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==== Historical background<br> ==== | ==== Historical background<br> ==== | ||
Oral legends: '' Pili’s ''4 sons become rulers: ''Atua, A`ana, Tuamasaga, and Tolufale''.<br>950 ''Tongans'' conquer ''Samoa'' and rule until ''Tuna, Fata, and Savea ''drove them from the country. ''Malietoa ''(brave warrior) becomes a ''Matai title''.<br>1000 Faiga becomes Malietoa. He abandons cannibalism by not eating his son Polu. He gives his grand daughters titles. | Oral legends: '' Pili’s ''4 sons become rulers: ''Atua, A`ana, Tuamasaga, and Tolufale''.<br>950 ''Tongans'' conquer ''Samoa'' and rule until ''Tuna, Fata, and Savea ''drove them from the country. | ||
'' Malietoa ''(brave warrior) becomes a ''Matai title''.<br>1000 Faiga becomes Malietoa. He abandons cannibalism by not eating his son Polu. He gives his grand daughters titles. | |||
One becomes Gato`aitele, and the other Tamasoali`i.<br>1550 A great woman named Nafanua from ''Falealupo, Savai`i ''is the ruler and gains the Tafa`ifa title.<br> The Samoan high chief married the daughter of the Tongan king. | One becomes Gato`aitele, and the other Tamasoali`i.<br>1550 A great woman named Nafanua from ''Falealupo, Savai`i ''is the ruler and gains the Tafa`ifa title.<br> The Samoan high chief married the daughter of the Tongan king. | ||
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They set up a multi-government. Kingship is abolished in ''Samoa''. | They set up a multi-government. Kingship is abolished in ''Samoa''. | ||
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1900 ''Great Britain ''and ''Germany'' cede rights to the Islands east of 171 degrees west of Greenwich. | 1900 ''Great Britain ''and ''Germany'' cede rights to the Islands east of 171 degrees west of Greenwich. | ||
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Later, a few other islands are added. At present this is unincorporated territory of the ''United States''. <br> ''Western Samoa ''becomes a ''German'' protectorate and Heinrich Solf is governor for ten years.<br> Workers migrate from ''Micronesia ''and ''Melanesia'' to help on plantations.<br> ''Eastern Samoa (Tutuila ''and surrounding islands) become a ''U.S.A''. protectorate.<br>1902 An LDS church and school are built in ''Pesega''. Mission headquarters moves there.<br>1903 Over 2 thousand ''Chinese'' laborers are imported to ''Samoa.'' <br>The ''Samoan'' translation of the Book of Mormon becomes available.<br>1905 The volcano Matavanu on Savai`i erupts and the refugees move to two villages on Upolo.<br>1910 Dr. Eric Schultz is governor of ''Samoa ''and the Malietoa and Tupua families are given titles as counselors to the governor.<br>1914 ''Western Samoa ''is occupied by a ''New Zealand ''force during World War I. <br> Colonel Robert Logan becomes Military Administrator.<br>1918 A deadly flu epidemic kills one-fifth of the ''Samoan'' population (approximately 8,000 people). <br>1920 ''New Zealand ''administers the islands because ''Germany ''loses the war. <br>1920s Schools are built in ''Sauniatu'' and ''Mapusaga''. <br> The chiefs of Taup`ele`ele decide to dismiss their minister and join the LDS Church. | Later, a few other islands are added. At present this is unincorporated territory of the ''United States''. <br> ''Western Samoa ''becomes a ''German'' protectorate and Heinrich Solf is governor for ten years.<br> Workers migrate from ''Micronesia ''and ''Melanesia'' to help on plantations.<br> ''Eastern Samoa (Tutuila ''and surrounding islands) become a ''U.S.A''. protectorate.<br>1902 An LDS church and school are built in ''Pesega''. Mission headquarters moves there.<br>1903 Over 2 thousand ''Chinese'' laborers are imported to ''Samoa.'' <br>The ''Samoan'' translation of the Book of Mormon becomes available.<br>1905 The volcano Matavanu on Savai`i erupts and the refugees move to two villages on Upolo.<br>1910 Dr. Eric Schultz is governor of ''Samoa ''and the Malietoa and Tupua families are given titles as counselors to the governor.<br>1914 ''Western Samoa ''is occupied by a ''New Zealand ''force during World War I. <br> Colonel Robert Logan becomes Military Administrator.<br>1918 A deadly flu epidemic kills one-fifth of the ''Samoan'' population (approximately 8,000 people). <br>1920 ''New Zealand ''administers the islands because ''Germany ''loses the war. <br>1920s Schools are built in ''Sauniatu'' and ''Mapusaga''. <br> The chiefs of Taup`ele`ele decide to dismiss their minister and join the LDS Church. | ||
