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Post by kekai on Feb 22, 2011 2:27:13 GMT -5
I have 2 or 3 family lines I would like to research. I am starting with the Au family that came from Hop Bin (a/ka/ Ha Bin Village) from Sun Ning District. I think that is Toisan, but in my records it is also referred to as Toy Shan and Toy San. My records comes from the Immigration Archives at San Bruno.
I am new to this, and am very happy there are other curious and confused Chinese-Americans wondering who their ancestors are.
The person I am researching and trying to find is James Sun Wah Au, who was born in 1912 or 1913 and lived most of his life in Hawaii. He is my half-sister's estranged father. I do not know if he is still alive.
Could someone tell me:
1. Where is Hop Bin Village?
2. Are there any Threads for any Au family members that went to Hawaii in the late 1800s and early 1900s?
3. What is the Chinese character for the surname of Au?
Any and all information will be very much appreciated.
Thank you. ;D
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Post by helen on Feb 22, 2011 3:20:13 GMT -5
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Post by helen on Feb 22, 2011 3:30:54 GMT -5
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Post by kekai on Feb 22, 2011 3:47:47 GMT -5
Thanks Helen,
I'll look at the website. I do have the Chinese characters for the names, which I can scan and somehow post.
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Post by kekai on Feb 22, 2011 5:09:34 GMT -5
I checked my records, and I have the Chinese character for Au, so I know that is correct surname. I have immigration records for 5 people with the last name of Au, and they all say they come from Hop Bin or Ha Bin, and I did see it also spelled as Hak Bin and Ha Pin. No luck finding anything.  |
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Post by Doug 周 on Feb 22, 2011 21:51:54 GMT -5
Rather than an village, could it be a subheung?
Look at the village database, and look at the subheungs
This is a major problems with romanizations
¿Do you have the Chinese characters?
¿As per Helen, do you have a gravestone with characters?
Post via the attachment option, or select, copy and paste after tracing. Even better, compare the subheungs on the database with the Chinese characters for the village name.
Doug
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Post by kekai on Feb 23, 2011 2:26:08 GMT -5
I don't have the grave. I'm certain about the Au character. I will collect some records and scan them, and try to send them to you, including the Chinese signature of the Au ancestors. I have lots and lots of interesting documents and photos I've collected over the years. Also, I have an ancestor that immigrated to Cuba. Do you know anything about the Chinese community in Cuba? Also, I have a photocopy of a 3 generation marriage certificate the San Bruno Immigration Archives sent me. Do you know anything about this sort of certificate? Why do they list 3 generations? I will sort through what I have and get back with you.
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Post by kekai on Feb 23, 2011 2:38:04 GMT -5
See: www.aiisf.org/immigrant-voices/287-lee-don-yee-fungHere is someone who was born in Ha Bin Village. Where is KaiPong County? " My Years in China Before Emigrating I was born in December 1927 in KaiPong County, China, in the village of Ha Bin, which means “by the side of the shrimp,†and near the small town of Bock Hop. Our village had no more than 10 houses. KaiPong is next to Toisan County. The village was pretty much self-contained. There was a pond, where they raised fish. In the back of the houses there were the outhouses..." |
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Post by helen on Feb 23, 2011 2:43:30 GMT -5
I think it's Kaiping
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Post by tyuti1668 on Feb 23, 2011 3:02:46 GMT -5
... someone who was born in Ha Bin Village... That "Ha Bin" = MAPOfficial address in China post Database: 广东省江门市开平市百合镇北降管区虾边村 529375 |
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Post by laohuaqiao on Feb 23, 2011 8:25:42 GMT -5
kekai,
Au (Ou in Mandarin) surname can be either 歐 or 區. According to the 區 family genealogy book, they descended from the 歐, their tree branch originated during the Han dynasty. There was a rich merchant name Ou An 歐安 well known for his philanthropy. One day the Han emperor Jingdi summoned Ou an and said to him, "You are already in possession of wealth, talent and good character; you are not lacking in anything." The surname 歐, as written, consists of 2 parts 區 and 欠, the latter meaning to lack or to owe. Thereupon, the emperor honored Ou An with a new surname 區, pronounced the same way. Among the people who later migrated to Guangdong Pearl River Delta, nearly 1000 years ago, were the descendants of Ou An. Thus, it's more common to find the surname Au/ Ou 區 in this region than 歐.
As to Chinese in Cuba, before the communist revolution in Cuba, there was a very large Chinese community in Cuba, perhaps the largest in Latin America. The first Chinese to arrive in Cuba were laborers who worked in the sugar cane plantations. Later others came, opening small businesses, grocery stores, restaurants, etc. Because of Cuba's proximity to the US, during the Chinese Exclusion era many might have hoped to use it as a way to continue on to America, but many also decided to stay. After the Castro revolution, some Chinese also fled to the US. In the 60s many of the Latino-Chinese restaurants were opened by Cuban-Chinese.
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Post by laohuaqiao on Feb 23, 2011 8:58:15 GMT -5
See: www.aiisf.org/immigrant-voices/287-lee-don-yee-fungHere is someone who was born in Ha Bin Village. Where is KaiPong County? " My Years in China Before Emigrating I was born in December 1927 in KaiPong County, China, in the village of Ha Bin, which means “by the side of the shrimp,†and near the small town of Bock Hop. Our village had no more than 10 houses. KaiPong is next to Toisan County. The village was pretty much self-contained. There was a pond, where they raised fish. In the back of the houses there were the outhouses..." kekai, Just a word of caution, there can be many villages in the Siyi region with the same romanized names. The village Ha Bin that Don Lee came from may not be the village you are looking for. Besides being in Kaiping, not Taishan, unless it's a multi-surname village, that Ha Bin is a Lee village, not an Au village. Most villages in Siyi are single surname villages. |
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Post by kekai on Feb 24, 2011 2:16:58 GMT -5
Everybody is so helpful. Thank you. I really appreciate the help. Thanks to Henry and An Gen I now have Chinese symbols on my computer!
The Au family Chinese signature shows å€. Thank you for the Au family line's history. I'm pretty sure they came from Taishan and I'll leave it at that. As they left in the late 1880s or 1890s, it maybe the village no longer is there.
I do have questions about the Huang family line. Until my daughter went to my father's ancestral village that he left in 1922, we always thought we were Wong. What a surprise to find out in 2002 (80 year later) that we are really Huang, 黃. I want to post an attachment and ask a question about it. Could somebody tell me how to post an attachment?
Thank you.
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Post by chak on Feb 24, 2011 8:41:12 GMT -5
Isn't "Wong" the Cantonese equivalent of "Huang"? Attachments:
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Post by chak on Feb 24, 2011 8:48:09 GMT -5
To post an attachment, you need to be LOGGED IN.
When you select "new thread" or "reply", in addition to the subject and message areas which you're familiar with, you should see an "attachment" field. Just click the BROWSE button and navigate to the file on your computer. When you POST MESSAGE, your message and attachment will be added.
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