Captain Henrik Christian L'Orange

[http://satrum.net/publications/documents/1881_Norwegians_in_Hawaii.pdf]

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valdemar_Knudsen]

Excerpt from this document pertaining to Hans:

This use of Norwegian workers had been proposed earlier by Norwegian Captain Henrik Christian L’Orange and is discussed further in the section on L’Orange. Captain L’Orange was ultimately selected as the representative who would go to Norway to recruit these laborers.

Of great importance to the Kingdom of Hawaii, the search for more workers would continue with King Kalākaua’s 1881 trip around the world, which had as one of its main objectives the study of possible sources of immigrants. Page 4.

The signing of the Reciprocity Treaty of 1876 between the Kingdom of Hawai'i and the United States opened a huge market for sugar on the mainland. A gold rush of sorts began, with sugar plantations expanding and opening across the kingdom. With the end of the whaling industry in the Pacific, the market for his cattle dried up and Knudsen turned to sugar growing. As he was too old to accomplish the hard work of building up a plantation, Knudsen enticed a group of young men who were then all about 20 years old to Kaua'i. The group included his nephews Anton Fayé, Hans Peter Fayé, Christoffer Fayé and, a bit later, Andreas Fayé. Also arriving with the group was Captain Henrik Christian L’Orange.

Caroline Fayé, niece of Valdemar Knudsen, later married Captain Henrik Christian L’Orange.

While this paper focuses on those of Norwegian heritage, it is worth noting the importance of the inter-connections of L’Orange and Knudsen to other influential families in Hawaii at this point in history. In 1867, Knudsen married Anne McHutcheson Sinclair, daughter of Elizabeth Sinclair. Elizabeth Sinclair had, in 1864, purchased the entire island of Niʻihau from King Kamehameha V. This private ownership was passed on to her descendants. Sinclair also purchased major parcels of land on the island of Kaua’i. Page 7.

Captain Henrik Christian L’Orange L’Orange is clearly not a Norwegian name. The L’Orange families were French Huguenots. Along with approximately 200,000 other Huguenots, the family had to leave France after the Edict of Nantes, which guaranteed French citizens freedom of worship, was repealed in 1685. Most likely going to Copenhagen in the late 1600’s, members of the family eventually came to Norway and settled in Vestfold. Captain Henrich Christian L'Orange was a master ship pilot in Halden.

L’Orange’s connection to Valdemar Knudsen and arrival in Hawaii was established earlier in the discussion about Knudsen. This connection continued after L’Orange left Kaua'i in 1880, when he sold his interests on Kaua’i to Anton Fayé and W. Meyer so he could start a sugar plantation on Maui. His first crop in 1880, when it matured, was sold to Fayé and Meyer.

In 1878, even before he was established on the island of Maui, and recognizing the need for more plantation workers, L’Orange proposed that the Kingdom of Hawaii bring workers from Scandinavia. To help resolve the labor shortage, King David Kalākaua commissioned Captain L’Orange to travel to Norway and recruit more workers. In 1880 he received a letter of appointment from the Bureau of Immigration of the Hawaiian Islands and a letter of credit for $20,000 from the firm of Castle and Cook for expenses and advances to go to Norway to recruit more workers.

His instructions were to hire not more than 400 adult workers, in a ratio of 35 to 40 women to each 100 men. These people were to be of “proper class” and good workers, and no family was to bring more than two children. The Hawaiian government agreed to pay one-half the cost of passage for women and children between the ages of two and twelve years with those younger travelling free. The rest of the transportation charge would be paid by Castle and Cooke.5

L’Orange’s arrival in Drammen and recruiting of plantation workers was discussed previously in the section on Conditions in Norway.

The success of L’Orange’s efforts is reflected in the rest of this paper. P8

4 B. Hormann, The Germans in Hawaii, German Benevolent Society, 1989, pp7-8. Originally published as the author’s M.A. thesis at the University of Hawaii, 1931.

In 1881 Norway was suffering from an industrial depression with high unemployment and much poverty. Thousands were leaving for other lands. This occurred at a time when there was actually a local demand for more farm laborers. These circumstances partially determined who would be in the mix of people signing contracts as Hawaiian plantation workers.

The following advertisement was placed in the newspapers of Drammen. “To the Emigrants for the Sandwich Islands” “Contracts with those who will go to the Sandwich Islands are drawn up and signed on Wednesday, Sept. 23, and the following days at the office of Hans P. Faye at Drammen from 11 to 3 o’clock. The parties must be provided with good recommendations, and attestations for good and faultless behaviours. Parties under obligation of military service must bring release from service. Signature of minors must, to be valid, be confirmed by guardian.

