Hawaii, U.S., Denization Records, 1846-1849, 1883-1898

The Kingdom of Hawaii existed as an independent nation from 1795 until 1898. It was formed when the independent islands of Hawaiʻi, Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi unified into one government. The remaining islands, Kauaʻi and Niʻihau, joined the kingdom in 1810. Initially, the Kingdom of Hawaii was a monarchy. Two dynastic families ruled over the island nation: the House of Kamehameha (1795-1872) and the Kalākaua Dynasty (1874-1893).

The Kingdom of Hawaii became a constitutional monarchy in 1840, then briefly became the Republic of Hawaii after the ruling dynasty was overthrown in 1893. It was annexed as a territory of the United States in 1898 and became the fiftieth state of the U.S. in 1959.

About This Collection
This collection consists of denization records from the Kingdom of Hawaii. Applications were made by handwritten letter until 1895, when the use of pre-printed application forms began. Denization, a process used to grant status similar to permanent residency, gave rights to denizens (residents) that were normally only available to full citizens, such as the right to own land. Details available in these records vary, but may include the following:

• Name
• Age
• Occupation
• Place of origin
• Arrival date
• Record (residence) date