During the late 1800s and early 1900s, two Portuguese immigrants to Hawaii, John I. Silva and Jose Gomez, established themselves in the towns of Eleele and Hanapepe, Kauai as merchants and postmasters. Born at Ponta Delgada, San Miguel, Azores, Portugal
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, two Portuguese immigrants to Hawaii, John I. Silva and Jose Gomez, established themselves in the towns of Eleele and Hanapepe, Kauai as merchants and postmasters.
Born at Ponta Delgada, San Miguel, Azores, Portugal in 1868, and educated at Laupahoehoe on the Big Island and at St. Louis College, Honolulu, John I. Silva began his business career as a clerk in P.A. Dias Store at Kapaau, Kohala, Hawaii in 1885.
He then held a number of other jobs — livestock dealer for A. Enos & Co. on Maui, salesman for Gonsalves & Co., also of Maui, and traveling photographer with Gonsalves in Honolulu — prior to establishing a general merchandize store in Eleele with Joseph Frias in 1894.
Silva bought out Frias’ interest in Eleele Store in 1896, and beginning in 1901, he was for many years the postmaster at Eleele.
John I. Silva was also a representative of Kauai in the Territorial Legislature, 1907-1908.
He and his wife, Maria Martins Gouveia, were married at Eleele in 1903.
Jose Gomez was born at Madeira, Portugal in 1877 and was educated at Lihue School in Pua Loke. He worked as a laborer at Lihue Plantation for 18 years before taking a job as a clerk at John I. Silva’s Eleele Store in 1900, where he was promoted to assistant manager.
In 1907, he established Hanapepe Store and Gomez Garage with four others. Two years later, he bought out his business partners and became the sole proprietor of his general merchandize store and a fleet of three cabs.
For a number of years, beginning in 1914, he was the postmaster at Hanapepe.
He and Helen Nunes were married at Eleele in 1900 and had six children: Jose, Jr., Mary, John, Francis, Glory and Antone.
