Mrs. Mary Ellen Coney (1872-1958) of Niumalu, wife of John Haalelea Coney (1864-1944), lived in Honolulu in the days of the Hawaiian monarchy and was privileged to be present at the court of King David Kalakaua. In 1954 she recalled,
Mrs. Mary Ellen Coney (1872-1958) of Niumalu, wife of John Haalelea Coney (1864-1944), lived in Honolulu in the days of the Hawaiian monarchy and was privileged to be present at the court of King David Kalakaua.
In 1954 she recalled, “It was my first ball at Iolani Palace
and I believe the year was 1890. King Kalakaua was holding a reception for the officers of the Charleston. It was a very rare occasion for a man-of-war to come in and the king always made the most of it. Everybody who was anybody was invited and, of course,
all the aristocracy was there. It was a beautiful sight to see all the women in their Paris gowns being presented to the king and queen, and the officers resplendent in their dress uniforms. These receptions were very sophisticated affairs and the champagne flowed like water. Kalakaua was a very gay monarch.
“Princess Liliuokalani was a very gay, fun-loving young woman. She loved hula and organized her own group of dancers and, of course, she had her own Hawaiian musicians.
“The aristocrats of Honolulu very rarely entered a store to do their shopping, but would drive up to the entrance and wait for the clerks who would bring out the merchandise and display the colorful bolts of cloth to the fashionably dressed women, while a crowd of onlookers would watch with envy and admiration from a respectful distance.
“Kalakaua used to come to the Coney estate across the street from Iolani Palace for coffee every morning after he had finished his constitutional around the block.”
And she laughed when she remembered that “Mashed potatoes were
Princess Ruth Keelikolani’s favorite dish and no matter how much the
cook prepared, she would eat them all.”
