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Individual marks were the first private handstamps to be introduced in Hawaii according to my records. The Cleghorn oval dated in 1869 started the trend. This cover illustrates one of the later marks, the oval AUXPRIIND-Estep from Honokaa on the Big Island on December 22, 1894.

Relatively few private individual marks are listed. All appear to be return address designations but apparently the idea never became popular. At least one person, S. M. Damon, a prominent member of the Bishop & Co. banking firm and son of the famous chaplain, S. C. Damon, went to the trouble of having his name imprinted on the back flap. Samuel Parker, owner of the Mana Stock Ranch on Hawaii, applied an embossing stamp bearing his name to the back flap of letters he sent. Most individual marks were made with rubber handstamps. Davey ignored these marks in his listing of auxiliary marks for Meyer and Harris. However, these marks reveal something of the people who made up Hawaiian society in the latter part of the 19th Century and attract interest. In addition to those illustrated below, I have seen a mark used by Meyer at Kalae, Molokai. Other examples are illustrated in the catalogue for the Champion Sale (Shreves Philatelic Galleries, Inc., June 6, 1997). Some of the people who used these marks left an imprint in Hawaiian history. Others left no trace I have found.

H. P. Adams, Honolulu

Herbert Adams was an apothecary and also served MacFarlane & Co. as a clerk. I am uncertain whether this Adams is the same person who used this handstamp in 1878.

AUXPRIIND-H. P. Adams single lined oval serifed letters blue November 2, 1878

H. P. ADAMS/ date/ HONOLULU Usage: 1878

C. H. Bishop, Kauai

Charles H. Bishop ran the Lihue store on Kauai and was a cousin of the famous Charles Reed Bishop. C. H. Bishop was also postmaster at Lihue in the 1890's.

AUXPRIIND-CHBishop 43mm x 28mm single lined outer and inner ovals serifed letters above, unserifed below sunburst side ornaments purple December 2, 1897

C. H. BISHOP,/ LIHUE, - KAUAI. Usage: 1897 Noted as a backstamp.

A. S. Cleghorn, Honolulu

Archibald S. Cleghorn was the husband of Princess Likelike and the Collector General of Customs. When this mark was used, he owned a commission merchant store in Honolulu. His marriage to Princess Likelike took place in 1870.

AUXPRIIND-Cleghorn 28mm x 23mm single lined outer and inner ovals unserifed letters blue August 7, 1869

A. S. CLEGHORN./ date/ HONOLULU, H. I. Usage: 1869 Believed to be a scarce mark.

Samuel M. Damon, Honolulu

Samuel M. Damon joined the banking firm Bishop & Co. in 1871, became a partner in 1881 and took over the bank in 1894. In 1887, he was made Minister of Finance to Kalakaua. Samuel's father was Rev. S. C. Damon, chaplain, American Seaman's Friend Society and founder of The Friend, a monthly publication started in 1843. The Friend was still in publication in 1951.

AUXPRIIND-Damon(SM) 26mm x 13mm unbordered oval serifed letters letterpress, black October 15, 1883

S. M. DAMON./ HONOLULU, H. IS. Usage: 1883 Printed on the backflap.

E. W. Estep, Honokaa, Hawaii

Nothing has turned up yet to help me with Mr. Estep.

AUXPRIIND-Estep 41mm x 29mm double lined oval serifed letters except Honokaa; ornaments above and below Honokaa and dashes at the sides purple December 22, 1894

E. W. ESTEP/ HONOKAA/ HAWAII, H. I. Usage: 1894

J. F. C. Hagens, Kipahulu, Maui

Nothing has turned up yet to help me with Mr. Hagens.

AUXPRIIND-Hagens 50mm x 27mm (approx.) fancy bordered oval name of town and island serifed letters, other letters are unserifed purple November 20, 1891

J. F. C. Hagens,/ KIPAHULU, Island of Maui,/ SANDWICH-ISLANDS, Usage: 1891

R. W. Meyer, Molokai

R. W. Meyer was the postmaster and leading citizen of Molokai.

AUXPRIIND-Meyer 42mm x 26mm double lined outer and single lined inner ovals serifed letters; purple March 25, 1895

R. W. MEYER,/ date/ KALAE, MOLOKAI Usage: 1895

Samuel Parker, Hawaii

Samuel Parker owned the Mana Stock Ranch in the Hamakua District of the Big Island. It boasted 100,000 acres of grazing land.

AUXPRIIND-Parker __mm x __mm oval serifed letters; ornaments above and below name embossed January 28, 1884

SAML PARKER Usage: 1884

Jose C. Serrao, Hawaii

Jose Serrao operated a general merchandise store and livery stable at Hilo.

AUXPRIIND-SERRAO __mm x __mm single lined inner and outer ovals serifed letters above, unserifed below; star side ornaments; purple May 17, 1894

JOSE C. SERRAO,/ date and star side ornaments/ HILO, HAWAII, H. I. Usage: 1894

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