Comments on: The Winds and the Waves, 1903

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:33:43 +0000

Mata, that’s a wonderful addition to the story, thanks.

It may take me a few days or weeks, but I’ll see if I can find a membership record for your great-grandparents.

By: Mata SIMPSON

Mata SIMPSON — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:27:40 +0000

I’d like to know if there are some records on my great grand parents :
TAKOTUA TENATI TERUPE A PAEA : B 1879 (m)
PAERAU Hauteruru or Maua (f), this lady is a church member
and their daughter TAKOTUA PAEA TUMAIHIVA MARERE (f) always tells us the storie of hurricane of 1906 (Born 23/11/1905), she use to tell us, when she was a baby, her parents where in Hikueru and she was tied up on a tree and that’s how she survived.
Thanks very much for this article.
Hope to read you soon.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:21:53 +0000

Thanks, y’all. As several of you have said, saying someone’s name again has a real power, somehow.

By: Karen

Karen — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 20:27:21 +0000

I just stopped to count haw many times we say or think the name of each person whose ordinances we do in the temples. And, Ardis, I read each name.
Thank you

By: Tatiana

Tatiana — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 01:44:40 +0000

This is amazing. Thank you, Ardis.

By: Ray

Ray — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 04:01:35 +0000

When I was performing baptisms for the dead in the Columbus, OH temple a few years ago I had one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I was working my way through a series of names when I hit one that only showed “Miss (Last Name)”. I started to say the prayer, and as soon as I said, “for and in behalf of Miss (Last Name),” I heard in my head, as clearly as if it was spoken to me by one of the witnesses in the room, “Now, finally, she will be known by name.”

I remember standing there in the font, choking back the tears as I completed the prayer and immersed the young lady who was being baptized. I have had many experiences in my life that I consider to be undeniable instances of evidence of divine knowledge of our lives, but none of them were any more powerful than that one – and it is one reason why I love what you are doing here, Ardis. As a result of this blog, finally, we know many people by name.

By: Mark Brown

Mark Brown — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 01:40:00 +0000

Ardis,

Thank you for remembering these people by name.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:20:12 +0000

This afternoon I went through the membership records of the Mission looking for death dates corresponding to the hurricane. Many branch records are missing, and of those extant, few of the hand-drawn ledgers provided a column for death information. The names of these members from Hao, another of the islands devastated by the 1903 hurricane, are all I have been able to find:

