Elizabeth Sinclair
| Elizabeth McHutcheson Sinclair | |
|---|---|
Photograph taken by James J. Williams
|
|
| Born |
26 April 1800 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | 16 October 1892 (aged 92) Makaweli, Kauai, Hawaii |
| Occupation | Farmer, rancher, landowner |
| Known for | Niʻihau |
| Spouse(s) | Francis W. Sinclair |
| Children | George, Jane, Helen, James, Francis and Anne |
| Parent(s) | William (or James) McHutcheson and Jean Robertson |
Elizabeth McHutchison Sinclair (26 April 1800 – 16 October 1892) was a Scottish homemaker, farmer and plantation owner in New Zealand and Hawaii, best known as the matriarch of the Sinclair family that bought the Hawaiian island of Niʻihau in 1864. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, she married Francis Sinclair, a ship's captain. With six children in tow, the family moved to New Zealand. Her husband and eldest son (and much of the family's property) were later lost at sea.
After years of farming, mainly at Pigeon Bay on the Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury Region of the South Island, she decided to relocate to Canada. Unhappy with the conditions she found on Vancouver Island, she considered California but instead went to Hawaii where she bought the Hawaiian island of Niʻihau for $10,000. She later bought additional lands at Hanapepe and Makaweli on the island of Kauaʻi. Her descendants, the Robinson family, continue to own and maintain the island of Ni'ihau.
Elizabeth Sinclair was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 26 April 1800. Known as "Eliza", she was one of six children born to William (or James) a successful merchant, and Jean Robertson McHutcheson (sometimes spelled "McHutchison"). Eliza married Captain Francis W. Sinclair (1797–1846) of the Royal Navy on 13 January 1824. They had three sons and three daughters. Sinclair was considered a master navigator, best known for saving the life of the Duke of Wellington in rough seas while escorting him on his return from the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
The Sinclairs moved to New Zealand, arriving in 1841; they settled in Pigeon bay in 1843. Eliza's husband and her oldest son George disappeared at sea in 1846 during a business trip headed towards Wellington. Her husband was carrying all the family's cash and produce supplies. After the disappearance of her husband, Eliza and her five children were left to survive on their own in Pigeon Bay. With her children marrying and producing grandchildren, the Sinclair clan needed more land, and Eliza's son Francis helped plan a new voyage towards that end. They sold their property in New Zealand and sailed to the Pacific Northwest of the United States with the goal of acquiring property in British Columbia.
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