivals (1863, October 29), The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26250132/daniel_mccorriston_am_bark_comet/
“Hawaii, Passenger Lists, 1843-1898,” database and digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : accessed 15 December 2018), search for Daniel McCorriston, arrived 1863; Hawaii State Archives; Kekauluohi Building, Iolani Palace Grounds, 364 S. King Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813; Series: Series 82
H. McCorriston, Kamaaina, dies in 89th year (1926, October 9), The Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26367065/hugh_mccorriston_obituary_1926/
1894-1895: Directory and Handbook of Honolulu and the Hawaiian Islands. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10524/12276
Cabinet Maker’s shop! (1873, May 24), The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27614456/daniel_mccorriston_cabinet_makers/
Notes of the week. (1872, November 9), The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27615426/daniel_mccorriston_member_of_honolulu/
Officers of Oahu Lodge, K. of P. (1892, July 22), The Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27614506/daniel_mccorriston_outer_guard_of_the/
Married. (1874, October 31), The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28305991/daniel_mccorriston_marriage_to_jane/
Daniel McCorriston dead. (1899, June 24), The Hawaiian Star. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25856113/obituary_of_daniel_mccorriston/
Married. (1860, June 7), The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27672064/fanny_johnson_marriage_to_robert_love/
“Love’s Bakery’s History,” LovesBakeryHawaii.com (http://lovesbakeryhawaii.com/about : accessed 11 February 2019).
Alfred Johnson dead. (1894, December 15), The Hawaiian Star. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26258484/alfred_johnsons_death_notice_brother/
Cooke-Love wedding. (1898, August 11), The Hawaiian Star. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28308056/lily_love_marriage_to_clarence_hyde/
Daniel McCorriston dies suddenly; rites tomorrow (1955, January 11), The Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27630334/daniel_mccorriston_obituary_1955/
Robert McCorriston, retired bank vice president, dies (1951, June 16), Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25713029/obituary_of_robert_mccorriston_sr/
Isabelle Loomis (1972, March 7), Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27502354/isabelle_mccorriston_obituary_1972/
Daughters of Hawaii. (1903, December 7), The Hawaiian Star. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27632309/daughters_of_hawaii_organization_1903/
Passengers. (1892, September 10), Evening Bulletin. Retrieved from https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27636408/mccorriston_maggie_and_fannie_riding/
1896-1897: Directory of Honolulu and the Territory of Hawaii. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10524/12275 (Original published in 1896)
