Titus Coan

Titus Coan was a missionary from the east coast of the USA. On Dec. 5, 1834 he and his wife boarded a sailing ship which had to sail around the southern tip of S. America bound as missionaries to Hawaii. They arrived at their final destination of Hilo, Hawaii about six months later. Except for a short period of time in the Marquesas Islands and a brief visit to the USA, they spent the rest of their lives laboring there for the Kingdom of God.

Within 3 months of arriving there Titus had learned enough of the Hawaiian language to preach simple sermons and in less than a year he was fluent in the language. Not long after his arrival, his preaching of the gospel was attended by a deep and somewhat surprising level of conviction of sin and deep interest among the crowds he spoke to. At first it was hundreds, but that quickly became thousands of natives being touched by the Spirit of God resulting in deep manifestations of conviction and conversion. That move of God spread to the other islands with similar results and became known as "The Great Awakening" of the native Hawaiian people which was once well known world-wide.

Years later Titus Coan wrote, "Until wicked and infidel foreigners came among them, a Hawaiian could hardly be found who would deny the existence and character of the true God, or the truth of the Bible revelation."

One cannot hardly mention the history of the Hawaiian Islands with out mentioning the profound effect his relationship with God affected both the natives of Hawaii and the many other missionaries who had arrived to labor there.

Titus Coan was once called "the Pen Painter" for his vivid descriptions portrayed in all that he wrote, whether it be in penning the thousands of letters that he wrote in his lifetime¹ or his autobiography². One almost cannot avoid the sense of being there while reading his penned works.
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[1] many of which are contained in "Titus Coan - A Memorial" above. compiled after his death.
[2] "Life In Hawaii" - A vivid descriptions of life in Hawaii, the native population, etc.
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During his almost half a century on a volcanic island, Coan also made lengthy observations of volcanoes, lava flows, earthquakes and destructive tsunami's that were shared with the world and recognized by the scientific community of the day.

This growing library of knowledge about the early Christian missionaries who served God towards the people of the kingdom of Hawaii along with the history of the Hawaiian people is dedicated to his life. That knowledge can be found linked to on the menus at the top of each page or linked to in subsequent pages. May God bless you as you explore the lives of early missionaries and the people (both foreign and native) who discovered the mercy and grace found in Jesus Christ.