The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-02-21
His Father Came to This Country
in a Whaler.
ONE OF THE FIRST sErTLERs.
Arthur y. PetersOn's Father IL Now
In Plymouth The e1-Attorney-
General Was Educated In the Town
Named-Interesting Facts OF the Men.

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. Feb. s.
Two of the men who have been placed
under arrest as instigators OF the re-
cent insurrection in Hawaii are well
known in this city. A. p. Peterson is
the son of Daniel p. Peterson, for
merIy of this city, and received his
education here. He was the nephew
OF the late Lothrop Clark, who was
a brother OF Peterson's mother. After
attending the public schools young
Peterson was given a legal education,
and SOON took high rank in his chosen
profession. After spending some time
in Honolulu he returned to this coun-
try, and about a dozen years ago was
settled in Plymouth. Later he went
back to Hawaii and acquired a repu-
tation as one of the most astute law
yers in the kingdom. He became
Encouragement under Queen LIPS
regime, and occupied that position at
the time the royal government was
overthFown.
The father of Bob Wilcox is now at
Newport. His name is William Will
cox, and he is now 20 years old. He
with a wife he has taken to himself
since his return to this country.
He left Newport about 1913, in the
ship Mencars of which Captain JOS
eph Sherman, q Newporter, was cap
tain, on a whaling voyage as first
mate.
The ship made the Hawaiian islands,
as Captain Sherman, who had num-
Der of trinkets aboard, desired to stop
there for trading. Wilcox objected to
this, saying they did not care to spend
their time, as they had come out on
whaling voyage. The result was the
parting of the captain and first mate.
Wilcox was told that he hight go
ashore IL be didn't like the way the
vessel was run, and when ashore he
declined to return, and took to him.
self wife Of native birth, who, it is
said, was of q royal family. He re-
ago, and while there engaged in many
kinds of business.
While on the islands he had five
sons born to him, and one of them,
Bob, appeared to be quite a bright
young man, and as soon as he became
of age took q prominent part in the
affairs Of the islands. Bob Wilcox
was in this country some years ago.
William Wilcox's family was q |
EaLu6T nOIdDIO Onct COAolSIInB VI AVO Il
sons and two daughters, with the blue |
blood of royalty flowing in their veins. |
Wilcox was from stock traceable back |
to the Wilcoxes Of Tiverton of the |
present day.
His father was a whaling captain, |
and while his son learned the carpen- |
ter's trade in Fall River 1t was not to |
his liking, and he soon began follow
ing the sea. When he went out on |
h. oh nh nh Aaral
especially for Captain Joseph Sher-
man, and afterward went into New
Bedford hands, there was no better in
his line afloat. Wilcox was q thor
ough Yankee, hustler, and out
spoken.
He worked the men hard and yet
had their confidence and good will.
When he left the Mencar at Hawaii
he Joined q New Bedford ship, and in
two years it is claimed he was the
means of filling her with sperm oil.
He left the ship at the islands and
took ashore some few thousand dol
lars as his share Of the proceeds. This
he invested, and it was the means of
introducing him into the royal family.
A dozen or fifteen years ago, after
thirty years residence there, he de-
sired to see his aged mother, q resi-
dent of Portsmouth, since deceased.
hO ICGuInc0 W ANOHDOII1 HIS WIG
having died q year or two previous,
and attempted to settle down, but
various matters caused him to change
his mind, and, after taking to himself
q second wife, he returned with her to
the islands.
The couple only made a couple of
years stay at the islands, reverses,
loss of sugar crop, and such matters
having considerably shrunken the
old whaler's fortune. But Wilcox
held a couple of hundred acres of
choicest lands, which are today
worked by his sons, and is retained
by him for the benefit Of his children,
especially his daughters, who, having
dark blood in their veins, he feared If
poor might not retain the high stand
ing he desired in. the reorganization
OF the islands society.
William T. Wilcox was one of the
first whites to settle in Hawaii, To
do so, his marriage with a native
woman was forced, but the marriage
appeared to be perfectly happy one,
Notwithstanding. The wife of ex-
Postmaster Anthony of Portsmouth is
his sister. Bob Wilcox, the Hawaiian
leader, was named for his fathers
brother, who was killed q dozen wears
ago on the Old Colony railroad, near
Coal Mines.