Looking for the Guam Roots of John Paris
John Paris died in Honolulu in 1928. He is buried next to his wife on the grounds of Oahu’s Kawaiaha`o Church. This Church was the first Christian Church built in Hawaii, and the church where John married his wife Pauelua in 1877. John and his wife had three sons and two daughters.
It would take over 80 years for a descendant to start looking for the origins of her great-grandfather. With no knowledge of his life beyond the Hawaiian Islands, Yolanda Paris Sugimoto reached out to a researcher on Guam to help learn about the roots of her ancestor. The ensuing research would take the two on a journey across the ocean and back in time and yield surprising results that neither could have anticipated.
It would take over 80 years for a descendant to start looking for the origins of her great-grandfather. With no knowledge of his life beyond the Hawaiian Islands, Yolanda Paris Sugimoto reached out to a researcher on Guam to help learn about the roots of her ancestor. The ensuing research would take the two on a journey across the ocean and back in time and yield surprising results that neither could have anticipated.
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 WaterSky2 copyright Ron Castro Family Oral History
 copyright Maksym Bondarchuk
According to the Paris family, John came to Hawaii from Guam in the late 1800s. He was of Spanish origin and was known to have had another name "Demetrio." As far as the family informant knew he was always called "John." Descendents remember being told they were "Guamanian" but never knew about the Guam origins of their family. He was known to be of stern character and was a skilled leather worker making bullwhips, saddles and harnesses. He passed these skills on to at least one of his sons. He was a "Luna" or boss of a sugar plantation on the island of Kauai and later a farmer.
Pérez, Peres, Paries, Paris Perica or Perry?
In conducting this research we have found numerous spellings for the surname of the person who would eventually become known as John Paris. This is a common occurrence in historical records. The spelling of names is often dependent upon the recorder and how he hears the name. In the past, consistent spelling of names was not as important as it is today. Our research indicates that the records for John Perez, John Peres, John Paries, John Paris, John Perica and John Perry are all the same person. The photo above shows Juan Perez's signature on his Kingdom of Hawaii Naturalization paper in 1870.
Genetic Evidence
In order to scientifically establish a link between John Paris and Guam, his descendants had their DNA tested to compare with the DNA of individuals on Guam. The results were surprising!
The tests reveal that the Paris family is related to the family of the researcher, Jillette Leon-Guerrero. The tests suggest a relationship of 2nd to 3rd cousins between the great grandson of John Paris, Benjamin Paris, and Justo Torre Leon - Guerrero, the father of Jillette Leon-Guerrero. Analysis of the DNA test results of another individual from the Perez clan on Guam indicates that while a DNA match exists between the Paris clan in Hawaii and the Perez clan in Guam, the link between the Leon Guerrero clan and the Paris clan in Hawaii is closer and more recent. For more information visit our blog at: http://acrossthewaterintime.com/awt-blog.html |
 copyright Michael Rosskothen Historical Era
According to census records, Juan (John) was born about 1843. His birthplace was listed as Guam in the earliest records and Spain in later records. Guam at the time was a territory of the Kingdom of Spain thereby making both statements correct. The census records are conflicting about when he arrived in Hawaii. The earliest date is 1857 and the latest date is 1867.
Born during the height of the whaling industry, Juan would have become accustomed to seeing whaling ships anchored offshore. Whaling reached its zenith in the Pacific in the 1840s and early 1850s. Guam had a reputation as a great place for whalers to layover. The island offered the crew liberty from the confines of the whaling ship and an opportunity to replenish supplies and make repairs on the ship. The Spanish government was known to be exceedingly strict in their regulations regarding seamen. Captains knew that they would have the help of Spanish officials in rounding up errant crew members for departure. It is believed that approximately 30 whalers came to Guam each year between the years of 1823 and 1855. Whaling greatly impacted the life of residents of Guam. The arrival of the whaling ships allowed trade and barter to take place between the ships crew and residents of the island. The arrival of the ships twice a year was an economic boost to the island bringing in foreign goods as well as foreign ideas, values, practices and beliefs. Seaman with their sea stories and tales of adventure must have captivated the young men of Guam. Perhaps it was these stories that enticed young men from Guam to board the whale ships and sail away for a life of adventure. Perhaps it was the financial gain they hoped to realize. Or maybe it was to escape the hard lot that the people of Guam had to endure during this period of Guam’s history. Whatever the case, it was reported that between the years of 1849 and 1852 forty of the island’s strongest and most robust men departed on whaling ships. This prompted a decree from the Spanish Colonial Government in Manila to restrict anyone 17 years of age and below from departing the island of Guam on foreign boats or whalers. The whaling era also had another devastating effect on the island during this period. In January of 1849 a whaling ship from Hawaii brought a flu epidemic that killed over 200 of this islands residents, mostly young women. Then on the 25th of the same month an earthquake whose magnitude is estimated to be 7.5 by today’s standards, destroyed many of the buildings on Guam. The ensuing tsunami claimed one life; Josepha Lujan, who died when she was carried out to sea near Talofofo. Spanish officials were already dealing with a scarcity of food on the island but these events prompted officials to seek relief from the Spanish Government in Manila who sent a shipload of food to the island. By the time Juan Pérez was 16 years old he would have endured: the flu epidemic in 1849, the 7.5 magnitude earthquake that same year, a whooping cough epidemic that swept the island in 1853 killing more than 200 children; several devastating typhoons, ongoing famine and a small pox epidemic in 1856 that threatened to eliminate the entire population. By the time the smallpox epidemic ended, only 43% of the population remained. The epidemic had killed 3,463 persons leaving a population of only 4,724. The cooperative nature of community on Guam with its small population, make this scene even harder to bear. The horror of witnessing family, friends and neighbors succumbing to illness and death is unspeakable. In his Chronicle of the Mariana Islands, Father Aniceto Ibanez del Carmen says, “By September the island presented a horrible, sad, deplorable, heartbreaking picture. The carretas (carts; wagons) and the Tagalogs who lived on Guam did nothing but transport the dead to the hospital at Adelup, where great ditches were prepared in which to bury as many bodies as possible. . .seventy persons or more and as many as eighty died every day. If it were not my duty to do so, I probably would not record these events that grieve and torment my heart with such sad and painful memories.” Across the Water in Time Documentary nominated as a Finalist in the Guam International Film Festival!I just received an email from Kel Muna informing me that AWT has been nominated as a finalist in the "Made in the Marianas" category of the 2014 Guam International Film Festival. I am so very pleased! I must recognize Rosanna Perez Barcinas who encouraged me to submit the production to the Film Festival. I was reluctant to do so and frankly wouldn't have without her encouragement! This nomination is a testament to the hard work of the cast and crew! Thank you all so much! I also send out my appreciation to all those who provided financial assistance and otherwise supported me in this endeavor. It wouldn't have happened with out you all.
Please plan to attend the screening at the Agana Center Stadium Theaters on September 23rd at 6:15 p.m. |
