Elizabeth Sinclair was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 26 April 1800. Known as "Eliza", she was one of six children born to William a successful merchant, and Jean Robertson McHutcheson. Eliza married Captain Francis W. Sinclair of the Royal Navy on 13 January 1824. They had three sons and three daughters. Sinclair was considered a master navigator, best known for saving the life of the Duke of Wellington in rough seas while escorting him on his return from the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
New Zealand
The Sinclairs moved to New Zealand, arriving in 1841; they settled in Pigeon bay in 1843. Eliza's husband and her oldest son George disappeared at sea in 1846 during a business trip headed towards Wellington. Her husband was carrying all the family's cash and produce supplies. After the disappearance of her husband, Eliza and her five children were left to survive on their own in Pigeon Bay. With her children marrying and producing grandchildren, the Sinclair clan needed more land, and Eliza's son Francis helped plan a new voyage towards that end. They sold their property in New Zealand and sailed to the Pacific Northwest of the United States with the goal of acquiring property in British Columbia.
Pacific Northwest
In early June 1863, the Bessie arrived in Victoria, British Columbia on Vancouver Island. The Sinclairs found the land wild and undeveloped with thick forests, making the effort required to clear land for agriculture close to impossible with their limited labor and resources. The new arrivals also found the Native Americans different from the Māori they were familiar with in New Zealand. They found the local inhabitants did not like to work and were much more satisfied receiving welfare. This was in stark contrast to the Maori. Eliza set her sights on California, but an acquaintance named Henry Rhodes recommended that they avoid the rough oceans during the winter as it would make anchorage difficult. Rhodes suggested that they sail to the Sandwich Islands instead, since his brother lived in Honolulu. The Sinclairs agreed, and they boarded the Bessie one last time.
Hawaii
At the age of 63 years, Eliza led 13 members of her family to Hawaii, arriving in Honolulu Harbor on 17 September 1863 on the vessel Bessie captained by her son-in-law, Thomas Gay. The 300-ton barque arrived fully provisioned, with Merino sheep, one cow, hay, grain, chickens, a grand piano, books, and clothing. Eliza was considered a "chiefess" by the native Hawaiians she and her family employed on the island of Niihau and in Makaweli on Kauai. In 1885, her niece Isabella McHutcheson Sinclair, who married Eliza's son Francis, authored and illustrated Indigenous Flowers of the Hawaiian Islands which has become an important record of the Hawaiian flora. The illustrations are of plants from Kauai and Niihau islands.
Descendants
Her descendants continue to run the island under their private ownership.
