Titus Coan was an American protestant missionary to Hilo and its surrounding districts in the mid to late 1800's. His memoir provides a fascinating portrait of life in eastern Hawaii during a time of great upheaval in Hawaiian society. His descriptions of Hawaiian society, daily life, tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic activity from Kilauea and Mauna Loa are riveting. During our lifetimes, Mauna Loa has slumbered; it produced several destructive eruptions during the 1800's that threatened Hilo on than one occasion. Coan's descriptions of these eruptions and the fear felt by Hilo's citizens are a sobering reminder to those of us who live on this volcano's flanks that it may one day threaten our homes again. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and wholeheartedly recommend it to anybody interested in this period of Hawaiian history. Kindle
Interesting Kindle I don't live in Hawaii and have never been but what I appreciated about this book was how to reach out to others from other cutters. Kindle Fascinating memoir of one of the missionaries to Hawaii. Print is large and clear; author's style is plain, and this makes for easier reading than some other accounts. Coan was a prominent figure in the revival of 1838 39, though his descriptions of the event are prosaic the full impact of this revival cannot be appreciated unless other sources are consulted. Kindle ALL Hawaiians SHOULD READ THIS, ESPECIALLY THE ONES WHO KEEP TRYING TO BLOCK ALL PROGRESS ON THE ISLANDS LIKE THE TELESCOPES A TOP MAUNA KEA AND HALEAKALA. PELE IS NOT A god AND NEVER WAS. THE REAL HAWAIIAN CREATOR GOD I'O WOULD APPROVE OF EXPLORING HIS AWE INSPIRING CREATION, INCLUDING THE STARS AND THE REST OF HIS UNIVERSE. Kindle An interesting historical read about the early years of missionaries in Hawaii Kindle
Life in Hawaii: An Autobiographic Sketch of Mission Life and Labors (1835 1881): Revised 2nd Edition
Includes:
NCX Navigation with links to all chapters and sections
Interactive Table of Contents
Interactive Index
Life in Hawaii is a brief overview of the life and times of Titus Coan (1801 1882), an extraordinary man who lived during the early days of the colonization of Hawaii. He was born and raised in rural Connecticut, graduated from Auburn Theological Seminary and was ordained in 1833. In 1834 he sailed with his new wife, Fidelia Church, to Hilo, where he was to remain and make his lifes work for the next 48 years.
After learning and mastering the Hawaiian language, he won the confidence of the Hawaiians and converted thousands to Christianity. He set up schools, as did his wife, and provided medical assistance and comfort to a rapidly changing culture. He later established churches and trained native converts to act as missionaries among their own people.
He traveled extensively, and at times with great peril, throughout his island home and later to the Marquesas Islands. His adventures and descriptions of first time encounters with both the environment and the people are quite remarkable. This was a time of great excitement and great despair. Foreign interests in Hawaii, military engagements, visitors of renown, and Hawaiian Kings all provide a rather colorful backdrop against which his story is told.
In addition to his missionary labors, Titus Coan added a great deal to our knowledge of volcanic eruptions. He corresponded and worked with geologist James Dwight Dana, performed many observations, and published with the American Journal of Science. For decades he explored and recorded the volcanic activity on the island of Hawaii.
Titus Coan is perhaps best known for his books Adventures in Patagonia (1880) and Life in Hawaii (1882). Life in Hawaii: An Autobiographic Sketch of Mission Life and Labors (1835-1881): Revised 2nd Edition
