Bishop Museum Announces Project to Create Online Access to the Judd Family Papers

# Bishop Museum Announces Project to Create Online Access to the Judd Family Papers

The manuscripts comprise a significant collection documenting the history of Hawaiʻi

Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, through the support of a $150,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Native Hawaiian Library Services program, announces Hō Mai ka ʻIke: Reconnecting with the Judd Family Papers. The two-year project will create online access to a significant archival collection documenting the history of Hawaiʻi.

The Judd Family Papers includes journals, documents, and correspondence written from 1823 to 1903, a period of tremendous cultural and political change in Hawaiʻi. While members of the Judd family such as Gerrit Parmele Judd, M.D., Laura Fish Judd, and Albert Francis Judd Sr. feature prominently, the collection encompasses a wide range of authors including King Kamehameha III, Timoteo Haʻalilio, John Papa ʻĪʻī, Robert Crichton Wyllie, Joseph Nāwahī, and Charles Reed Bishop.

"The project will dramatically improve access for all of the Judd Family Papers, with a particular focus on the materials in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language)" said Nathanael Smith, Bishop Museum Hō Mai ka ʻIke project manager. "While the English language materials have been accessible in-person via a finding aid for some time, documents written in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi have never been fully described and so remain very difficult for researchers to navigate. The IMLS grant supports cataloging the entire collection, digitizing the materials in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, and making both the catalog and newly digitized materials freely available online."

"'Hō mai ka ʻike' means to bring forth knowledge," said Brandon Bunag, Bishop Museum vice president of public programs and interim director of education. "The project will make accessible to our community a generally unknown resource compiled by individuals with over a century of involvement in Hawaiian political, social, religious, health, and economic affairs, written in both English and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. It will provide greater insight to and understanding of Hawaiian history, language, and culture. Most importantly, it will unite our community with the knowledge that we have the privilege of stewarding."

The project will substantially improve the arrangement and description of an estimated 2,400 items in the collection written in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and prioritizes their digital preservation and free online access. In total, the Judd Family Papers comprise 42 linear feet of manuscript material in English and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

More information about the project will be posted at BishopMuseum.org.

About the Judd Family:

Dr. Gerrit Parmele Judd (1803-1873) and his wife Laura Fish Judd (1804-1872) came to Hawaiʻi in 1828 in the company of missionaries sent by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to convert Native Hawaiians to Protestant Christianity. Dr. Judd was a trained physician and put his skills to work immediately upon arrival, attending to the needs of both missionaries and Native Hawaiians. In the course of this work, he proved valuable to a number of aliʻi (chiefs), especially Kaʻahumanu, Kuhina Nui (Prime Minister) of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. This earned him the trust of many in the royal family who, while initially asking him to serve as an interpreter, gradually came to rely upon his counsel for a wide range of state matters. Dr. Judd would ultimately resign his place in the mission, accepting a royal appointment to government office in 1842.

The scope of Dr. Judd's government role quickly expanded. He held various titles throughout his career, including Recorder and Translator, President of the Treasury Board, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of the Interior, and Minister of Finance. He was a member of the House of Nobles as well as the House of Representatives, in addition to being a member of King Kamehameha III's Privy Council for nearly a decade. While serving in these offices, Dr. Judd originated or managed a vast array of government initiatives.

Dr. Judd and Laura Fish Judd's fifth child, Albert Francis (1838-1900), would follow his father into public service at the highest levels of the Hawaiian government. His career began in the military, as a Captain in the Hawaiian Cavalry. He then went on to serve in the House of Representatives, the House of Nobles, and as Attorney General. He was on the Privy Council from 1873 until the Kingdom was overthrown in 1893. He was named Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in 1874, then Chief Justice in 1881. He held this position until his death in 1900. In total Albert Francis Judd held the title Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for over 25 years.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS):

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. They advance, support, and empower America's museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Their vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow IMLS on Facebook and Twitter.