Charlotte Fowler Baldwin (November 7, 1805 – October 2, 1873) was an American missionary. She was a member of the Fourth Company of missionaries sent to the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

by the

American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was among the first American Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. In the 19th century it was the largest and most imp ...

Early life

Charlotte Fowler was born in

Northford, Connecticut Northford is a census-designated place (CDP) comprising the primary village and surrounding residential and rural land in the town of North Branford, New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. It is in the northern part of the town, bordered to ...

, the daughter of Solomon Fowler and Olive Douglas Fowler. Her grandfather was William Douglas, a colonel in the Connecticut State Regiment during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

; her mother's uncle was surveyor Jared Mansfield. Inventor and abolitionist

Benjamin Douglas Benjamin Douglas (April 3, 1816 – June 26, 1894) was an American politician, inventor, and abolitionist who was the 50th lieutenant governor of Connecticut from 1861 to 1862. Family Douglas was born in Northford, Connecticut, on April 3, 181 ...

was her first cousin. She was educated in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

."Obituary"
''The Friend, or Advocate of Truth'' (November 1, 1873): 89.

Career

Charlotte Fowler taught school in New Jersey as a young woman. She arrived in Hawaii in 1831, with her new husband, a medical missionary; they were members of the Fourth Company of missionaries sent by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. The couple were first sent to Waimea and then based at

Lahaina Lahaina ( haw, Lāhainā) is the largest census-designated place (CDP) in West Maui, Maui County, Hawaii, United States and includes the Kaanapali and Kapalua beach resorts. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a resident population of 12,702. Laha ...

on the island of

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

to work with the Waineʻe Church there. Her husband worked on preventing and managing epidemics of smallpox, dysentery, influenza, and more, and later taught at a theological seminary at

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

. Charlotte Baldwin, meanwhile, started schools on Maui and at Honolulu; at one point she was teaching about sixty Hawaiian girls in her school. She also led knitting classes, Bible studies, and prayer groups for women at her home.

Personal life

Charlotte Fowler married Dwight Baldwin in 1830. They had eight children together, all born in Hawaii. Six survived her, among them malacologist

David Dwight Baldwin David Dwight Baldwin (November 26, 1831 – June 16, 1912) was a businessman, educator, and biologist on Maui in the Hawaiian islands. Within biology he is known for his contributions to the study of Hawaiian land snails, part of malacology. ...

and businessman

Henry Perrine Baldwin Henry Perrine Baldwin (August 29, 1842 – July 8, 1911) was a businessman and politician on Maui in the Hawaiian Islands. He supervised the construction of the East Maui Irrigation System and co-founded Alexander & Baldwin, one of the " Big Fiv ...

. Her sons-in-law included

Samuel Mills Damon Samuel Mills Damon (March 13, 1845 – July 1, 1924) was a businessman and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii, through the Republic of Hawaii and into the Territory of Hawaii. Life Damon was born in Honolulu on March 13, 1845. His father was ...

and

William DeWitt Alexander William DeWitt Alexander (April 2, 1833 – February 21, 1913) was an educator, author and linguist in the Kingdom of Hawaii and Republic of Hawaii. He then constructed maps for the Territory of Hawaii. Early life Alexander was born in Honolulu ...

. Charlotte Fowler Baldwin died at

Punahou Punahou School (known as Oahu College until 1934) is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school in Honolulu, Hawaii. More than 3,700 students attend the school from kindergarten through twelfth grade, 12th grade. Protestant missionar ...

in 1873, aged 68 years, after a long illness. Her grave is in

Kawaiahaʻo Church Kawaiahaʻo Church is a historic Congregational church located in Downtown Honolulu on the Hawaiian Island of Oʻahu. The church, along with the Mission Houses, comprise the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site, which was designated a U.S. Nati ...

cemetery.

Legacy

Baldwin's grandson

Henry Alexander Baldwin Henry Alexander Baldwin or Harry Alexander Baldwin (January 12, 1871 – October 8, 1946) was a sugarcane plantation manager, and politician who served as Congressional Delegate to the United States House of Representatives representing the Ter ...

and granddaughter Agnes Baldwin Alexander were among her many descendants. Charlotte Fowler Baldwin's home at Puunene is now the site of the Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum. In 1991, Charlotte Fowler Baldwin's rocking chair was donated by her descendants to the

Baldwin Home Museum Baldwin is a Germanic name, composed of the elements ''bald'' "bold" and ''win'' "friend". People * Baldwin (name) Places Canada * Baldwin, York Regional Municipality, Ontario * Baldwin, Ontario, in Sudbury District * Baldwin's Mills, ...

in Lahaina, the oldest standing house on Maui."Baldwin Home Museum"
Lahaina Restoration Foundation.

Family tree

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baldwin, Charlotte Fowler 1805 births 1873 deaths American Protestant missionaries People from North Branford, Connecticut American expatriates in the Hawaiian Kingdom Protestant missionaries in Hawaii Female Christian missionaries