FAMILY HISTORY
"Our Humble Beginnings"
Grandpa's German Side of the Family:
Grandpa William Reinhardt, Jr.'s father, William, Sr. was born, in California, in July 1851 (we thought he was born in Germany, but, apparently the Census indicates otherwise, that he and the rest of his siblings were born in California!). His parents, immigrated to the United States, from Germany, sometime in the 1800s', and settled in San Francisco, California.
His father, Frederick William Reinhardt, was born in Wurrtemberg (Bavaria) in 1824 and worked as a porter, then as a laborer when he came to the United States. His wife, Louisa was born in Hamburg, in 1827 and was a housewife. The 1880 Census lists Frederick's occupation as a Collector; and they had four children: William (born in 1851); Louis F. (born in 1863); Louisa (born in 1866) and Alfred (born in 1868). William, Sr. worked as a young coppersmith apprentice at the age of 19, then prior to coming to Hawaii, he was a butcher by trade. According to the 1900 Hawaii Census, it indicated that he "immigrated" (in 1876) to Hawaii and had already lived in the islands for 24 years.
Oluwalu Connections:
Over the years we heard that William may have come on a whaling ship and settled in the Oluwalu or Lahaina area, which makes sense, since Lahaina was the whaling capital of the world in its heyday. But, makes more sense if he came to work on the plantation. He arrived in Hawaii in 1876. Families also settled in the Oluwalu area working for the sugar plantation there. According to the census, by 1890, William, Sr. held several jobs working for the sugar plantation as a ditch tender in the Kuiaha area, then subsequently worked himself up to a Luna (boss) for their Waihee plantation. We speculate, with his position at the Waihee plantation, perhaps that is how he met Hana Ka'i'anui Kaaihue Kalauli, his future wife and whose family hails from the surrounding area.
They married in 1894. However, our grandpa, William Reinhardt, Jr. was born in Oluwalu in 1897. Apparently, either William, Sr. was working there in the Oluwalu/Lahaina area for the plantation, or his wife Hana's side of the ohana, may have family ties with a Kaaihue ohana living in Oluwalu. We need to follow up.
In 1894, William Edward Reinhardt, Sr., married Hana Ka'i'anui Kaaihue Kalauli, the daughter of Abraham Kalauli and Kalaninuiohaha Kaupa aka Kaulupa. Hana's mother, Kalaninuiohaha, first married Kalauli in 1869, then she married Edward Albert "Ned" Krueger in 1879.
The 1900 Census lists Great Grandpa William and Hana living with her mother Kalaninuiohaha and her stepfather, Ned Krueger, six years later, down in Paukukalo. William and Hana had three children by then, with one more, George Alfred on the way, in the later part of 1900. They were: Hannah Louise, who was born in 1895; William, Jr. [our grandfather], in 1897, in Oluwalu, Charles Frederick in 1898. In 1903, Henry Joseph and Julius came along [need to follow up if they were twins??].
Young William Reinhardt moves to Kauai:
Young William Reinhardt, Jr. [our grandpa], according to the 1910 Census, moved to Kauai, when his mother married, Wm. Ing Fook in 1908. However, it lists only him as living with his mom and his stepfather on Kauai. Apparently the rest of his siblings remained with their grandmother, Kalaninuiohaha and Ned Krueger down at Paukukalo. So, we take it William lived on Kauai, and perhaps moved to Maui in his later years. We still don't know how our grandparents met...need to find out.
Young married couple:
William Reinhardt and Victoria Sarah Kaniuhele married in December 27, 1916. They lived in Wailuku, where a daughter, Ellen was born, then a few months later, they moved to Kauai to live with Hana (his mother) and her husband, Ing Fook. Ellen died a few months later, then they had another son, Poolinoi---we assume he may have passed away in infancy, but no records indicate as much. In 1919, Mae, a daughter was born, and shortly thereafter, they moved back to Maui, in the year, 1920.
Couple lived in the Wailuku Town Area 1920's :
According to the 1920's Census, William and Sarah, upon their return from Kauai, lived in the Wailuku Town area, along with Sarah's half sister, Tutu Ah Lan, (she was 19, and single at the time...I remember, that's where Tutu Kalani, grandma's brother lived, but then, it doesn't list Tutu Kalani in the Census??). Grandpa William was at that time working for Maui Electric Company, as a Lineman for their power plant. Our ohana made history, when his grandson, [the son of George "Keoki" and Toshiko Reinhardt], Edward Reinhardt, did us proud when he was named president of Maui Electric Company in 2001..thus coming full circle! Grandpa would be so proud, Ed!
