Samuel H. Elbert papers
Sub-Series
Identifier: Manuscript-P00067
Dates
- 1928-1997
Extent
8 Linear Feet
Biographical / Historical
Samuel Hoyt Elbert, PhD, (August 8, 1907 – May 14, 1997) was a linguist and professor emeritus at the University of Hawai’i whose work focused on the linguistics of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific, particularly the Marquesas and Solomon Islands.
Samuel Hoyt Elbert was born in Des Moines, Iowa to Hugh and Ethelind Elbert on August 8, 1907. Following his graduation from Grinnell College in 1928, Elbert spent a year at the University of Toulouse, France, where he received a certificate in French language. He ended his year abroad touring Spain with his sister, Ethelind (Elbert’s sister shares the same name as their mother) .
For the next several years, Elbert lived in New York City, New York, where he briefly studied journalism at Columbia University and held a variety of jobs including clerk at the Readers Service Bureau, book reviewer for Bobbs Merrill, and wait staff at Schrafts.
Wishing to continue his study of languages, at the age of 27 (1934) he sailed to Tahiti and then the Marquesas, where he began a collection of Polynesian wordlists. He also wrote articles about living in Atuona on Hivaʻoa which were printed in the Christian Science Monitor.
From 1936-1941, Elbert worked with the United States Geological Survey on Maui. This experience introduced him to researchers from the Bishop Museum who studied the cultures and languages of Polynesia. During this time he met, Mary Kawena Pukui, whom he would work closely over the next forty years.
During World War II, Elbert’s proficiency and understanding of Pacific languages were recognized by the United States Naval Reserve which assigned him with linguistic surveying of strategic islands in the Pacific. In 1943, he was sent to Sāmoa and later Micronesia. Following the war, he continued to work in Kapingamarangi, Micronesia with Peter Buck and Kenneth Emory of Bishop Museum. This work resulted in wordlists of Yap, Trukese, and Ulithi published by the U.S. Military Government.
In 1949, Elbert was persuaded by Gregg Sinclair, president of the University of Hawai’i, to earn an advanced degree to be considered for a teaching position at the University. Elbert enrolled at Yale University where he wrote the Kapingamarangi dictionary as a class project. After briefly studying at Yale, Elbert transferred to Indiana University, where he received a doctorate in folklore for his 1950 thesis, The Chief in Hawaiian Mythology.
Elbert taught Hawaiian and linguistic classes at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa from 1949 till his retirement in 1982. In 1953, Elbert completed his earliest linguistic study titled, “Internal Relationships of Polynesian Languages and Dialects.”
In 1957, Elbert conducted field research on linguistics and Folklore in Rennell and Bellona of the Solomon Islands working closely with Torben Monberg and Rolf Kuschel, Danish scholars. This would be the first of four trips to the Solomons.
Elbert joined the Linguistic Department when it was established in 1963. His colleagues included George Grace, Albert J. Shütz, Donald M. Topping, and Stanley Tsuzaki many of whom he would collaborate professionally.
On May 14th, 1997, Elbert died at his home in Mānoa at the age of 89. His ashes were scattered at Mākaha, on Oʻahuʻs west coast.
Sources Consulted: Cox, C. R. (1988). "Samuel H. Elbert: The distinguished linguist talks about the Hawaiian language." Honolulu Magazine 23(5): 46-50.
Hawkins, E. (1997). "In memoriam: Samuel Hoyt Elbert 1907-1997." Oceanic Linguistics. V1 December 1997, Vol.36(2), pp.199-204
Samuel Hoyt Elbert was born in Des Moines, Iowa to Hugh and Ethelind Elbert on August 8, 1907. Following his graduation from Grinnell College in 1928, Elbert spent a year at the University of Toulouse, France, where he received a certificate in French language. He ended his year abroad touring Spain with his sister, Ethelind (Elbert’s sister shares the same name as their mother) .
For the next several years, Elbert lived in New York City, New York, where he briefly studied journalism at Columbia University and held a variety of jobs including clerk at the Readers Service Bureau, book reviewer for Bobbs Merrill, and wait staff at Schrafts.
Wishing to continue his study of languages, at the age of 27 (1934) he sailed to Tahiti and then the Marquesas, where he began a collection of Polynesian wordlists. He also wrote articles about living in Atuona on Hivaʻoa which were printed in the Christian Science Monitor.
