Laura Fish Judd (April 2, 1804October 2, 1872) was an American missionary, teacher and historian noted for her works on 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 ...

. In 1827, she married Gerrit P. Judd, an American

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

who was appointed advisor and minister of finance to 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 ...

Biography

Laura Fish was born to a family of seven to Elias Fish and Sybil Fish (née Williams) on April 2, 1804, in Plainfield, New York. She grew up in poverty after her mother's premature death. Her father also had an accident that left him disabled. Judd had to stay among relatives' households and village schools until she started teaching at age 16. She continued to work in this capacity to raise money to fund her education at Clinton Female Seminary in

Oneida County, New York Oneida County ( ) is a county in the state of New York, United States. As of February 26, 2024, the population was 226,654. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois League or '' ...

. Judd became a Protestant missionary when she was nineteen and was involved in missionary work in Mexico, New York. Later, she enlisted in a foreign mission to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) in the North Pacific Ocean. Judd married Gerrit P. Judd on September 20, 1827. The couple had nine children. She died on October 2, 1872, in

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 ...

Career

Weeks after their marriage, Judd and her husband and other missionaries sailed on the ship ''Parthian'', departing from Boston on November 3, 1827, and landing on

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

on March 30, 1828. They were part of the third company of missionaries sent by 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 ...

(ABCFM) to evangelize the Hawaiian Islands. An account stated that she learned the local language quickly and assisted her husband as he practiced

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

, preached as a missionary, and taught young students. Judd developed a strong relationship with Queen

Kaʻahumanu Kaʻahumanu (March 17, 1768 – June 5, 1832) (''"the feathered mantle"'') was queen consort and acted as regent of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi as Kuhina Nui. She was the favorite wife of King Kamehameha I and also the most politically powe ...

, the widow of King

Kamehameha I Kamehameha I (; Kalani Paiʻea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiʻikui Kamehameha o ʻIolani i Kaiwikapu kauʻi Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; to May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii ...

, who asked Judd to live with her and teach her how to make western dresses. She wrote how "Kaahumanu treated us he missionary wiveslike pet children" and "could dandle any of us in her lap, as she would a little child, which she often takes the liberty of doing". In 1832, she and other missionary wives created the first school for Native Hawaiian children. Previously, only the adult population had been educated. Judd started writing about Hawaii and her missionary work. When her husband retired as minister, for instance, she published his accomplishments in ''Honolulu... from 1828 to 1861'' (1880). Judd also recorded an account of

Queen Kalama Kalama Hakaleleponi Kapakuhaili (1817 – September 20, 1870) was a Queen consort of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Kingdom of Hawaiʻi alongside her husband, Kamehameha III, Kauikeaouli, who reigned as King Kamehameha III. She chose the baptismal name H ...

and her marriage to King

in 1837. Her work also included observations on Hawaiian culture such as her descriptions of Hawaiian dining etiquette and

cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, List of cooking techniques, techniques and Dish (food), dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Judd, Laura Fish 1804 births 1872 deaths People from Plainfield, New York American women historians 19th-century American historians 19th-century American educators 19th-century American women educators American Congregationalist missionaries Female Christian missionaries Writers from Hawaii Writers from New York (state) Burials at Oahu Cemetery Educators from Hawaii Congregationalist missionaries in Hawaii American emigrants to the Hawaiian Kingdom People from Honolulu Laura Fish Historians from New York (state)