This history is about a farm girl who left her home near the Baptists Corners intersection to travel to Hawaii in the 1830s with her missionary husband Harvey Hitchcock.

I wrote this story along with 13 others from the period of 1793-1950 in a gift booklet titled “Stories of Owasco.” The booklet was presented to each member of the Ladies Guild of the Owasco Reformed Church on April 18, 1996 in celebration of the 200th birthday of the church in Owasco. This same material was gifted to the Melrose Senior Citizens in 2002 during the Bicentennial Celebration of the town of Owasco.

Rebecca Howard was the daughter of Cyrus Howard whose farm was on Baptist Corners Road. This property, and its huge barn, was later owned by the Parsons family and still later the Panek family. The barn no longer stands today.

The 1904 County Atlas describes the early farm thus: “Howard Home is one of the noted farms of Owasco. It is located on Baptist Corners roads comprising 200-124, which is on the east side of the road, and 81 on the west side. There also are 75 acres of timber on lot 77. A century ago Peter Howard, moved from New Hampshire, his native state, and settled on this tract.

This farm, now known as “Howard Home,” became highly improved and enriched. Its buildings were commodious and are still standing. It was one of the finest estates in this part of the county. A feature of this homestead is a large well, 50-feet deep and 8-feet in diameter, for which 100 years has given a bountiful supply of pure water. This the large family residence and the main barn, 128- by 40-feet are landmarks in the life of the pioneer farmer.

Rebecca was a member of the Owasco Reformed Church in the late 1820s. It was not unusual for a minister/student from Auburn Theological Seminary to go to the small hamlets and villages and preach. It was during a “missionary revival” that Rebecca Howard first heard Harvey Rexford Hitchcock preach. Many graduate ministers from the Seminary were sent to the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii), and no doubt his sermon was about the Hawaiian natives, their culture and the massive mission field opening up there.

In their correspondence before their marriage one dated May 31, 1830, Harvey writes her of a bout of illness that plagued him, and begged her understanding if she did not hear from him. He called her “Dear one.”

So, a local farm girl left her home in Owasco to follow her husband in one of the first five contingents of Missionaries to Hawaii. Her belief, zeal and pious goal was for reaching and teaching the natives. She became committed after hearing him preach and longed to bring the Gospel to them. This goal and working alongside her devout husband became a reality.

Cyrus Howard sold some of his land to help the couple fund the trip and this became part of her dowry. She alludes to his “promised letter” and that it must arrive before they sail.

Rebecca in the fall of 1831 wrote her parents of the trip from Owasco to Albany then to New Bedford where they would sail.

It was first by canal boat and then railroad. Her description is very fascinating on the early modes of travel!

“Our accommodations aboard the boat were very good. We stayed in Utica with Harvey's friends. Arrived at Schenectady about 2 p.m. From Schenectady to Albany we rode the railroad.

“The carriages were drawn by one horse, the wheels were entirely composed of iron, very wide and about the thickness of an iron bar and so fixed as not to be easily moved from the iron bar on which the run, which is riveted to a plank 6 or 7 inches wide, and this again to large stones placed at certain distances. The middle of the road is paved with stone pounded fine.

“About half way we met the carriage which goes by steam. The carriages were fastened together and drawn by the same engine. I believe there is only one in operation.

“Write soon as we shall leave here the first of the month.”

R. H. Hitchcock

The 400 ton whale ship Averick became their home on water in the journey to Hawaii. Rebecca wrote fondly home to her younger brothers and mentioned missing the “hills of Owasco.”

In her later letters held by the Bishop Museum in Hilo, Hawaii are her descriptions of the nights slept on the deck of the ship and the long boats with natives coming to greet their arrival.

She tells of the helpfulness of the local Queen in making her comfortable in her new surroundings, as Rebeeca was expecting a child, and suffered from morning sickness.

The history of the Island of Molokai best sums up the work of this committed couple. “In 1832, a Protestant mission was established at Kalua'aha on the East End by Reverend Harvey Hitchcock, to serve an estimated population of 5,000.

His church has not been maintained, but the walls and part of the roof stand today at the 14.5 mile marker.

A white marble headstone marks his grave on the hill east of what remains of the church.”

Rebecca kept Harvey's promise to his church that he would never leave them and return to the states for burial.

She died there, too, and some of their furniture, letters and mementos are held in the museum in Hilo.

There is also a woodcut of Harvey standing on the stump of a banyan tree preaching to a crowd of natives.

- Sources : Missionary Album 1820-1970 Sesquetennial: Letters of Harvey Hitchcock, and Rebecca Hitchcock; Bishop Museum Hilo Hawaii, and Correspondence 1990 Barbara McComber, author, Napa, Calif.

Laurel Auchampaugh is the Owasco historian and can be reached at the Owasco Town Hall from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoons or at nowthenwasco@aol.com