Mahuta, born 1865, baptized 1894, of Hao
Marerehau, born 1862, baptized 1894, of Hao
Tareua, born 1863, baptized 1894, of Hao
Mawa, born 1880, baptized 1894, of Hao
Maoake, born 1884, baptized 1894, of Hao
Turupe, born 1884, baptized 1894, of Hao
Tohu, born 1849, baptized 1894, of Hao
Fareua, born ?, baptized 1894, of Hao
Mokio, born 1882, baptized 1895, of Hao
Terega, born 1885, baptized 1897, of Hao
Tekehu, born 1885, baptized 1894, of Hao
Teheketaga, born 1885, baptized 1897, of Hao
Sehuarag, born 1885, baptized 1897, of Hao
Saerua, born ?, baptized abt 1897, of Hao
Tefau, born 1830, baptized 1897, of Tauere
Farina, born 1888, baptized 1897, of Takapoto
Teame, born 1851, baptized 1898, of Hao
Huramiri, born 1876, baptized 1894, of Hao
Setumu, born ?, baptized 1894, of Hao
Katua, born ?, baptized 1894, of Hao
Kaha, born 1863, baptized 1894, of Hao
Furou, born 1855, baptized 1894, of Hao
Tearo, born 1885, baptized 1894, of Hao
Hohouma, born 1863, baptized 1894, of Hao
Taupaga, born 1888, baptized 1895, of Hao
Tuia, born 1886, baptized 1895, of Marakao
Takua, born 1888, baptized 1895, of Hao
Temata, born 1819, baptized 1894, of Hao
Kapuroro, born 1849, baptized 1894, of Rekeuke
Kitara, born 1885, baptized 1897, of Hao
Huiriki, born 1889, baptized 1897, of Hao
Curihara, born 1857, baptized 1897, of Hao
Ohina, born 1890, baptized 1897, of Hao
Teheketaga, born 1887, baptized 1897, of Hao
Kapugi, born 1888, baptized 1897, of Hao
Takua, born 1888, baptized 1895, of Hao
Rugipuai, born 1887, baptized 1895, of Hao
Tehuaragi, born 1889, baptized 1897, of Hao
Tahuri, born 1893, baptized 1901, of Hao
Taupeaa, born 1888, baptized 1895, of Hao
Tuia, born 1886, baptized 1895, of Hao
Kiuriki, born 1887, baptized 1897, of Hao
Katahari, born 1894 [sic], baptized 1897, of Hao
Ohina, born 1890, baptized 1897, of Hao
Moku, born 1882, baptized 1895, of Hao
Tekava, born 1893, baptized 1901, of Hao
Terega, born 1880, baptized 1897, of Hao
Tearikimhiva, born 1894, of Hao
Rehia, born 1895, of Hao
Maruake, born 1897, of Hao
Kuri, born 1898, of Hao
Huki, born 1898, of Hao
Tevaitau, born 1898, of Hao
Kivahinehautigi, born 1898, of Hao
Gahau, born 1894, of Hao
Maeva, born 1886, of Hao
Mavake, born 1884, baptized 1894, of Hao
Tearikimu, born 1882, baptized 1894, of Hao
Turupe, born 1882, baptized 1894, of Hao
Tekehu, born 1885, baptized 1894, of Hao
Mahagatuana, born 1898, of Hao
Tehuarangi, born 1885, baptized 1897, of Hao
Tepava, born 1893, baptized 1891, of Hao
Turou, born 1855, baptized 1894, of Hao
Tearo, born 1885, baptized 1894, of Hao
Hohouna, born 1863, baptized 1894, of Hao
Tugua, born 1863, baptized 1894, of Hao
Tuia, born 1880, baptized 1895, of Hao
Taupega, born 1888, baptized 1895, of Hao
Poroa, born ?, baptized 1894, of Hao
Takua, born ?, baptized 1894, of Hao
Ohinateamuanu, born 1890, baptized 1897, of Hao
Turihara, born 1887, baptized 1897, of Hao
Huirike, born 1889, baptized 1897, of Hao
Kapugi, born 1885, baptized 1897, of Hao
Teaku, born 1888, baptized 1897, of Hoa
Ragipuni, born ?, baptized 1894, of Hoa
Oahina, born ?, baptized 1901, of Hoa
Tuhuri, born 1893, baptized 1901, of Hoa
Teanata, born 1885, baptized 1894, of Hoa
Katahuri, born 1882, baptized 1894, of Hoa
Tepava, born 1888, baptized 1894, of Hoa
Reahia, born 1895, of Hoa
Tikatae, born 1877, baptized 1894, of Hoa
Huri, born 1879, baptized 1898, of Hoa
Tevahinehautini, born 1898, of Hoa
Tevavara, born 1901, of Hao
Tiraha, born 1901, of Hao
Virituarangi, born 1901, of Hikueru
Faumea, born 1901, of Hoa
Turia, born 1898, of Hoa
Tutapearingi, born 1894, of Takapoto
Tamarua, born 1894, of Hikueru
Tarahuaga, born ?, baptized ?, of Hikueru

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:55:29 +0000

Thanks, David. If I can find out something more definitive (I’m working on a larger, perhaps even more sobering story from the Tuamotu islands), I’ll report it here. In the meantime, I’ll just leave the caution that I may not have the right name given the fuzziness of the old records.

Researcher, I’ve really hunted to find the names of even some of the Saints, or others, who died that night. Some of them may be among the lists of converts from earlier days, but I can find no record yet, here in the LDS Archives, of the storm victims. I did find by Googling a list of some of those who died on a nearby island in the same storm, with what seemed like official death records, so it is possible that somewhere in the bowels of the Tahitian or French recordkeeping system there may be a way to identify them. Before we can hunt up the record of their deaths, we have to remember that they even lived. Now we do.

By: Researcher

Researcher — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:46:29 +0000

I didn’t want to comment, because I feel like I should just sit for awhile and observe some respectful silence in memory of these people and their experience, but there is also something to be said for memorializing people by our words. Thank you for sharing this story.