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Post by harc3 on Mar 7, 2009 12:33:52 GMT -5
I really have no idea yet if any are related to us. When I first started this I went to the cemetery and took pics of almost all Chinese headstones to find out if any of them are my relatives. At that time I was searching for something related to Chong but now I htink I need to look for someone related to Sum. I am going to keep on going til I get answers. I hope to get pics of the 2 stones we used to visit as kids next week sometime and will post those pics. Thank you soooooooooooo much for all your help.
So as it stands now I am usure of any of those headstones
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Post by geoff on Mar 8, 2009 15:43:30 GMT -5
Hello Harc3,
In Australia, many descendants of chinese who arrived in 1800's don't have their real chinese family name anymore. Some have little chance of discovering their real family name. It is a shame. Many have "Ah xxx" as their Aussie family name, which may have been part of their ancestor's given name.
Is this similar to what happened in your coountry?
I sent you an email in Chinese Genealogy.
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Post by harc3 on Mar 8, 2009 17:16:50 GMT -5
Thanks to all for everything....
Through more searching I have found a shipping record from China to Vancouver from 1931.
On the passenger list is Sum Ah Mee....This is my great aunt!!! On the document all the file numbers match the document I already have of her when she was 4 going to China.
The document from 1931 lists father Sum Chong Yee (my uncle)(which seems to make some sense of the writing on the back of the picture) She planned to stay in Canada but was detained at the Vancouver port.
Here is where it gets good....On the document it lists closest relative in China as Aunt Sum Ting Chong...Cheung Tai Village Chang Shing
So I am asking if anyone knows of this place....is there a map??
Also what would it look like on a tombstone??
If at all possible could I get the enlarged Chinese characters for family name "Sum" and "Cheung Tai Village Chang Shing"
so I can compare with headstones on my next visit to the cemetery.
I can't believe it but I may have finally tracked us down....VERY EXCITING
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Post by Henry on Mar 8, 2009 18:03:10 GMT -5
harc3,
Great news !
Unfortunately romanized Chinese characters are not very much help in the initial determination of Chinese names of people and places - but, they do give you a very rough idea of the pronunciation. This romanization looks to be Cantonese.
So, you know have a village name and probably the name of the nearest market town. Did the document have any indication of the province or the county?
I looked at a gazetteer of romanized place names for Guangdong province and could not find Chang Shing as a place - it is probably a small town and not listed.
Henry
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Post by geoff on Mar 8, 2009 18:57:15 GMT -5
Harc3,
You say "On the document it lists closest relative in China as Aunt Sum Ting Chong..Cheung Tai Village Chang Shing".
Could "Chang Shing" be "Jungseng or Jungsing" (cantonese) or Zengcheng (mandarin), a county north east of Guangzhou in Guangdong province of China?
or could "Chang Shing" be Chungshan (cantonese) or Zhongshan (mandarin), a county south of Guangzhou in Guangdong province of China?
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Post by harc3 on Mar 8, 2009 19:37:03 GMT -5
Geoff
I really have no idea what it could be....
The way it is written
"Cheung Tai Village, Chang Shing"
I really really wish I knew what it meant.
I am trying to play around with the doc. to get a good larger legible copy
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Post by Henry on Mar 8, 2009 19:58:58 GMT -5
Harc3, Here is the Chinese character for your Chinese surname: Henry  |
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Post by harc3 on Mar 8, 2009 20:31:16 GMT -5
Thank you Henry Here is the document (in 2 parts) On part 2(bottom doc) the bottom line is her   |
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Post by tyuti1668 on Mar 8, 2009 21:14:48 GMT -5
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Post by helen on Mar 8, 2009 23:53:43 GMT -5
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Post by harc3 on Mar 9, 2009 0:18:17 GMT -5
Thank you so much for that Helen!!!  I don't understand what the characters in tyuti's post with the map mean. Sorry for the ignorance |
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Post by tyuti1668 on Mar 9, 2009 2:24:11 GMT -5
the map=Migrate route of 沈 to Guangdong
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Post by laohuaqiao on Mar 9, 2009 5:57:28 GMT -5
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Post by harc3 on Mar 9, 2009 8:31:23 GMT -5
Wow, great collective effort. From Helen's scanned map, this would be the location of Zhangda or Cheung Dai Village 張大村 Thank you and thank you laohuaqiao for the view |
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Post by Henry on Mar 9, 2009 10:05:55 GMT -5
Harc3, Looks like you have determined the name, with various romanizations, and location of your ancestral village. I am posting a map of the area as well as a map denoting the location of your ancestral village. Since Helen will be visiting the Zengcheng area next month, perhaps she would be willing to visit your ancestral village and ask the village chief if he can identify your village relatives and also acquire a copy of your family genealogy book that contains the names of your grandfather. Henry ![]() mysite.verizon.net/vzepzaui/Cheung Dai area.jpg[/img] ![]() mysite.verizon.net/vzepzaui/Cheung Dai.jpg[/img] |
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