Assumptions don't count in geneLogy. They can lead us into all kinds of wrong conclusions. They can be hints, but they cannot be the final solution by themselves.
I have family buried in a small cemetery at the base of Nuuanu Valley in Honolulu. It is called Maemae cemetery. There was once a small church on the property. Next door is Maemae School. It never occurred to me to ask where the name came from. I ASSUMED it came from the church.
In the online indexes of Maemae Cemetery there is a burial for Peter Ka'eo, cousin of Queen Emma and a member of what in the Western world would be referred to as a Royal Family. Ka'eo is the only member of his family listed at Maemae, indeed the only person of Alii rank buried here.
For several years a non-genealogist friend and I have had discussions about where Peter is actually buried. Not far fron Maemae Cemetery is the Royal Masoleum, Mauna'ala, burial place of most of Hawaii monarchs and their families. The monument for Queen Emma's family includes the name ofPeter Ka'eo.
My friend is used to a marker being placed only where a person is actually buried. Genealogy has taught me that memorial markers are not uncommon. They mark a person as part of the community or the family even if they are buried elsewhere. My husband's ashes were scattered; I placed a memorial bench in the cemetery in our little town.
Peter Ka'eo had been a leprosy patient --or had at least spent 3 years confined at Kalaupapa, the leper colony on Molokai. Perhaps he was denied burial at Mauna'ala because of this, I rationalized. I ASSUMED.
Then I found the obituary. His body was taken "to the burial place of the Chiefs, Maemae". The warning bells began to sound. There was a disconnect here, as if the obituary was describing two different places. Time for a reality check.
While at Mauna'ala I asked a friend who knows about these things. Was Mauna'ala ever referred to as Maemae? His look said it all. He pointed out that we were standing at the top of a small hill overlooking the city. "The whole top of this knoll is called Maemae," he said patiently.
Someone before me did not know that Maemae was a. place name before the church and it's graveyard were built. Someone took the obituary reference to Maemae as more important than the phrase "burial place of the chiefs". That person did not understand Hawaiian culture or know the old name for that little neighborhood. That person included Peter Ka'eo in a list of burials at Maemae Cemetery and there he has stayed --incorrectly--for too many years.
My lessons? Keep an open mind. Accep alternatives to your original hypothesis. Find the original record. Check sources. Read. Ask. Admit your mistakes. Keep learning.
