Preserving Hawaii’s Historic Cemeteries – Experts Share Their Knowledge in Annual Series
Lecture series focuses on preserving cemeteries By Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi Honolulu Star Advertiser, Jan 25, 2015 Stones speak to Nanette Napoleon. A tombstone, she points out, can be a revealing snapshot of the deceased's life, sometimes providing information that's not documented elsewhere. "Besides the date and place of birth and death, you may find the person's occupation, talents, accomplishments, family relationships, military service, cause of death, and religious and group affiliations," said Napoleon, founder and director of the Hawaii Cemetery Research Project, which underscores the importance of cemeteries not just as repositories for the dead, but as valuable historical, cultural and genealogical resources. The scope of her work has ranged from giving lectures and leading walking tours to compiling cemetery directories and writing a book ("Oahu Cemetery Burial Ground & Historic Site," 1998). While on a 1972 backpacking trip on Maui when she was a college student, Napoleon camped in an old Hawaiian graveyard in remote Kaupo. "That got me thinking about life and death and why we have cemeteries," she said. "After that I started hanging out in graveyards a lot and found them more and more interesting. Over time this interest became a full-blown passion, prompting me to want to document older sites that were in danger of being destroyed through increasing development." Napoleon has been studying Hawaii's historic cemeteries for more than 30 years and is the state's leading expert on the subject. Her Thursday talk on "Gravestones and History: Cemeteries as Genealogical Resources" will kick off the 28th annual historic preservation lecture series, themed "Preserving Our Historic Cemeteries." Nanette Napoleon stands by the King Street Catholic Cemetery, across the street from Straub Clinic & Hospital. Her talk on “Gravestones and [...]