What is known about George Galbraith?   He was born in approximately 1824 in what is now Northern Ireland. George was brother to Elisa Fitchie of Ballydrain, County Down; uncle of Samuel Barry McKee Fitchie (son of Elisa and father of Elizabeth), and great-uncle of Elizabeth Fitchie Cameron. He lived through the Honolulu bubonic plague of 1899-1900, and he died on November 4, 1904 a very wealthy man.

In 1850 George left for San Francisco, possibly to join the California gold rush, aboard the British Barque Orion from Liverpool. He allegedly vowed that he would not return until he had the money to buy farm land in Ireland. After 214 days the Orion reached the Sandwich Islands, now called Hawaii [1], during the reign of King Kamehameha.

George never became part of the California Gold Rush. He established himself in Honolulu, becoming a cattle rancher, likely taking advantage of the wild cattle that roamed the hills as a result of the cattle imported by James Cook 60 years earlier. He purchased several parcels of land on Oahu, and would eventually fulfil his promise and purchased land in Ringneal and Ballydrain, County Down. The Irish lands were occupied by his brother, Samuel, and sisters, Sarah and Elisa Fitchie, and their families.[1]

George remained single all his life. According to his friend and lawyer, Cecil Brown, he was thought to be a "very peculiar man, eccentric and suspicious. ..but he knew exactly what he was doing. ...At one time in his life he used to drink a good deal, but towards the latter part of his life he reformed and very seldom drank during the last ten years of his life."[2]

An anecdotal story regarding the Royal Birthing Stones (Petroglyphs of Hawaii) is attributed to him.[3]

[1] reference David Dickinson, 2004 message, ancestry.com

[2] reference Court Testimony, 1905

[3] "Petroglyphs of Hawaii" - John Billingsley

Not surprisingly, tradition and historical event associate these with the Royal Birthing Stones at Kukaniloko. One story tells of two sisters who lived on Kauai Island (where another birthing site existed at Wailua) and decided to visit Kukaniloko. Being possessed of magical powers during the hours of darkness, they attempted to fly there one night, but were caught by the first rays of the sun near their destination and, dropping by a stream, turned into stones. There they lay until the early years of this century, when a road was being developed through the gulch. A large stone was pushed to the side of the road; but that night the foreman, a white man named George Galbraith, had a dream in which a stone repeatedly said to him "you have my feet up and my head down, please turn me around". Returning to the construction site the next day, Galbraith recognized the stone and had it turned over. Two old Hawaiian men who helped with this told him that this stone was named Kaniniulaokalani and held a spirit that should be cared for. Galbraith then arranged for this stone (and its companion, which does not feature in this part of the story) to be taken to Kukaniloko. So perhaps the sisters finally completed their journey. However, in the light of my own powerful experience at Wahiawa, it may be speculated that the 'shoe' stone at least had been previously removed from Kukaniloko, where it had been the principal birthing stone, and was just being returned there; or that it had previously been a principal stone at Wailua on Kauai, giving rise to the tale of the sisters.