Hawaiʻi Plantations, Sugar Mills & Growers

Hawaiʻi’s sugar industry and associated businesses was controlled by five companies referred to as the Big Five. Most of these companies were founded by missionaries, or the sons of missionaries, and even into the 1930s, all had direct descendants of missionaries on their boards of directors. They not only had economic power but also political power. The Big Five’s influence and years of power and dominance overwhelmingly influenced the businesses and lives in Hawaiʻi till today.

Over 500 sugar plantations, sugar mills, and sugar growers sprung up in the Hawaiian Islands since the first recorded planting of sugar cane in Mānoa Valley on Oʻahu in 1825. Trying to locate the plantation where your ancestors worked can be a challenge because many plantations were renamed when sold to or merged with another company. For example, in 1873, Nāʻālehu Sugar Plantation was renamed Hutchinson Sugar Plantation Co.; then Kaʻu Sugar Company. Honokaʻa Sugar Company became Davies Hāmākua Plantation Ltd.; then renamed Hāmākua Sugar Company. Pepeʻekeo is also known as Hilo Coast Processing Company. Honolulu Sugar Company became known as Aiea Sugar Mill. 

You may be able to learn what plantation your ancestors worked on by examining census records. The early census records sometimes will record the address that was canvassed to gather information for the census. Also, in the late 1800s, the Polk City Directory had a section divided by island (Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island, Kauaʻi, Maui, Molokaʻi), listing individuals alphabetically. The listing included the name, occupation, employer and residence.

Finding personnel records of employment are difficult to find. Most of the work records were destroyed.  We do have a few work records from the Hawaiʻi Commercial Sugar Company.