From 1936-1941, Elbert worked with the United States Geological Survey on Maui. This experience introduced him to researchers from the Bishop Museum who studied the cultures and languages of Polynesia. During this time he met, Mary Kawena Pukui, whom he would work closely over the next forty years.
During World War II, Elbert’s proficiency and understanding of Pacific languages were recognized by the United States Naval Reserve which assigned him with linguistic surveying of strategic islands in the Pacific. In 1943, he was sent to Sāmoa and later Micronesia. Following the war, he continued to work in Kapingamarangi, Micronesia with Peter Buck and Kenneth Emory of Bishop Museum. This work resulted in wordlists of Yap, Trukese, and Ulithi published by the U.S. Military Government.
In 1949, Elbert was persuaded by Gregg Sinclair, president of the University of Hawai’i, to earn an advanced degree to be considered for a teaching position at the University. Elbert enrolled at Yale University where he wrote the Kapingamarangi dictionary as a class project. After briefly studying at Yale, Elbert transferred to Indiana University, where he received a doctorate in folklore for his 1950 thesis, The Chief in Hawaiian Mythology.
Elbert taught Hawaiian and linguistic classes at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa from 1949 till his retirement in 1982. In 1953, Elbert completed his earliest linguistic study titled, “Internal Relationships of Polynesian Languages and Dialects.”
In 1957, Elbert conducted field research on linguistics and Folklore in Rennell and Bellona of the Solomon Islands working closely with Torben Monberg and Rolf Kuschel, Danish scholars. This would be the first of four trips to the Solomons.
Elbert joined the Linguistic Department when it was established in 1963. His colleagues included George Grace, Albert J. Shütz, Donald M. Topping, and Stanley Tsuzaki many of whom he would collaborate professionally.
On May 14th, 1997, Elbert died at his home in Mānoa at the age of 89. His ashes were scattered at Mākaha, on Oʻahuʻs west coast.
Sources Consulted: Cox, C. R. (1988). "Samuel H. Elbert: The distinguished linguist talks about the Hawaiian language." Honolulu Magazine 23(5): 46-50.
Hawkins, E. (1997). "In memoriam: Samuel Hoyt Elbert 1907-1997." Oceanic Linguistics. V1 December 1997, Vol.36(2), pp.199-204
Arrangement
Series I: Personal papers.
Records in this series pertain to Elbert’s personal life primarily during the years of 1934-1947 and 1987. Included in this series are engagement books, journals, and a baby scrapbook. Some journal entries may be misfiled in the Correspondence series. Some correspondence may be misidentified as journal entries. Journal and correspondence are similar in content and style and are at times difficult to differentiate.
Series II: Correspondence. This series contains Elbert’s personal and professional correspondence. Correspondence is arranged by outgoing and incoming mail and within this arrangement, chronologically. Outgoing mail represented in this collection is from 1928 to 1990, with bulk dates from the 1950-1960s. A majority of the outgoing mail is addressed to Elbert's mother, Ethelind. In letters to his mother are observations on his fieldwork, travels, and everyday life. These letters detail a close relationship that spanned Elbert's life. There is little incoming mail; most incoming letters are from colleagues and friends. Noticeably, Ethelind’s (mother) letters are absent. The third subseries, ʻOther,’ of the correspondence series are letters that were neither created by or addressed to Elbert. All letters were written or received by his immediate family and help contextualize the close relationships he held with sister (Ethelind), mother (Ethelind), uncles, and aunts. Some correspondence may be misidentified as journal entries. Journal and correspondence are similar in content and style and are at times difficult to differentiate.
Series III. Professional Activities. This series contains records related to Elbert’s professional activities at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Elbert taught at the University of Hawaiʻi from 1949 until his retirement in 1972. Materials include speeches, teaching notes, honors and documents related to his retirement.
Series IV: Research. This series contains Elbert’s research materials including his field notes and research on particular subjects or locales in the Pacific. The subseries field notes contains notebooks of his observations in the field. Many of the books are related to Rennell and Bellona. The second sub-series, ‘Reference’ contains secondary materials related to Elbert’s field notes. These materials were written by others but contain marginalia by Elbert. The third subseries ‘Research’ contains miscellaneous research notes written by Elbert.
Series V: Writings. This series contains Elbert’s writings including drafts, unpublished manuscripts, and paperwork from University of Hawaiʻi Press regarding his published material. Reprints and published material have been removed from the collection. Consult ‘Deaccessioning note’ for listing of removed published materials.
