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Based on information we have thus far, we know that Grandma Emma Kai was born March 10, 1890 in Wailuku, Maui, Territory
of Hawaii, to Kili Kealawaiole and Laielohelani "Laie" <Kuehu>. She was the fourth child of five.
Her mother, Laie, re-married about 1898 to a Paul Kea and moved to the island of Oahu from Maui. U.S. Census documents
(1910) indicate that Grandma Emma Kai (about 20 years of age) and her younger brother, James Kaohe Kealawaiole,
were counted in the household of Paul Kea and Laie on Ohua Lane in Honolulu. Her occupation is listed in the
Census as a book binder for a local printing shop.
Laie died the following year after the 1910 Census - September 9, 1911. It appears that Paul Kea remained close
to the family, even after Laie's death, as his signature appears on Dorothy Laie Gasper's Birth Certificate as
"informant" and may have been present or witnessed her birth.
The first child born to Grandma Emma Kai and Papa Gasper was a girl, whom they named, Dorothy Laie Gasper. Dorothy
Laie was born October 26, 1912. The place of birth is listed as Ohua Lane. Their second child was a boy,
whom they named Lorenzo Gasper. He was born July 20, 1914. Their third child, Emma Julia Gasper, was born
July 19, 1916.
Grandma Emma Kai died March 14, 1918, less than two years after the birth of Emma Julia, as a result of a congenital
heart valve defect. She was about 28 years of age at the time of her death.
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| Kawaiaha'o Church - January 2005 |
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| click on photo for larger image |
The Final Resting Place
While conducting research on our family history, I learned that no one in our family seemed to know the final resting
place of Grandma Emma Kai. Her death certificate indicated that she was buried in the Keamoiliili Cemetery in Honolulu
(Oahu) March 16, 1918. We had information that the remains of those buried or interred in the cemetery had been
relocated, due to freeway construction, to a location unknown to us.
January
7, 2005 I traveled to Oahu to attend the memorial service of my Aunty Aloma. While in Honolulu, I was fortunate to meet
with Mr. Tim Young, who is on the Board of Trustees of Kawaiaha'o Church. He is also responsible for the church archives
and the Kawaiaha'o Church Cemetery.
Mr. Young was very helpful and gracious enough to allow me to meet
with him to look for the gravesite of James Kaohe Kealawaiole. We confirmed, through cemetery burial records, that James
was in fact buried at the Kawaiaha'o Church Cemetery, March 31, 1920. Though we have confirmed this information, his
gravesite is unmarked and the family plot in which he is buried remains a mystery and will require further research to locate.
I
told Mr. Young that I was also trying to locate the burial site of my great-grandmother and inquired as to whether he knew
where the remains of those buried in the Keamoiliili Cemetery had been relocated. His response, "I'm glad you asked
- they're buried here!"
Mr. Young explained to me that notices of pending relocation were
sent to surviving family or responsible parties, on record, for the remains of those buried or interred at Keamoiliili Cemetery
on or prior to 1967 and 1968. This relocation was due to new development and construction in the area, which included
the land on which the Cemetery was located.
Some answered these notices and relocated the remains of their loved ones, while some allowed relocation to Kawaiaha'o
Church Cemetery. A great majority of these notices went unanswered. As such, those remains, many of which were
unidentified (unmarked graves, no responsible parties, etc.), were relocated to Kawaiaha'o Church Cemetery and buried together.
| Keamoiliili Cemetery Bell at Kawaiaha'o Church |
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The Bell
Mr. Young told me that the remains of those relocated from Keamoiliili Cemetery, to Kawaiaha'o Church Cemetery,
are buried together in a plot which is marked by a bell, which was also from the Keamoiliili Cemetery. Mr. Young and
I both agreed that based on the information we have, Emma Kai Kealawaiole Gasper's, final resting place is in the
Kawaiaha'o Church Cemetery, in the plot marked by the Keamoiliili Cemetery bell.
James
Michael
(grandson of Emma Julia Cruz <Gasper>)
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