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Post by Doug 周 on Apr 11, 2013 11:18:53 GMT -5
...on some American records on ancestry I notice that the Sen is listed as the first name. And other times in the middle as part of the full name.... List of Chinese names gathered by Westerners are alphabetized according to the phonetic spelling by a diverse group of compilers. The only requirement of these listers is the ability of writing the names based on sounds . Westerners are usually ignorant of the surname first standards of Chinese nomenclature. This miscommunication frequently causes given names to be listed as surnames, and vice versa. Another example are groups of names where all the given names are the similar. The listing of Ah Chinn, Ah Gung, Ah Wing are situations where a common Cantonese pronunciation prefix is mistaken to be a given name. Listings of married women will frequently reveal the Western surname of Shee. There will be groupings of names such as Wong Shee, Jan Shee, Lim Shee. The Shee is not the surname, but a name suffix to indicated that person is from the Wong, Jan, or Lim clan. Chinese of the 19th-20th century period had many names. This is what makes recording Chinese names (and the genealogy) difficult. You've mentioned the example of the multiple names of Sun Yet-Sen. So these western American records only hint to the Chinese name. Your family oral history will give you confirmation of the surname and given names.
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msen
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Post by msen on Apr 12, 2013 21:16:43 GMT -5
Thanks Doug. I was able to reach, by phone, the NYC Vital Records Dept and they advised that they do have a death certificate of my father and are processing it to be mailed. I will not hold my breath because it has been about 2 months from time of request, and also it might only contain limited info. I shall soon see, hopefully... msen
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Post by FayChee on Apr 12, 2013 21:47:21 GMT -5
That's great news Mara! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a complete certificate!
Fay Chee
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msen
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Post by msen on Apr 16, 2013 8:32:05 GMT -5
Just lost the message I was sending, so again:
Received the Death Certificate and it is far from complete but here is the info listed: My father died on July 7th, 1963 in Maimonides Hospital, Brooklyn, NY. He was married, to my mother Barbara, and the residence was 5014 7th Ave, Bklyn, NY. His laundry is listed as a "wet wash" and his birthplace China. Sadly there is no date of birth and he is approximately 65 with no listing for any of his China family. All this blank space tells me that my mother did not know his Chinese parents name nor any family. Now the interesting clue. The funeral info is listed as "Wah Wing Sang Funeral Corp", at 26 Mulberry St. NY and he is buried at the Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn NY. So this is all that is listed and with Doug's "Lack of" reference comment, I shall continue to search. I hope these few clues could lead to more...I shall call Cypress Hills... msen
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msen
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Post by msen on Apr 16, 2013 8:53:51 GMT -5
So, a little more info from Cypress Hills Cemetery:
He is buried in Section 16, with an association listed as "Chung Wah Kung Saw" He is the only one buried there, at that grave and there are no other "Sen" names listed in other areas. There are several "Sien" names, in other sections, with ""Sien" as a surname, middle name and even a first name. They cannot tell me more on this without a connection from Sen to Sien families. The are sending me the original paperwork but it has no further info than this basic info. I finally know where he is and that an association, and extended family, did reach out to him. msen
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Post by laohuaqiao on Apr 16, 2013 10:28:59 GMT -5
msen, That's very good news. It is almost certain that his Chinese name is on the tombstone, since his services was handled by a Chinese funeral home.
Check with Wah Wing Sang what record do they have on your father.
Keep us posted on any updates.
If needed, I can ride out to Cypress Hills on a sunny weekend day to check it out.
And Chung Wah Kung Saw is the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association.
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Post by Doug 周 on Apr 16, 2013 10:37:28 GMT -5
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Post by FayChee on Apr 16, 2013 17:40:53 GMT -5
Surprise! I was off today and drove to the cemetery to take the picture and do a nice Ching Ming before it was too late. Can anyone tell us his Chinese name? Fay Chee Attachments:
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Post by FayChee on Apr 16, 2013 17:47:46 GMT -5
This is the Ching Ming for Mr. Sen and the closest marker to this section. The only thing that I forgot was flowers, so I bought these from a vendor in front of the cemetery. I realize that they may not be appropriate but it was all he had left in blue...... Fay Chee Attachments:
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Post by FayChee on Apr 16, 2013 18:25:01 GMT -5
Mara, This is the cemetery map that shows the Chung Wah section (1) and Old Chung Wah (2)....I think I was in the 2nd section by Hok Shan..... Fay Chee Attachments:
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Post by FayChee on Apr 16, 2013 19:01:57 GMT -5
This is the headstone before I cleaned it..... Attachments:
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Post by FayChee on Apr 16, 2013 19:07:57 GMT -5
Here are the headstones on each side.... Attachments:
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msen
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Post by msen on Apr 16, 2013 19:56:34 GMT -5
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Post by FayChee on Apr 16, 2013 20:00:52 GMT -5
I was happy to help Mara.......I know how you are feeling right now because the members of this forum gave me this and more.....
The journey just begins now............
Fay Chee
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Post by FayChee on Apr 16, 2013 20:04:03 GMT -5
Entrance to cemetery............very beautiful....I couldn't take a better shot because I was blocking the entrance to the cemetery... Attachments:
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