Help me about my last name "Sy"

[JustPotato]

for 17 years of my existence, i believed that my last name is "Chan", until recently I was told that our true last name - used by our ancestors - is "Sy".
I am a curious potato so, I really want to know where we came from. i couldn't ask them - my parents and grandparents - for answers because they are kind of busy and I really want to find this out  by myself.

Thank you to those who will help me and, yes, I know, I only have 1 lead. I don't know how far I will reach with just one lead.

[Doug 周]

In order to be precise, you will need to have the Chinese characters. That will involve you asking your elders assuming you are illiterate in Chinese.

Second, where are your elder's ancestral village. Knowing the dialect of the ancestral area can help in the pronunciation of names.

[JustPotato]

Both my grandparents are deceased and my father don't know a thing or two about them.

[Doug 周]

JustPotato,

There are several axioms in Chinese genealogy. The two most important for newbies.

1. Surname first:

You will really have to know the surname in Chinese characters. syquizon has helped with the possible Chinese character 施 for the phonetic spelling of Sy. Standard English wikipedia search found Shi_(surname) ^click amongst other sites. But before you go any further, you should mail an image of the character to your father and confirm the surname. Even elders with a mild cognitive impairment will retain their long term memory enough to have some recognition.

2. Study what you know:

This common rule for all genealogist means you have to interview the people in your immediate and extended family first. How it especially applies to Chinese genealogy is that the our elders are clannish and secretive. This is an important trait carried from China and to survive in a western country hostile to hard working immigrants. The usual comeback to superficial family heritage questions is a.I don’t remember or b.It is not important. The newbie will stop further inquiries, taking the answers at face value. You have to earn the right to be a family historian by being persistent and asking follow up questions. It means repeating the inquiries over time. Don’t make the process a formal interview; it can usually be an aside during casual conversation. Eventually you will earn the right to the answers (a cynic will say you have worn down the person); regardless, you will be able to preserve your family heritage for your descendents.

My favorite book on interview techniques:

The Oral History Workshop: Collect and Celebrate the Life Stories of Your Family and Friends
Cynthia Hart (Author), Lisa Samson (Author)
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company; Original edition (November 26, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0761151974 ISBN-13: 978-0761151975

This book was published the last time syquizon posted. He/she was online in 2012, so maybe syquizon might answer.

[JustPotato]

Thank you very much for the info! I'll let you know if i get some info from my family. Thank you again!

[michel]

hi there, I suggest you to visit your grandparents' grave and see his chinese characters (hopefully there is one). or ask your elders who still can write chinese characters and ask them to write it. that's what I was doing anyway since many of my generations are chinese illiterate (we were unable to get chinese education for 30 years in indonesia!)

would be exciting if your surname is the same with mine (施) since it's spelled shi.

[liuyao]

FOr what it's worth, I have come across a Sy family who was indeed 施.

[advancehospice]

i am also a sy with the same chinese character. i am from the philippines. my grandfather is fromFujian, Amoy China. It is in the southern part of china and they speak fukian or hokian (whatever the spelling is). My greandfather is a relative of the chinese-filipino businessman in the philippiones, henry sy.

i hope that someone can make a connection with these info for family genealogy.

[lilyyy0921]

Jul 6, 2020 22:03:53 GMT -5 advancehospice said:

i am also a sy with the same chinese character. i am from the philippines. my grandfather is fromFujian, Amoy China. It is in the southern part of china and they speak fukian or hokian (whatever the spelling is). My greandfather is a relative of the chinese-filipino businessman in the philippiones, henry sy.

i hope that someone can make a connection with these info for family genealogy.

hi my great grandfather is also a relative of henry sy, we also live in the Philippines, and ofc my surname is also sy. dont know about you but i just found family here hahaha you can email me at [e-mail] so i can know you. kind of weird but it would be cool, only if u want to.

[Henry]

lilyy0921,

The following information may be of interest:

grandfamilyassociation


Sy clan association

Lin Pok Sy Foundation Inc.
Address 地址: 3rd floor, 685-693 Asuncion St. Manila, Philippines
Telephone 电话: 242-5580 • Fax 传真: 242-5097



Henry