Mary Jane Kekulani Fayerweather
Mary Jane Kekulani Fayerweather was a Kingdom of Hawaii high chiefess, music composer, teacher, dairy farmer, and rancher, who was of Native Hawaiian, British and American descent. She was the maternal granddaughter of George Charles Beckley, an early 19th-century English sea captain and merchant. She was also known by the married names Mary Jane Kekulani Fayerweather Davison Montano, Mary Jane Kekulani Davison, and Mary Jane Kekulani Montano.
Early life and family
Mary Jane Kekulani Fayerweather was born on 1842, in Honolulu, Kingdom of Hawaii, under the reign of King Kamehameha III. Her title "Kekulani" was given to her by Kamehameha III. She was born in the family home at Adams Lane and Union Street in Honolulu, and raised in Kohala, Hawaii until age 9 by her aunt aliʻi Ahuena Beckley. Living in Kohala she learned the Hawaiian-language.Her parents were Mary Kekahimoku Kolimoalani Beckley from Kingdom of Hawaii, and Abraham Henry Fayerweather an accountant at C. Brewer & Co. from New Canaan, Connecticut. Her older sister was Julia Fayerweather Afong, wife of Chinese businessman Chun Afong. Her maternal grandfather was George Charles Beckley an early 19th-century English sea captain and merchant from England, and her maternal grandmother was Elizabeth Ahia, a Native Hawaiian high chiefess.
Both of her parents died at a young age three months apart in 1850, and she was placed under the guardianship of Stephen Reynolds, a merchant. Later her guardianship was changed to Gerrit P. Judd, a prominent government official and missionary. At the age of 14, Fayerweather was sent to live with Mr. and Mrs. Warren Chamberlain of Waialua for the next four years. After she lived with her Uncle William Beckley, who taught at Mililani School.
Career and late life
Fayerweather worked as a teacher and assistant principal at Mililani School.She was a prolific composer of Hawaiian mele many of which were set to music by Charles E. King. Her notable compositions included “Kuʻu Home ”, "Maid of Honolulu," and “Beautiful Kahana”.
In 1864, she married Benoni Richmond Davison, a pharmacist, the superintendent of the United States Marine Hospital in Honolulu, and later as superintendent of the Hawaiian Insane Asylum; together they had five children.
Her first husband died in 1875, and she was remarried two years later to Andreas Avelino Montano, a photographer from Columbia. He had a photo studio on 87 Fort Street in 1876, and was the photographer of many notable Hawaiians including both Queen Emma and King Kalākaua.
In the 1883, Fayerweather and her second husband lived in Manoa Valley and they ran a ranch and dairy farm called Ka'aipu, where she lived for some 40 years. By 1889, the Ka'aipu Dairy had prospered and Montano closed his photo studio in Honolulu so they could purchased more land in Manoa. She kept a flock of 1,500 leghorn hens.