Series VI: Writings by Others. This series contains material written by people other than Elbert. Most documents contain varying amounts of annotations [and marginalia] by Elbert. Also included are clippings that Elbert collected relating to his work (such as book reviews), friends and collaborators (Pukui, Cabacungan, etc). Series is organized alphabetically by last name and then by publication name. Published books without marginalia have been removed from the collection. Letters and notes found inserted in books were separated and placed in this series.
Series VII: Clippings. Included are clippings that Elbert collected relating to his work (such as book reviews), area of research, and collaborators (Pukui, etc). Clippings were found interspersed through collection. Arrangement was imposed as there was little to no arrangement apparent.
Series VIII: Photographs. This series contains photographs of Elbert, his family, friends, and colleagues. Also pictured are photographs of landscapes and images taken while living in the Pacific. Photographs were found loose and unsorted. A few photographs were also found in envelopes. Consequently, many photos are unidentified. It is also possible that some of his other photos are interfiled in other series.
Series IX: Oversized. Oversized records were separated into this file. Included are art poems and a diploma.
Series II: Correspondence. This series contains Elbert’s personal and professional correspondence. Correspondence is arranged by outgoing and incoming mail and within this arrangement, chronologically. Outgoing mail represented in this collection is from 1928 to 1990, with bulk dates from the 1950-1960s. A majority of the outgoing mail is addressed to Elbert's mother, Ethelind. In letters to his mother are observations on his fieldwork, travels, and everyday life. These letters detail a close relationship that spanned Elbert's life. There is little incoming mail; most incoming letters are from colleagues and friends. Noticeably, Ethelind’s (mother) letters are absent. The third subseries, ʻOther,’ of the correspondence series are letters that were neither created by or addressed to Elbert. All letters were written or received by his immediate family and help contextualize the close relationships he held with sister (Ethelind), mother (Ethelind), uncles, and aunts. Some correspondence may be misidentified as journal entries. Journal and correspondence are similar in content and style and are at times difficult to differentiate.
Series III. Professional Activities. This series contains records related to Elbert’s professional activities at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Elbert taught at the University of Hawaiʻi from 1949 until his retirement in 1972. Materials include speeches, teaching notes, honors and documents related to his retirement.
Series IV: Research. This series contains Elbert’s research materials including his field notes and research on particular subjects or locales in the Pacific. The subseries field notes contains notebooks of his observations in the field. Many of the books are related to Rennell and Bellona. The second sub-series, ‘Reference’ contains secondary materials related to Elbert’s field notes. These materials were written by others but contain marginalia by Elbert. The third subseries ‘Research’ contains miscellaneous research notes written by Elbert.
Series V: Writings. This series contains Elbert’s writings including drafts, unpublished manuscripts, and paperwork from University of Hawaiʻi Press regarding his published material. Reprints and published material have been removed from the collection. Consult ‘Deaccessioning note’ for listing of removed published materials.
Series VI: Writings by Others. This series contains material written by people other than Elbert. Most documents contain varying amounts of annotations [and marginalia] by Elbert. Also included are clippings that Elbert collected relating to his work (such as book reviews), friends and collaborators (Pukui, Cabacungan, etc). Series is organized alphabetically by last name and then by publication name. Published books without marginalia have been removed from the collection. Letters and notes found inserted in books were separated and placed in this series.
Series VII: Clippings. Included are clippings that Elbert collected relating to his work (such as book reviews), area of research, and collaborators (Pukui, etc). Clippings were found interspersed through collection. Arrangement was imposed as there was little to no arrangement apparent.
Series VIII: Photographs. This series contains photographs of Elbert, his family, friends, and colleagues. Also pictured are photographs of landscapes and images taken while living in the Pacific. Photographs were found loose and unsorted. A few photographs were also found in envelopes. Consequently, many photos are unidentified. It is also possible that some of his other photos are interfiled in other series.
Series IX: Oversized. Oversized records were separated into this file. Included are art poems and a diploma.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated to UHM's Pacific Collection by Marc Planquart, trustee of the Michel Kaiser Revocable Trust, as a single accession in 2015.
- Title
- Samuel H. Elbert Papers Finding Aid
- Status
- in_progress
- Author
- Elizabeth Seaton
- Date
- 2018-2019
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- English
Repository Details
Part of the University of Hawaii at Manoa Libraries Repository
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