Resources

Books

Travels in Hawaii

Travels in Hawaii, by Robert Louis Stevenson, gives first-hand insight into the daily lives and hospitality of the McCorristons in the late 1800s and early 1900s on Molokai. It additionally gives a beautiful overview of how travel was conducted in the Hawaiian Islands during the turn of the 20th century.

Meyer and Molokai

Meyer and Molokai, by Charles S. Meyer, is an invaluable source for information about Molokai in the mid- to late-1800s. Written in the 1980s by the son of Margaret Ann “Maggie” McCorriston Meyer (1867-1963), Meyer and Molokai paints a picture of the early days of European settlement in the Hawaiian Islands and informs the reader of the prominent families of the Friendly Isle.

Aloha America

Aloha America, by Adria L. Imada, focuses on the proliferation of hula and Hawaiian culture as it pertains to the Mainland US. Notably for the McCorristons, Aloha America helps clarify the relationship between Aunty Jennie Wilson, a one-time dancer in King Kalākaua’s court, and her Irish cousins and in-laws, the McCorristons.

Johnny Wilson: First Hawaiian Democrat

Johnny Wilson: First Hawaiian Democrat, is also a valuable resource to the McCorristons due to the connection to the family through his wife Jennie. Mayor Wilson spent years on Molokai—specifically in the Pelekunu Valley—and had interest in a ranch in Kamalō, home of the McCorristons.

Place Names of Hawaiʻi

Place Names of Hawaiʻi, by Mary Kawena Pukui, Samuel H. Elbert, and Esther T. Moʻokini, catalogues the origins of the names of cities, towns, buildings, street names, and more throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Entries includes historical tidbits about locations in Hawaiʻi. Place Names of Hawaiʻi briefly notes the background of the places in Hawaiʻi named after the McCorristons of Molokai.

Molokaʻi

Although a work of fiction, Molokaʻi uses real-world people and events to tell a beautiful story of surviving leprosy in late-19th century Hawaii. Fictionalized versions of McCorriston-adjacent people are woven into the story, including Otto Samuel Meyer (1854-1931), the husband of Margaret Ann “Maggie” McCorriston (1867-1963).

Websites & Other Online Resources

  • Atcherley.org.uk contains the family history of the Atcherley/Atcherly family of England, including Dr. John Atcherley of Hawaii

  • Ancestry.com is one of my go-to resources for research, particularly for census and immigration information. See the McCorriston family tree here: The McCorristons of Molokai on Ancestry

  • FindMyPast.com is particularly useful in verifying marriages in North America (including Hawaii!), Great Britain, and Ireland

  • FamilySearch.org, a project of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is helpful when it comes to Baptisms, births, and deaths

  • Newspapers.com is by far my favorite resource! While I primarily use it for birth announcements, marriages, and obituaries, a good, juicy story turns up every once in a while that makes it worthwhile! See articles about the McCorristons and their collateral lines here: The McCorristons of Molokai on Newspapers.com

  • Fold3.com (via my library) is an excellent resource for all things (U.S.) military

  • FindAGrave.com focuses on one thing: where and when people were buried

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