Category Archives: Genealogy

Hayden Family History in Hawaii

I finally got around to posting juxtaposed pictures of my previous trips to Oahu and some of the key photos of my grandparents and parents from the 1950’s and 1970’s. My dad grew up for much of his childhood in Oahu, including when Hawaii became a state, and then later lived on Moloka’i when he himself was stationed there from about 1961-1963. This project was to take photographs in places where they were photographed decades earlier.

Check out my previous Oahu trips in 2009 and 2016. I will now have my 2022 trip added.

In 2009, my friend Kawika Mueller, who I had met on Maui the year before, helped me go to the places where my grandparents and parents had traveled which were recognizable on Oahu. I sort of recreated the shots thanks to Kawika.

My grandfather, Andrew Jackson Hayden, on the right with an unidentified man in the 1950’s at Nuuanu Pali State Park Lookout with views of the Koʻolau cliffs.
Me, Joseph Andrew Hayden, at Nuuana Pali Lookout in March, 2009 with the same rocks (now not ossified for some reason) and with a safety bar they must have added. This was the location of a historic battle, per Hawaiian custom.
Same lookout with me stepping to my right from the 2009 photo above for a different view.
Then me again back in 2016 in the same spot 2016.
This is me again back in November 2022.
Entrance to park in 2009.
Here are my parents in February 1973 looking down at Hanauma Bay State Park.
Me in 2009 at Hanauma Bay State Park.
This is me in November 2022.
My (step) grandmother, June Warner Hayden, in the 1950’s in front of the statute of King Kamaehameha in downtown Honolulu in front of the palace.
Me in front of King Kamaehameha in 2009. Understandably the statue seems less accessible when I got there.
1950’s Waimea Falls
2016 Waimea Falls – Shando went in the water and I took some video.
My parents, Floyd William and Giuseppina Hayden, in February 1973, just outside the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific Punchbowl Hawaii.
Me in basically the same spot with Diamond Head in the background in 2009.
My grandmother June and someone (possibly my great-grandmother Ann Hayden) in front of Aloha Tower in downtown Honolulu. I have a bunch of other pictures from this area with my grandparents, but they are low-resolution black and white photos. I suspect this is where people arrived by ship in the 1950’s.
Me in front of Aloha Tower in 2009.
This is me in front of Aloha Tower in November 2022.
My father and his step-mother June were probably on the walk to Waimea Falls. I am guessing my dad is about 12 here and he was born in 1939, so that would make this the early 1950’s.
Me on the walk back to Waimea Falls in 2016.
Grandmother June and another woman in Honolulu sitting on a concrete beach wall in the 1950’s.
This is me in 2009 sitting on a similar concrete wall which appears to be shorter with Diamondhead in the background.

Catalan Magazine article about my parents

A woman in Catalonia wrote me to ask for permission to do a story on my parents, who I mention on my blog lived in the northern part of Catalonia near Girona and the French border. Our entire family lived there but my siblings were so young that they do not have as clear memories as I do. I know the picture of my parents featured in the article was one cherished by my mom. On this same cement slab is where I learned how to ride a bike. We lived there from 1975-1977, when we moved to live on base in New York City on Governor’s Island. I remember celebrating the American Bicentennial on base in Spain. It was quite a culture shock to move to NYC. The article is written in Catalan, a Latin-based language of the region of Spain where we lived.

Here is the original photo:

Enjoy!

Northern Coast Road Trip to Seattle

Bobby and I decided to take the dog and drive it, instead of fly, despite the high gas prices these days, and we had a great time seeing friends and family along the way.  My best friend from law school and his partner hosted us in Seattle.  Their two cats were kind enough not to eat Monte, and they all pretty much started getting along by the time we left.

I saw my Aunt Sharren.  She’s the sweetest thing, but she wouldn’t let me take her picture!  We stayed overnight at her place and did some major catching up through breakfast the next day.  I hadn’t seen her since I was probably about five years old!  Fortunately we chat regularly online.  Our two little dogs got along surprisingly well.

The road trip back was the slow one, and it included lots of beaches, redwoods, gorges, sand dunes and lighthouses.  Besides spending several days in Seattle, we made stops in Portland, Astoria, Canon Beach, Florence, Port Orford, Eureka, Orick, Fort Bragg, Mendocino, Guerneville and countless other unmarked places on Highways 101 and 1, mostly.

I split up the galleries to consist of one with people and dogs and one that consists of views and vistas.

Unfortunately it looks like the video part of my expensive Nikon 5100 is going south, as did my photography portion of the camera several months ago. I’ll see if there is a way to increase the contrast and decrease the flushed areas of sand and sky that seem to blur a lot of the details in some of the videos.

Made Phoenix plans for Spring!

I’m traveling to Phurfest and hoping to see friends and family in Arizona in late April/early May.  It’s a state I’ve never stepped foot in, to my knowledge, but which my family has a long history in, apparently.  I’ve seen a lot of relatives going back generations move and return to Arizona, and I know my dad lived there for a time as a kid.  Ancestry.com has helped prove the links I have to the area, but I’m also looking forward to some pool parties and dry heat, which is one of the reasons I moved back to the West Coast.