Jonathan Smith Green
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Jonathan Smith Green (September 29, 1796 – January 5, 1878) was a missionary from
New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
to the
Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi, was an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaii ...
.


Life

Green was born December 20, 1796, in
Lebanon, Connecticut Lebanon ( ) is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 7,142 at the 2020 census. The town lies just to the northwest of Norwich, directly sou ...
, to Beriah and Elizabeth Green.
Beriah Green Beriah Green Jr. (March 24, 1795May 4, 1874) was an American reformer, abolitionist, temperance advocate, college professor, minister, and head of the Oneida Institute. He was "consumed totally by his abolitionist views". Former student Alexan ...
(son of the previous) was his older brother. He graduated from
Andover Seminary Andover Newton Theological School (ANTS) was a graduate school and seminary in Newton, Massachusetts, affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA and the United Church of Christ. It was the product of a merger between Andover Theological ...
in September 1827 and, while waiting a specific charge, organized a Sunday school and stood for ordination in Brandon, Vermont. On September 20, 1827, he married Theodosia Arnold (1792–1859) of
East Haddam, Connecticut East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 8,875 at the time of the 2020 census. History Until 1650, the area of East Hadd ...
. They traveled to
Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
by March 30, 1828, on the ''Parthian'', as part of the third company from the
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was among the first American Christian mission, Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. In the 19th century it was the l ...
. Other members of this company were
Lorrin Andrews Lorrin Andrews (April 29, 1795 – September 29, 1868) was an early American missionary to Hawaii and a judge. He opened the first post-secondary school for Hawaiians called Lahainaluna Seminary, prepared a Hawaiian dictionary and several works ...
and Gerrit P. Judd. He left his wife an exploratory took a trip to the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...
coast of America in 1829 for the mission. The family was assigned to
Lahaina, Hawaii Lahaina (; ) or Lāhainā is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, Hawaii, United States. On the northwest coast of the island of Maui, it encompasses Lahaina town and the Kaanapali and Kapalua beach resorts. At the 2020 census (be ...
, on the island of
Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...
until 1831, then
Hilo Hilo () is the largest settlement in and the county seat of Hawaii County, Hawaiʻi, United States, which encompasses the Island of Hawaiʻi, and is a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 census. I ...
for one year. In 1833 they moved to
Wailuku, Hawaii Wailuku is a census-designated place (CDP) in and county seat of Maui Island, Maui County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 17,697 at the 2020 census. Wailuku is located just west of Kahului, at the mouth of the Iao Valley. In th ...
, back on Maui, and built one of the first permanent houses there. In 1836 the Greens founded a girls' boarding school called the Wailuku Female Seminary. Their house is now the
Bailey House Museum Hale Hōʻikeʻike at the Bailey House (House of Display at Old Bailey House, formerly and commonly the Bailey House Museum) is a museum of Hawaiian history and art located in Wailuku, on the island of Maui, in Hawaii. It is owned and operated ...
. He helped Lorrin Andrews translate the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
into the
Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a critically endangered Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family, originating in and native to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the native language of the Hawaiian people. Hawaiian, along with English, is an offi ...
, and published the first book on the history of the Christian church in Hawaiian. He resigned from the
Congregational Church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...
in 1842 along with Andrews because he thought it should take a tougher stand against slavery. He refused to wear cotton clothing, since it was generally picked with slave labor. In 1843 he became an independent pastor and experimented with agriculture. He was an early member of the Royal Hawaiian Agricultural Society, founding a local chapter and published reports of his progress growing
wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...
and other non-tropical crops at higher elevations. In 1844 he published a biography of an early convert who was known as "Blind Bartimeus", after the biblical character, born with the Hawaiian name Puaaiki. At the suggestion of local chief Kiha, he founded the independent Pookela Church in
Makawao Makawao is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 7,297 at the 2020 census. Located on the rural northwest slope of Haleakalā, the community is known for being the hub of Upcountry Maui, a p ...
on land donated by King
Kamehameha III Kamehameha III (born Kauikeaouli) (March 17, 1814 – December 15, 1854) was the third king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name was Keaweaweula Kīwalaō Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula K ...
, conducting services in the Hawaiian language. The expression ''Pookela'' means "foremost". Pookela Church is located at 200 Olinda Road, . His first wife Theodosia died in 1859 after having four children. He took a trip back to the mainland, and then married Asenath Cargill Spring (1820–1894) from
Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...
, in 1863. Green had conducted services from about 1857 in English in his home. He founded a congregation called the "Pāia foreign church" because English was the foreign language of the
Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi, was an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaii ...
at the time, and the location was closer to the
sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...
near the coastal town of Pāia. In April 1861 the church was commissioned by minister of the interior Prince Lot Kamehameha, who would later become King
Kamehameha V Kamehameha V (Lota Kapuāiwa Kalanimakua Aliʻiōlani Kalanikupuapaʻīkalaninui; December 11, 1830 – December 11, 1872), reigned as the fifth monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi from 1863 to 1872. His motto was "Onipaʻa": immovable, firm, s ...
. It was then called the Makawao Union Church. In 1870,
Henry Perrine Baldwin Henry Perrine Baldwin (August 29, 1842 – July 8, 1911) was an American businessman and politician on Maui in the Hawaiian Islands. He supervised the construction of the East Maui Irrigation System and co-founded Alexander & Baldwin, one of the " ...
his wife, Emily Alexander Baldwin, and their children joined the church. Henry served as organist for over forty years. Baldwin and his brother-in-law became wealthy co-founders of
Alexander & Baldwin Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. is an American company that was once part of the Big Five companies in territorial Hawaii. The company currently operates businesses in real estate, land operations, and materials and construction. It was also the last ...
. On January 5, 1878, Green died; Asenath Green would maintain the church until she died in 1894, and then daughters Mary and Laura. The family is buried at the Makawao Union Church cemetery. His son Joseph Porter Green was born October 30, 1833, served at the church, and was elected to the
legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom The Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom () was the bicameral (later unicameral) legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom. A royal legislature was first provided by the 1840 Constitution and the 1852 Constitution was the first to use the term Legi ...
in 1860. J. Porter green married Hariette Fowler Parker (1837–1912) on June 23, 1864, and their daughter Mary Theodosia Green (1865–1936), married Henry Harrison Wilcox (1868–1899) who was son of missionary Abner Wilcox (1808–1869) . J. Porter Green died June 26, 1886, in Honolulu.


References


Further reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Jonathan Smith 1796 births 1878 deaths People from Lebanon, Connecticut American Congregationalist missionaries Congregationalist missionaries in Hawaii History of Maui American expatriates in the Hawaiian Kingdom