“The conditions are now regulated, and thus fixed: Laborers over 30 years, 9 dollars; under 20 years, somewhat less, per month, with free board, or board-money and free lodgings, families may bring two children with them. Free passage and board, which is not to be worked out afterwards.

“Chr. L’Orange, Agent For the Hawaiian Bureau of Immigration, Sandwich Islands”

L’Orange became unpopular with his fellow sugar planters, disbanded his operations, and moved to Florida to plant tobacco. p17 24

24 Honolulu Advertiser, Pierre Bowman, Staff Writer, newspaper clipping, date unknown.

Lorange, norsk slekt av fransk opprinnelse. Slekten var hugenotter, og etter opphevelsen av Det nantiske edikt 1685 måtte medlemmer av slekten forlate Frankrike. Dens første kjente mann, Jean L'Orange, som ifølge tradisjonen stammet fra St.-Quentin i Gascogne, kom antagelig til København på slutten av 1600-tallet. Hans sønn Johan Gerhard L'orange (1696–1772) kom til Norge og slo seg ned i Vestfold. Fra hans sønnesønner skipskaptein Henrich Christian L'orange (1765–1819), losoldermann i Halden Johan Gerhard L'orange (1770–1824), og skipskaptein Hans Andreas L'orange (1779–ca. 1809) stammer slektens tre hovedlinjer.

Losoldermann J. G. L'orange var farfar til arkeologen Anders Lund Lorange (1847–88). Skipskaptein H. A. L'orange d.y. var far til kjøpmann og bankadministrator Peter Vilhelm L'orange (1806–71), og dennes sønn, generalløytnant og kommanderende general Hans Peter L'orange (1835–1907) var far til generalmajor Hans Wilhelm L'orange (1868–1950) og generalinspektør for infanteriet, oberst Johan Ingolf Koren L'orange (1873–1949). Generalmajor H. W. L'orange var far til professor Hans Peter L'Orange (1903–83). – Til slekten hører også arkitekten, professor Erik Lorange (f. 1919) og rektor ved International Institute for Management Development i Lausanne, professor Peter Lorange (f. 1943).

Translation:
Lorange, Norwegian family of French origin. The genus was her daughters, and after the abolition of the Nantic Edict in 1685, members of the family had to leave France. His first famous man, Jean L'Orange, who, according to tradition, originated from St.-Quentin in Gascony, probably arrived at Copenhagen in the late 1600s. His son Johan Gerhard L'orange (1696-1772) came to Norway and settled in Vestfold. From his son-in-law, ship crew Henrich Christian L'orange (1765-1819), losoldermann in Halden Johan Gerhard L'orange (1770-1824), and ship crew Hans Andreas L'orange (1779-1809) originate in the family's three main lines.

Losoldermann J. G. L'orange was the grandfather of the archaeologist Anders Lund Lorange (1847-88). Captain H. A L'orange d.y. was father of merchant and bank manager Peter Vilhelm L'orange (1806-71), and his son, Lieutenant General and Commander General Hans Peter L'Orange (1835-1907) was the father of General Major Hans Wilhelm L'orange (1868-1950) and General Inspector of the Infantry, Colonel Johan Ingolf Koren L'orange (1873-1949). General Major H. W. L'orange was father of Professor Hans Peter L'Orange (1903-83). - The genre also belongs to the architect, Professor Erik Lorange (born 1919), and Rector of the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Professor Peter Lorange (born 1943).

[https://snl.no/Lorange]

[http://www.satrum.net/publications/1881_Norwegians_in_Hawaii-2-Page...]

1881 – NORWEGIANS IN HAWAI’I: CONFLICT IN PLANTATION SOCIETY JON SATRUM A PAPER FOR THE NORWEGIAN-AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION IN NORWAY, Norwegian-American seminar XI, JUNE 14-17, 2011, DECORAH, IOWA OVERVIEW (The complete paper is available on the Internet at http://www.satrum.net/)

CONDITIONS IN HAWAI’I As a result of the 1875-1876 reciprocity treaty between The Kingdom of Hawai’i and the United States, the Kingdom gained tariff-free access to U.S. markets for sugar, creating further demand for labor. This need for more workers occurred at the same time the Hawai’ian population was in serious decline and had dropped to approximately 300,000 people. Without enough workers, sugar cane was left rotting in the fields.