Land is purchased, a school built, and the Mormon village becomes known as ''“Vaiola” (Living Waters). <br>''1923 Major George Richardson becomes administrator and dissension between him and ''Samoans ''begins.<br>1929 The Independence movement ''(Mau)'' becomes a political power.<br>1939 ''U.S.'' Marines establish airfields and a radio station in ''Eastern Samoa ''during World War II.<br>1951 ''American Samoa ''administered by the ''U.S''. Department of the Interior instead of the Navy.<br>1954 A Constitutional convention is held to prepare ''Western Samoa ''for independence.<br>1958 Native ''Samoans'' carry out most of the LDS missionary work because of government restriction on non-native | Land is purchased, a school built, and the Mormon village becomes known as ''“Vaiola” (Living Waters). <br>''1923 Major George Richardson becomes administrator and dissension between him and ''Samoans ''begins.<br>1929 The Independence movement ''(Mau)'' becomes a political power.<br>1939 ''U.S.'' Marines establish airfields and a radio station in ''Eastern Samoa ''during World War II.<br> | ||
1951 ''American Samoa ''administered by the ''U.S''. Department of the Interior instead of the Navy.<br>1954 A Constitutional convention is held to prepare ''Western Samoa ''for independence.<br>1958 Native ''Samoans'' carry out most of the LDS missionary work because of government restriction on non-native | |||
missionaries in the country. <br>1962 ''Western Samoa ''becomes an independent country which renames itself the ''Independent State of Samoa''.<br> The First LDS stake is organized in ''Samoa in Apia''.<br>1972 ''Samoa'' becomes the first country to be covered by Latter-day Saint stakes.<br>1976 First LDS area conference in ''Samoa.<br>''1983 The ''Apia, Samoa ''LDS temple is dedicated.<br>2000 The LDS Church has one mission in ''Samoa.'' There are 16 stakes in ''Western Samoa ''with 58,000 members, and 6 stakes in ''American Samoa ''with 13,000 members. | missionaries in the country. <br>1962 ''Western Samoa ''becomes an independent country which renames itself the ''Independent State of Samoa''.<br> The First LDS stake is organized in ''Samoa in Apia''.<br>1972 ''Samoa'' becomes the first country to be covered by Latter-day Saint stakes.<br>1976 First LDS area conference in ''Samoa.<br>''1983 The ''Apia, Samoa ''LDS temple is dedicated.<br>2000 The LDS Church has one mission in ''Samoa.'' There are 16 stakes in ''Western Samoa ''with 58,000 members, and 6 stakes in ''American Samoa ''with 13,000 members. | ||
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==== Family History Work suggestions, as reported by Brother Raymond Purcell, who was born in ''Savaii, Western Samoa ''in 1952.<br> ==== | |||
==== | ==== 1. '''Fill in forms with the information you already know.''' ==== | ||
The first thing a ''Samoan ''should do is to fill in family group records and a pedigree chart of the four generations back from him. Also, if a person has his children and grandchildren, to record their information.<br> | |||
2. Ask members of our family for information. | |||
<br>Most Samoan people come to a problem because the genealogical information was passed by word of mouth from the father of the family to the eldest son. If the father of the family is still living, we should ask him to tell us about his family and his ancestors. If the eldest son is living, we should ask him to tell us the family information that he knows. Over the years, some of the names may have been lost and some of the facts have may have been changed. | |||
3. We should ask how we got our name.<br>How did the Purcell family get their name? Some English people were sent to Australia in my Great Grandfather’s time. Some of them stopped off in Samoa and settled there instead. My mother’s maiden name is Burgess, which is also from an Englishman who married into the Samoan lines. German names are also found in Samoa because of the rubber business.<br>Some Samoans took English names because it would help them get better jobs. There may or may not be an English person in our ancestry. | 3. We should ask how we got our name.<br>How did the Purcell family get their name? Some English people were sent to Australia in my Great Grandfather’s time. Some of them stopped off in Samoa and settled there instead. My mother’s maiden name is Burgess, which is also from an Englishman who married into the Samoan lines. German names are also found in Samoa because of the rubber business.<br>Some Samoans took English names because it would help them get better jobs. There may or may not be an English person in our ancestry. | ||