Guide
Hawaii Genealogy Search at a Glance
Hawaii family history covers the kingdom, the republic, the territory and the state, with records in Hawaiian, English, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese and Filipino languages reflecting the plantation era migrations. The Hawaii State Archives in Honolulu holds the kingdom and territorial records, including passenger manifests of the plantation workers who arrived from 1852 onward, and the Hawaiian language newspapers, digitized free, record births, marriages and deaths for Native Hawaiian families back to the 1830s.
Vital registration began under the kingdom in 1842 but was incomplete until 1896, and the Department of Health holds the records from then on.
Official sources on this page were checked on September 25, 2026.
Guide
Hawaii Genealogy
Hawaii statewide genealogy links
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Vital records for Hawaii family history
Hawaii's kingdom began requiring registration of births, marriages and deaths in 1842, with consistent records from 1896, and the Hawaii Department of Health's Office of Health Status Monitoring holds them, while the Hawaii State Archives holds the kingdom era registers and indexes. Hawaii restricts access to vital records to persons with a direct interest, but records more than 75 years old are open for genealogical research at the State Archives. Marriage records from the 1830s survive in kingdom marriage registers and church books, and divorce records sit with the circuit courts.
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Hawaii archives, census and military records
The State Archives holds the passenger manifests of ships bringing plantation workers from China, Japan, Portugal, Korea, the Philippines and elsewhere from 1852 to 1900, the Board of Immigration records, the kingdom's Mahele land award books from the 1848 division of land, tax and probate records, and the kingdom censuses of 1866, 1878, 1890 and 1896. The Papakilo Database from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs offers free searching of Hawaiian language newspapers and the Mahele records. The Bishop Museum holds Hawaiian genealogies and church records, and the Hawaiian Mission Houses hold the missionary church registers. The federal censuses of Hawaii begin in 1900.
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County courthouse records in Hawaii
Hawaii has one statewide Bureau of Conveyances, not county recorders, and it holds every deed and land document since the kingdom era, with an online index. Land Court registered titles are a separate system from the same office. Probate, divorce and civil case files are held by the circuit court of each island's circuit, and the State Archives holds the older circuit court records. The four counties, Honolulu, Maui, Hawaii and Kauai, hold few genealogical records themselves because land and vital records were always state functions.
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Federal & National Authoritative Sources
Straight answers
Hawaii Genealogy Search, questions
How far back do Hawaii vital records go?
The kingdom required registration from 1842, with consistent records from 1896. Kingdom era registers are at the Hawaii State Archives, and church books and Hawaiian language newspapers cover earlier events.
Where are the plantation immigration records?
At the Hawaii State Archives, which holds passenger manifests and Board of Immigration records for workers arriving from 1852 to 1900 from China, Japan, Portugal, Korea and the Philippines.
What is the Mahele?
The 1848 division of Hawaiian land among the crown, chiefs and commoners. The Mahele award books and land claim testimonies name thousands of Native Hawaiian families and are searchable free in the Papakilo Database.