Miller Family of Hawaii
A History and Genealogy of the Miller family ancestors from the Islands of Hawaii
HAWAIIAN DICTIONARY
wehewehe.org
Miller Family connections to the Iolani Palace
The sacred mound still contains the remains of some of our kupuna and is directly across from the original home of the kahu for the tomb, Kekāuluohi and her husband Charles Kanaʻina. The Miller family's connection here is from the generosity and aloha of Charles Kanaʻina.
When the couple married and moved into their new alii home, it was before the building of the Hale Aliʻi, when Kamehameha II ruled. The new King had converted to Christianity as well as other members of the Royal Family. At that time, Charles Kanaʻina was a kaukau aliʻi serving Liholiho on Kauaʻi. He moved to Oahu with Kekāuluohi and lived in the area known then as Pohukaina near Kekūanāoʻa and Kaʻahumanu.
Charles Kanaʻina and Liholiho are said to have been close Aikāne friends and Kekāuluohi was considered a Kamehameha of the ruling line. Called the first Western-style royal tomb in Hawaii, it was constructed for the bodies of King Kamehameha II and his queen Kamāmalu after their deaths in England. They were buried on August 23, 1825. It appears to have literally been designed to resemble the Brick Palace as that was still the Royal Palace at the Capital. Because Charles Kanaʻina was now married to a formal Kamehameha, and the King had died, the couple were made the formal guardians of the new Royal Tomb.
Charles Kanaʻina was either asked or obligated to find a replacement. He chose his first cousin, once removed as they were close in age and was of the same line. He brought in Kilinahe (k) from Maui to take over all of his royal duties. Instead of being sent off to one of the islands as a konohiki, he was given the position as Kāhili Bearer for Kaʻahumanu and the young Kamehameha III. While he performed these royal duties for the new Kuhina Nui (Queen Regent) and Aliʻi Nui (King) he lived with his cousin Charles Kanaʻina and wife in there first home on the land (a group of smaller wooden cottages before the two story brick house Lunalilo was born in).
Kilinahe would serve and live there for several years and would also serve as "Chief of Goods" during the Royal Tours of Oahu as a formal member of the House of Kamehameha.
I want to stop here and warn that the following is sensitive material, even if published for a very long time.
Kaomi was Kamehameha III's (Kauikeaouli) moe āikane. his male lover and his "engrafted" King whome he named after the death of Kaʻahumanu in 1833.
Needless to say, this didn't sit well with the missionaries. They kinda wanted him to marry a woman and the family kinda wanted him to have children...and heirs. So, eventually Kamehameha III was pressured into exiling Kaome and name a new Kuhina Nui. Word got out that he intended to name Liliha, the wife of Boki. At the time, politically, that was not popular because both Boki and Liliha were Catholics and when Boki died he left the Governorship of Oahu to Liliha and entrusted her with all of the young king's property. According to The Friend (1924) Kaʻahumanu was so upset with this that she took land from Liliha and gave it to Hiram Bigham. Kaʻahumanu also began to hear rumors of a planned rebellion so she had Liliha removed by her father Hoapili. By the time of Kaʻahumanu's death most of the senior members of the House of Kamehameha backed Kīnaʻu as Kuhina Nui.
In what would be the only mention of Kilinahe or the formal "House of Kamehameha" (written in that manner) that I found in reference sources, Samuel Mānaiakalani Kamakau wrote about the situation. Basically stating that in November of 1833, Hoapili (Liliha's father), Kekūanāoʻa, Kanaina and Kīnaʻu, along with armed royal attendants, including Kilinahe, went to the king's home to persuade him not to pick Liliha as Kuhina Nui. Hoapili begged the king to kill him if he should choose his daughter so the people would not blame him for her elevation. They pleaded with the king to choose Kinau as a true daughter of the House of Kamehameha. The King agreed.
Following after the death of Kīnaʻu as Kuhina Nui, Kekāuluohi was given the position, although she was actually in line after Victoria Kamāmalu, but she was not of age yet. Kekāuluohi ruled as Co-regent of the Kingdom until her death in 1845. Kilinahe would be named konohiki of Moanalua by Kamehameha III and would eventually be fired by Kamehameha V and move back to Maui until called back to Oahu in 1876 by Charles Kanaʻina to testify about the lost will of Kekāuluohi.
Ironically, he testified along with S.M. Kamakau. He was still in Oahu when Charles Kanaʻina died and himself would die a year later just before he was named a formal heir of his cousin Kanaʻina. Named along with Kilinahe was his wife, Lama and their children as well as the son of Kilinahe from his former wife who had passed. According to newspapers, Lama and her daughter Namakalele purchased land in Kalihi that were adjoining lots from the auction of Kanaʻina's land and from the monies they recieved. When Namakalele's Daughter Daisy married Samuel Miller, they moved into the Kalihi property and raised their 12 children there, including my grandmother Annie. My father also lived on the property for years while attending Kamehameha Schools. The home used to be within walking distance but...well, the land was just sold last December in order to pay off back taxes. I used to play there as I kid with 1st and 2nd cousins.
