Item Detail
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Aiu, Myrtle Ngit Ung Kwock
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1916-
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MSS SC 1102
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Autobiography
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Myrtle Ngit Ung Kwock Aiu was born on 12 October 1916 in Honolulu, Hawaii to Chong Kae Kwock and Alice Lo Chee (Chang) Kwock. When Myrtle was born her parents gave her a Chinese name and the nurse in the hospital suggested they also give her an English name such as Myrtle. She was given the first name Myrtle and said she was grateful her parents gave her an English name because most people cannot pronounce her Chinese name. The Kwock family lived on the island of Oahu then moved to the island of Kauai when Myrtle was two years old. There she attended Eleele Grammar School through the eighth grade and helped her parents with their dry-goods store. On 28 June 1937, Myrtle married William Aiu in the Lihue Union Church. They had twin daughters Jean Kalei and Joan Kulei on 3 May 1941. Myrtle and William lived in Hawaii for the remainder of their lives. In 1947 Myrtle began investigating different churches to see if they had the answers to questions raised in her mind while reading the Bible. She became acquainted with Elder and Sister Cheney from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She joined the LDS Church and was baptized on 25 March 1848 by Elder Oather Roper at Kapaa Beach. Myrtle later fulfilled many different callings in the church and was grateful for her new found faith. She gave service to the church for the rest of her life.
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This manuscript is twelve typewritten pages long. The first ten pages are Myrtle's history and experiences. One page has just one typed line on it saying Myrtle apologizes for her untidiness. The last page was submitted one day later than the first eleven pages as a P.S. to the previous history she submitted. It tells about how she and her husband got involved in the motel business. The original history is slightly messy because it has portions where pieces of paper were later taped on top of the original. This may have been done because Myrtle forgot to include a story or wanted to revise a story. The majority of the additions are also typed. It is still easily read. At the beginning of the document she briefly describes her family and history, but after that her family is rarely mentioned and only specific events that took place in her life are elaborated. The pages that follow are largely devoted to her service in the church, describing specific callings and the years she had those callings, along with her spiritual experiences. Many of her experiences took place while she was away from home, such as when she was in Utah and Hong Kong. With each experience, she bears testimony of the gospel. She tells her conversion story and also mentions an experience with genealogy. She focuses on the little events in her life that have made a difference and emphasizes the Lord's hand in these events.
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1916-1977