[1] In 1893, she met her mother's doctor, Dr. John Atcherley (1865–1940), an Englishman from Liverpool who had come to the islands to manage his brother-in-law's medical practice.

In 1908, they lived in Honolulu, and, after a series of legal disputes relating to John Atcherley's confinement in an insane asylum,[11] they moved to San Francisco in 1910 and to Vancouver in 1911 (where their youngest daughter, the goddaughter of Queen Lili'uokalani, was born).

[13] On the home front, Atcherley hosted Hawaiian-themed fundraisers for the war effort, often leading her children in performing Hawaiian music.

[14] The family moved back to the Hawaiian Islands to Molokai (where Dr. Atcherley was the county physician) before settling in Honolulu in 1928.

[16] Starting with letters to the editor in 1908, Atcherley became an outspoken activist for the rights of native Hawaiians, especially in regards to public health and mistreatment by government officials.

The Territorial Secretary Colonel Curtis P. Iaukea did not know whether he was allowed to enter women's names on the ballot; the question was passed through the governor's cabinet to Attorney General Harry Irwin.

[27] In September 1922, a bill passed allowing women to hold elected office in the territory of Hawaii: newspapers specifically mentioned that Atcherley's campaign had brought attention to this issue.

[29] One obituary notes, "Mrs. Atcherley never achieved any outstanding political honors although she aspired to many places of public service" though "in her efforts on behalf of her own people, the Hawaiians, her steps never lagged, her voice was never stilled.