Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-06-03

4
faith in the correctness of the Beck
i ley claim cannot be shaken. The
materials to which / refer as having
been Incorporated in the first Hawai-
ian flag. were afterwards used in the
making of a little coat for my uncle.
William Malulani Beckley. eldest son
.lof Capt George Beckley. William
Beckley, who died in 1870. was the
father of the late Governor Fred Beek
ley of Kauai, the late George G. Beck
ley and Mrs. Maria Beckley Kahea
William Beckley was born in 1915 at
i Keau Hou, and when about three
years old, but before the death of Ka-
nehameha, the flag materials were
made up into the coat for the little
fellow. William Beckley was brought
Up with Kauekeaoul,. afterwards Ka-
mehaneha III, by Queen Keopuolani,
the tabu queen, and mother of Ka.
pehameha Ill.
4 This coat was preserved in our
family by my aunt. Mrs. Maria Beck
/ ley Kistler, better known as Maria
Eeckley Kamakahonu, who lived at
the corner of Fort and Beretania
| streets. until her death in 1887. have
seen the coat myself many times and
SO has my sister, Mrs. Julia Along,
and many members of the Beckley
family, and it was Aunt Maria's de-
| light when any members of the great
grand children of Captain Beckley
called to see her for the first time,
TO slip the little coat on them, so they
could say, when they were grown up,
that they had worn this historical
coat, once the flag of Hawaii.
AT the death of my aunt her hus
band, e. Kistler, disposed of all the
household and personal effects and
| it was then that the coat disappeared,
as well as the log-book of Captain
Beckley. Mr.. Kistler went away from
Hawaii and the family has never
heard of him since. Could he be
found, If he is still alive, he could per.
haps dispose of much of the contro-
versy that has arisen with regard TO
| the Hawaiian flag.
THE fact that Captain Beckley was
appointed the first military command
er of the old fort which once stood at
the foot of Fort street. leads to the
| the first flag, although his flag WAS
made about 1906 and 1907. or ten years
before he became military commander.
Captain Adams, for whom see
the claim is made that he designed
the first Hawaiian flag. was very
close friend of my grandfather ard
at my grandfather's death Captain
Beckley's will was left in Captain
Adams care to have its provisions car
ried out. They were like brothers
When Abram Fayerweather, my faith
er, married Mary Beckley. Captain
Adams passed the will over to my
father.
81 notice in Thomas G.. Thrum's pub
lie letter about the designing of The
| flag, the following: Adams own log
book, while twice referring to his use
of the Hawaiian flag in 1916, does not
lay claim to its making. Captain
Beckley's flag may not have been the
form of the present Hawaiian flag, but
his flag was the first ever made for
the whole group of islands as consoIi-
dated into one kingdom by Kamename-
ha. The English jack was placed i'll
one corner because Captain Beckley
was exceedingly proud of old Eng
land We do not discredit the Adams
claim because we never knew he had
any Up to the time of annexation
the family and friends always knew
about the Beckley flag. but never dis
cussed it in public, and it was only
when the Hawaiian flag was lowered
to be replaced by the American flag
that it seemed fit and proper by us
to tell of the origin Of the island flag.
Il has always been the custom among
the old time gentry of Hawaii to not
discuss family matters with strangers.
which is one of the reasons why, to-
day, so much history concerning all
our Hawaiian people and their affairs.
has been lost. and accounts for the
efforts being made to. trace back many
historical events. Many of those who
knew them have passed to the be-
yond.
At the time of annexation when the.
american flag succeeded the Hawaiian
| flag here, Prof W. d. Alexander, LOOK
| ing up the history of the flag, came
to descendants Of Captain George
Beckley to verify statements he had
heard about the Beckley flag design,
Il was born in 1S43, Iong enough
ago to have learned from the lips OF
people who had known Captain Beck
ley, Kamehameha the Great and 9TH
ers associated with the early develop
ment of the kingdom, something of
the intimate side of the history of our
old flag
| Work might be more to our liking if