Mom says after Maui Electric, her father (our grandpa) went to work for the County of Maui, in their engineering division (as an electrician). She is most proud of his installing some of Maui's first traffic signals, in Wailuku town and in front of the old Kahului School on Kaahumanu Avenue. My sister, Sing, recently told me that Grandpa also installed Baldwin High School's lamp posts, fronting the auditorium and school. Eh, I neva know dat!
Happy Valley & Puuohala Road:
We know the 1920 Census, indicates that the young married couple lived in the Wailuku town area, with Tutu Ah Lan, grandma's half sister. Then when the 1930's Census was taken,Tutu Ah Lan (Louise Saffery) and Aunty Mae (Grandma and Grandpa's oldest daughter) were already gone from the household. We think Tutu Ah Lan married Eddie Saffery and that Aunty Mae moved in with them to help out.
The 1930 Census, indicates that our Grandpa William, his wife Sarah, lived in "Wailuku Village, Happy Valley" area and by then, they had 8 children (ranging from ages 10 to 1 month old!) and they remained there for a few years, before, we assumed, they finally made the move to the Paukukalo area.
We surmised, when the Warren house became available, our grandparents moved into that home, where the current Kaluau & Edsman lot is situated (Aunty Mae's place)...as Mom, recalls living and growing up in the Warren home. She remembers Kehelele had these beautiful Hawaiian Quilts on display
How did our ohana settle in the Paukukalo area?
We have finally pieced our stories from the collaboration of the children of William and Sarah Reinhardt, their cousin, Tutu Gerry Waiau and my sister, Sing Vista, who spent countless hours tracking our ohana's whereabouts over the years through the Census.
We have come to the conclusion, that the land in the Krueger estate area of the homestead, was acquired by families of Hana Ka'i'anui Kalauli, who settled in the Paukukalo area, and these families, the Kaupa's and Kaaihue Ka'i'anui clan, owned land from the "Paukukalo River to the Waihee River!", so we were told. But, somehow, over the years, the land fell into different owners hands and in 1946, Grandpa William and Grandma Sarah Reinhardt purchased their lot from a Mr. Franco Leandro, who Mom says worked at the bank that handled property for the sugar plantation. Mom recalls that the property surrounding the estate were sold to employees who worked for the plantation, and William Reinhardt, Sr., grandpa's father was a luna at the Waihee plantation.
Tutu Tom Krueger and Hana Kalauli were Half-brother and Sister:
Toward the north-east,ocean-side of the property, lies the estate of the Krueger Ohana, the site where Tutu Gerry Krueger Waiau, and cousin Casey Del Dotto and his family currently reside at. The elder Kruegers, Tutu Gerry's parents were, Thomas Hobon Krueger and Emily Ulumealani Campbell Nakaahiki-Kane. Tutu Tom Krueger, and Hana Kalauli (Wm. Edw. Jr.'s mother) were half brother and sister. Their mother was Kalaninuiohaha Kaupa, Tutu Tom's father is Edward "Ned" Krueger and Hana's father, is Abraham Kalauli. Hana's mother, married "Ned" Krueger and they settled in what was the old Krueger house, that some of us can still remember.
From the 1900 Census, as you recall, Hana & William Reinhardt, Sr. and their children, all lived in the home. But a few years later, in 1908, Hana married Ing Fook, but we don't know what happened to William Reinhardt, Sr. Hana took her son, our grandpa, William, Jr. with her to Kauai, and apparently the other children remained with their grandmother, Kalaninuiohaha Krueger.
Our Grandfather William, Jr. apparently returned to Maui from Kauai. We are still piecing the story of how he and our grandma met. They got married in December 27, 1916. Had a baby, then relocated back to Kauai to live with his mother. Then in 1920 they returned to Maui, lived in Wailuku in the Happy Valley and Puuohala areas [according to the 1920 & 1930 Federal Census].
