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'Iolani School Archives - People of 'Iolani: George Mason

Notable people in the history of 'Iolani School.

 

The ‘Iolani School Archives collects, organizes, preserves and provides access to historical records of ‘Iolani School.

Rev. George Mason

Rev. George Mason

Resources About Rev. George Mason

Written by Rev. George Mason

Quick Facts

  • Name: George Mason
  • Life: 1828 or 1829 - January 21, 1893
  • Parents: Rev. Thomas Mason and Emma Louisa Mason
  • Spouse: Ellen Mary Jones
    • Married: 1856
    • Children: 3 daughters
  • Became a deacon in 1853
  • Ordained as a priest in 1855
  • Appointed as Archdeacon of Maui in 1865
  • Residence in Hawai'i: October 1862 - February 1873 (11 years)
  • Warden of (St. Alban's College) 'Iolani School: 1863-1864, 1868-1872

From the beginning...

Archdeacon Mason was part of the initial party that arrived on O‘ahu with Bishop Staley in 1862. He played a crucial role in establishing the school and was the first Warden.
The 1862 newspaper article announcing opening of registration states that

"The Warden will receive a limited number of boarders.
The School will be conducted for the present at the Parsonage House."
The Parsonage House was the home of Mr. and Mrs. Mason. He also conducted early work at the Lahaina location and then returned to O‘ahu with the students to merge the two in March 1868.

 

Timeline:
October through December 1862, missionaries arrived, founded the church in the islands, and prepared to open the school.

  • 10/11/1862 - Bishop Thomas N. Staley, Archdeacon George Mason, Rev. Edmund Ibbotson arrive. Rev. William R. Scott arrives soon after.
  • 10/12/1862 - First service in the Hawaiian Kingdom
  • 10/25/1862 - Hawaiian Reformed Catholic Church charter accepted at the courthouse
  • 11/08/1862 - Notice in the Polynesian newspaper that a "Collegiate Grammar School for Young Gentlemen" would be opening soon.
  • 11/09/2024 - First Hawaiian language service.
  • 12/14/1862 - First service in Lahaina, Maui
  • 12/27/1862 - Polynesian newspaper announcement that school will start January 12, 1863 at the Parsonage House, Kukui Street (behind the temporary cathedral; temporary; Mason residence; beginning of St. Alban's College). "The Warden will receive a limited number of boarders."
  • Summer 1863 - Rev. Scott establishes an English day school for boys in Lahaina, Maui

 

Clipping, 1862 announcement, future school opening

Anglican Mission Rare Book Collection at 'Iolani School Archives

The Anglican Mission Rare Book Collection (MS-017) contains volumes discussing early mission life and activities in the Kingdom of Hawai'i. Established as the Hawaiian Reformed Catholic Church, it later became the Anglican Church of Hawai'i.

Available digitally via Google Books:
Mission Life: A Magazine of Information About Church Missions, and the Countries In Which They Are Being Carried On, Vol. I
by ed. Rev. J.J. Halcombe
Publication Date: 1866

Available digitally via University of North Dakota, UND Scholarly Commons:
The Net Cast in Many Waters Sketches from the Life of Missionaries for 1866
by ed. Anne Mackenzie
Publication Date: 1866
Part of the Settler Literature Archive.

Available digitally via Google Books:
The Net Cast in Many Waters Sketches from the Life of Missionaries for 1867
by ed. Anne Mackenzie
Publication Date: 1867

Available digitally via HathiTrust:
Hawaii 1778 - 1920 from the Viewpoint of a Bishop
by Rt. Rev. Henry Bond Restarick, D. D., Retired Bishop
Publication Date: 1924

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