- William Drake Westervelt
William Drake Westervelt (b.Dec 26 1849 - d. Mar 9 1939) is the author of several books and magazines on Hawaiian history and
legend s. He drew upon the collections ofDavid Malo ,Samuel M. Kamakau , andAbraham Fornander to popularize Hawaiian folklore in his "Legends of Maui" (1910), "Legends of Old Honolulu" (1915), "Legends of Gods and Ghost-Gods" (1915), "Hawaiian Legends of Volcanoes" (1916) and "Hawaiian Historical Legends" (1923).Rev. William D. Westervelt was born in Oberlin,
Ohio . He graduated fromOberlin College in 1871 with a B.A. degree, and from Oberlin Theological Seminary in 1874 with a B.D. degree. Pastor of churches inCleveland ,Ohio andColorado , he settled inHawaii in 1899, marrying a missionary descendant, Caroline D. Castle.Westervelt's interest in Hawaiian
folklore was anavocation that led to numerous magazine and newspaper articles, many reprinted in his several collections. He is noted as one of Hawaii's foremost authorities on island folklore in English language. His anthologies of Hawaiian myths,legend s and folk tales are considered among the best of the English versions of a Hawaiian view of the sacred and profane.Oberlin College bestowed an honorary
Doctor of Divinity in 1926. He died at hisWaikiki home in March 1939.References
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