CONDITIONS IN NORWAY In 1881, Norway was suffering from an industrial depression with high unemployment and much poverty. Thousands were leaving for other lands. This occurred at a time when there was actually a local demand for more farm laborers. These circumstances partially determined who would be in the mix of people signing contracts as Hawai’ian plantation workers.

IMPACT OF NORWEGIANS ALREADY IN HAWAI’I *Valdemar Emil Knudsen arrived in Kekaha, Kaua’i, Hawai’i, in 1856 where he managed the Grove Farm Plantation. He became one of the largest land holders on the island of Kaua’i and his family a member of Hawai’i's most prominent Caucasian families. Seeing great opportunity in growing sugar after the signing of the reciprocity treaty, Knudsen convinced several of his nephews and Captain Henrik Christian L'Orange, who would later marry his niece, to come to Hawai’i. Known to the Hawai’ians as “Kanuka”, Knudsen had a significant connection to the Kingdom of Hawai’i. Fluently speaking three Hawai’ian languages, Knudsen served as a member of the House of Representatives under the Monarchy and joined the Provisional Government after Queen Liliuokalani was deposed in 1893.

*Captain Henrik Christian L'Orange left Kaua'i in 1880 when he sold his interests on Kaua’i and moved to Maui to start a sugar plantation.

In 1878, even before he was established on the island of Maui, L’Orange recognized the need for more plantation workers and proposed that the Kingdom of Hawai’i import them from Scandinavia. King David Kalākaua agreed and commissioned Captain L’Orange to travel to Norway for this purpose. In 1880 he received a letter of appointment from the Bureau of Immigration of the Hawai’ian Islands and a letter of credit for $20,000 from the firm of Castle and Cook for expenses and advances to go to Norway to recruit not more than 400 adult workers, in a ratio of 35 to 40 women to each 100 men. These people were to be of “proper class” and good workers, and no family was to bring more than two children. 1

Recruiting in Drammen, Norway, L’Orange was unable to find the “proper class” of good workers he was seeking. Farm laborers, the very workers he needed, were needed locally. Under pressure of time to secure workers and return to Hawai’i, L’Orange contracted with storekeepers, artisans, craftsmen, office workers, and as was later alleged, “the bums of the breweries of Christiana”.

CONFLICT, AWARENESS, AND RESOLUTION L’Orange’s ship the Beta and later the ship Musca initially brought approximately 630 Norwegians to Hawai’i. Arriving in a land other than what had been described to them, they labored under harsh working conditions for which they were not prepared. Adding to their problems, they had signed two versions of their contracts, one in Norwegian and one in English. The two did not match. They were also unwilling to be obedient, subservient, and accept the physical abuse suffered by prior laborers brought from different parts of the world. One set of descriptions used to describe the Norwegian gives you a sense of how they were viewed by the local population: “Lacked the ability to submit with passive obedience”, “Would not put up with conditions of which they disapproved”, and “Too individualistic”.

Protesting through the legal process, strikes, and extensive letter writing to Norway and the U.S. mainland, they created an environment where the Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway had to dispatch an investigator to Hawai’i. The investigation was delayed on hearing Valdemar Knudsen’s assurances that the complaints were groundless. Finally, Foreign Minister Anton Grip began his investigation. He started in Christiana with interviews of friends and relatives of those in Hawai’i before sailing there.

Staying ten weeks in Hawai’i, Grip investigated all aspects of the emigrant’s lives, visiting nearly every plantation employing Swedes or Norwegians. When he was done, he had interviewed 256 emigrant men and some of the women, as well as government officials and physicians.

Grip’s findings were not the resolution the emigrants had hoped for. Grip, like many diplomats from other countries who investigated workers’ complaints, found them to be largely ill-founded. He was amazed at the amount of meat available to the workers compared to the scanty meat ration of the Norwegian and Swedish soldiers. Declaring their working conditions, food, and housing all acceptable, he concluded that the immigrants were townspeople and artisans unsuited for agriculture.

Some in the Hawai’ian Kingdom saw the value of independent, self-reliant people and how they might actually help Hawai’ian society as it already had some Anglo-Saxon aspects, but the pressure for cheap and permanent labor won the day. Except for several shipments of Germans brought in largely for Lihue Plantation on the island of Kaua’i, there were no more mass importations of North Europeans. 2