Apparently, Mom remembers living in Tutu Tom and Tutu Emily Krueger's home for a while. If that is true, then, more than likely, when Tutu Tom made the move to Lanai, it could be that our Grandpa and Grandma moved into the Kruegers home, as the time frame fits the 1930s' census that places the Kruegers on Lanai. So, our grandparents may have settled down at Paukukalo sometime in the 1930s'. Mom recalls they were living on the estate way before they moved into the Warren's house and building their new house.
The Kehelele house, then the home our grandparents finally built, are the dwellings that our parents not only grew-up in as teenagers and into their young adulthood, but most of the Reinhardt moopunas grew up in that very same household too! It became a safe haven, a community hall, a place to run to when your muddah or fuddah going give you lickens!
Another of our ohana, Dennis Barrows informed us that his mother, Aunty Jeanette Alo (aka Ah Lo) Barrows told them stories of her growing up near the Reinhardt estate as a little girl...and that he remembers that his mom told them that..."all of the family who lived in that area, were related...all "ohana". We asked our mother, Hannah Reinhardt Antonio, if she remembers Aunty Jeanette living down there...and our mother says, "Yes, that they had a house in the back of Tutu Gerry's house, adjacent to Aunty Mae's, but that "a big tidal wave swept their house out to sea!".
Warren & Gabin Ohana:
Mom's recollection of the elder Krueger's home (Tutu Tom), then their moving into Kehelele Warren's house is the only memory of "where she lived small kid time". She has no recollection of the Wailuku, nor Happy Valley area, [but is listed in that Happy Valley area when she was about 4 years old, according to the 1930 Census]. Her description as she remembers of Kehelele's house is that the house "was huge, with these big glass windows surrounding the whole house". This is the house her parents moved into, until they acquired the estate down Paukukalo [Mom says, she thinks way before 1946!] and built their own, new home at the current site of the Ike Reinhardt home of today.
Kehelele Warren was married to a Sixto Gabin (Joe Gabin's father is Sixto, but Kehelele is his stepmother). But, according to Mom, Kehelele Warren, owned another house elsewhere, and that the house down Paukukalo, was vacant (the house was situated in the back of Tutu Gerry Krueger's house, the current site of where the Kaluau & Edsman home is today). She remembers they were her God-parents, or either their son, Kalei Warren, was her parent's God Son. Over the years, when Kehelele passed away, Kalei sold that house to the Reinhardts.
"Up the Tent" and "Down the House"
This "new" Reinhardt home that they built adjacent to the Kehelele Warren's home (which also was bought by our ohana, but willed by Tutu Ah Lan to Aunty Mae) is the house our parents have memories of, and so do the majority of the grandchildren of William and Sarah Reinhardt. William and Sarah Reinhardt had fourteen children, five of whom died at birth or in infancy. They have numerous grandchildren and countless great, great, etc., thereafter!
When my Mom and Dad (Antonios') moved back from Oahu, [later part of 1948] and they eventually settled on their plot of land, towards the top of the hill....I remember my dad and Tutu Leon Tipon, erecting this huge circus-like tent, and for months, if not almost a year...we lived in this tent while our home was being built. Someone, dubbed our make-shift-house, "Up-the-Tent" and our grandparents home, since it was down-a-ways...was dubbed, "Down-the-House". So even when we moved into our newly built home and the tent was long gone...the name, "Up the Tent" stuck for years and years, and so did our grandparents home, "Down the House".
Home Sweet Home:
"Down the House", was the place where we would congregate to have luaus (parties), eat our meals, help prepare the pig for the imu, make laulaus, or learn to sew a button, or a hem. Many a nights we gathered around to listen on the radio, the adventures of the "Long Ranger". We did jigsaw puzzles, made kites from newspaper, bamboo and twine---using poi or rice as "glue" to hold it together, ripping Grandma's old sheets for the tail; the same house where we ate Grandma's Hawaiian Stew and dipped our index and middle fingers into this one huge community bowl of poi, sour poi at that! We all have our stories to tell. Those were the good old days...gone but not forgotten!
"Down the House", was our command post, if you will. A common area that all the Reinhardt ohana shared good times and troubled times together. A place we all migrated to, even over the years when the families each built their own homes, or others moved off island. They would still "come home" or send their kids over the holidays or summers! This is the home we have fond memories of, and will forever hold near and dear to our hearts.
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