George H. Dole Papers

The collection is made up of two sections, correspondence and essays (both arranged alphabetically by author). The bulk of the collection is by George H. Dole, with almost half of his correspondence to his wife Clara Rowell Dole and several letters to his children. Thirty-one of the forty-five school essays were written by George H. Dole. Many of the items, both correspondence and essays, include the use of the Hawaiian language. George and Clara sign some of their letters with their Hawaiian names (George as Heoki and Clara as Kaalala).

Correspondence: The 218 pieces of correspondence deal mainly with family events and daily activities, including churchgoing and visits with friends. The Hawaiian correspondence gives physical descriptions of Hawaii, commentaries on the Hawaiian government and details regarding the workings of sugar plantations. Some of the letters of George, Daniel and Charlotte describe their trips to America, giving an interesting look at travel in the 1870s. Daniel and Charlotte, while in America, visited Utah and met with Brigham Young. Two letters record their conversation with Young, in which they discussed polygamy and other church beliefs; the letters also give a description of the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. Thirty-nine of the 102 pieces of George's correspondence are typewritten letters from Riverside, California. The California correspondence deals with the Doles' visits to northern California and the birth of one of their grandchildren. The letters also give some descriptions of Riverside in the1890s. The letter from George H. Dole to William E. Rowell is an invitation to invest money in the Minnehaha Oil Company in Bakersfield, California (enclosed with the letter is a summary sheet for the proposed oil company).

Essays: The essays were written by several of the children who attended Daniel Dole's schools in Punahou and Koloa. The essays are about various subjects, a few regarding Hawaii's government and history. The essay entitled "The Last War of Kauai" discusses the events following the death of King Kamehameha II. The essay entitled "Dear Sir" is an explanation of Hawaii's government, and the unknown author gives some opinions regarding politicians of the time. The four newsletters were also written by students. Sanford B. (Sanford Ballard) Dole was the editor, and probably author, of The Koloa Evening Transcript.