The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-05-12
HAWAII ONCE HAD 4
NEGRO MISSIONARY
The Labors of Betsey Stockton, Who Had a
School at Maui in 1923, Commence
rated at Princeton.

The Press of Princeton, n. J.. has
the following story which should be
| of great local interest:
| A very Interesting exercise was held
| on Sunday afternoon, April first. in the
Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church
on the occasion of unwilling memorial
abIet in commemoration of the career
| of Betsey Stockton, a colored native of
| this town whose life was devoted to
good works. This tablet. to secure
which attention has been drawn in the
Press several times within the past
| few years, it was originally hoped to
set up at Lahaina, Maui, in large
school on the site of her original labors
| in Hawaii. Circumstances rendered
| that impracticable and the plan was
| modified it now appears very much
for the better, so as to place the me-
| mortal within the church of which she
was so long a member and about a
hundred yards from her home and her
successful school. The memorial is "a
heavy, polished, brass plate, very legi-
bly, Inscribed with black capital letters
and surrounded by a heavy oaken
frame. The brass is fifteen by twenty
five inches and the frame is two and
a half inches wide, so that the whole
is twenty by thirty inches in size. 1t
was artiSticalIy executed by the Church
Glass and Decorating Company of New.
York, and is worthy of position in any
church edifice in the country.
The inscription runs:
BETSEY STOCKTON,
through her desire to serve the cause
of Christ, accompanied the first Amer
lean Missionaries to Hawaii and
opened a school for the commOnalty at
Lahaina. Maui, in 1928 After her re-
turn to the United States she was for
many years valuable member of this
Congregation, a teacher of its youth
and a powerful influence for good in
the community. This memorial is set
UP in recognition of her faithful Chris
tian character and most useful life py
friends who honored and loved her. She
was born in Princeton in 1898, and died
there October "a. 1865. Her body lies
in Cooperstown, New York.
There was a full and interested con-
gregation a special section Of it being
nearly all of Aunt Betsey's surviving
resident scholars. The Introductory
service cOUSlSltO VI prayer, pr if7C SA'N-
the reading of the Bible, the music and
the Scriptures having been. selected
with special reference to the occasion
The pastor, the Rev. G.. S. Stark, very
admirably set forth an account of this
excellent member of the church as ne
had gathered it from her remaining &C
ouaintances and from the local tradi-
tons and emphasized the moral obliga-
tion OF those who had been under her
influence to follow her religious leader
ship. Notwithstanding they might fall
behind her in mental activity. Cen
woodruff. representing the donors,
then thanked the church authorities Tor
their permission to place the tablet on
the wall and spoke substantially as
follows:
Betsey. or. as she was known in her
later years and always within my own
memory. Aunt Betsey, was hght Wo-
man of color born in 1898. it is believed
in the family of Robert Stockton, esq
of Princeton a kinsman of the Stock
tons of Morven, in that mild serVltude
which then prevailed in New Jersey
The Rev. DR.. Ashbel Green, later Presi-
dent of the College, GS12-'2D married
Mr. Stockton's eldest daughter. anu
Ratsev became a part of his household
at a time which cannot now be deter
mined She became a thoroughly~lrdhl-
ed domestic nurse, seamstress ana cooh'
acquiring an invaluab bic practical eou-
cation so that she could do skllIuilS
what ver was assigned her. 1t is I'M
derstood that DR.. Green dlo hot idHoi
educating his servants IN DOCKS, ou'
she was so DESTROYS to learn tnat Ms
sons. who appreciated her natural IN
=, her
her study. Mr. Charles S. Stewart,
afterward a Doctor of Divinity ana !
long the Senior Chaplain in the United /
states Navy. was graduated from the
COLLEGE in 1915. was graduate student |
in 1916 and was in the Seminary 1878 |
81 During all his Princeton residence
he was intimate in President Green |
family and thus had an opportunity OF
Betsey's character She had
become a devoted Christian early III
life and when Mr.. Stewart. VINO nau
been accepted as missionary, TOOK ms
bride to Princeton to meet ms oid
friends. Betsey saw her and expressed
her desire to accompany them 10 tfeiF
foreign field. Finally an arrangement
was made with DR.. Green 10y MT.
which enabled her 10 GO II
does not appear what this arrangements
was. but possibly it involved pecuhl-
7rv element. The party of twenty OF
more the first American missionaries
scr the Hawaiian Islands, sailed III
November. 1922. and Mrs. Stewart ana
Retsev landed at Honolulu 10th May.
S23. Mr.. stewart was assigned to form
, mission at Lahaina- island of Maui
which they. reached 31st May. 1928 IL
was there. as Aunt Betsey herself tolo
ne. that she opened a school for the
common people which was certainty
he first of the kind in Maui and prob
IIntK Ii for AT the !