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Post by douglaslam on Aug 18, 2015 19:32:41 GMT -5
Henry, my warmest congratulations to you, your colleagues, and all attendees at the big event. It is a resounding success from what I've read so far. I have been a keen student of our people overseas longer than I can remember. Wish I could have been there as an observer and spectator.
I am leaving for China again on Oct. 2. Back in 2013. I had a yum cha or as you'd call it dim sum lunch meeting with a man, his wife and son. The older man was in his mid-80s who wanted to retrace his family home and links in my part of China. I have met the older man way back about fifty years earlier when I was in my teens. Father and son wanted to find their ancestral home. The father Jimmy came out to Australia when he was about 4 years old. Remarkably, he could still speak, read and write Chinese. But he could recall little of his village. They wanted to go with me to China in 2014. I did make a brief mention of my initial investigation in my thread My Excellent Adventures in China in 2013 and perhaps 2014.
The trip did not go ahead because Jimmy's wife felt sick and eventually succumbed to it. Last year I went to the same village again and established contact with an influential villager. BTW the people opened up to me and my party because coming from the same county helped enormously.
When everything had settled for Jimmy and his son, the same spark to trace their roots reignited. This time not just the father and son, but nephews and other extended family members. It s now snowballing to 17 people, with mixed blood descendents and non-Chinese participants.
Thankfully, I did not have to do what you had done in organisation. Still, I am going to leave ahead of the party to liaise with people in different villages to ensure person or persons would be at hand to open doors, literally, and a n s w e r questions. ( For reasons unknown, I wasn't able to type in a n s w e r )
I also make suggestions as to what to see in the province and go about chartering a bus when needed. I would definitely take them to see the dialou cluster and Duanfen. It is going to be fun and very challenging.
Keep up the good work Henry.
Douglas
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Post by Henry on Aug 18, 2015 20:58:58 GMT -5
Douglas,
Thank you for your very kind words,
I salute you for your efforts to help others recover their heritage & lineage.
My best regards,
Henry
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Post by lachinatown on Aug 18, 2015 23:47:46 GMT -5
Outstanding presentation.
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Post by Henry on Aug 24, 2015 23:03:58 GMT -5
Dear Colleagues, During the workshop, it was noted that a wonderful online database is no longer available: Database for Chinese immigrants who entered San Francisco, CA and Honolulu, HI, 1881-1955 at : casefiles.berkeley.eduUniversity of California at Berkeley, Business and Economic Research with the collaboration with the National Archives and Records Administration however, before it disappeared, one of our attendees downloaded the 2 files that formed the database and here are links to download them: www.dropbox.com/s/t0wchxdvqt09fap/AllRecordsPart1.xls?dl=0www.dropbox.com/s/5azm5c8mar3sn5x/AllRecordsPart2.xls?dl=0There is also a similar online database that is currently available, however, here is a link to download it - in case this database becomes unavailable: New York Chinese Exclusion Index Index of New York INS Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files 1882-1960 Description This is an index to over 18,500 "Chinese Exclusion" case files created by the New York District Office of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, ca. 1882-1960. The case files document the entry into the United States of Chinese aliens and the reentry of U.S. citizens of Chinese ancestry under the Chinese Exclusion Acts passed by Congress between 1882 and 1930, and repealed in 1943. The index includes names, often with aliases, and case numbers. Most entries include some or all of: age, birthplace, town of origin, occupation, name of wife, children, and sponsor, whether or not the case file includes a photograph, and comments. The case files are available from the Northeast Region (New York City) of the National Archives and Records Administration, 201 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014-4811, phone: (212) 337-1300, fax: (212) 337-1306, e-mail: archives@newyork.nara.gov. Most case files include correspondence, lists of related cases, transcripts of interrogations, and witness statements. Some files include birth certificates, coaching documents, family history forms, and marriage licenses, and photographs of individuals and families. www.dropbox.com/s/7i2ogdet2unbnml/Chinese_Exclusion_Case_Files_Index_-_New_York_City.xlsx?dl=0Henry
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Post by sherm on Aug 25, 2015 12:51:33 GMT -5
In the video, Nathan Fong when to his family's house in China but the name on it was Lu 盧 not Fong.
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Post by Henry on Aug 25, 2015 13:54:35 GMT -5
Hi Sherm,
I emailed Al Cheng for an explanation.
Without knowing the details, it may because Nathan Fong had a paper son heritage and he is really from the " Lu " clan.
Henry
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Post by alcheng1668 on Aug 29, 2015 10:23:38 GMT -5
The name carved on Nathan's ancestral home is 裕慶盧. It translates to "The Abode or Home of Yuqing." Lu 盧 means abode or home, not a surname in this instance. The same character appears in almost every major ancestral homes all over Kaiping. This one was constructed in 1936 (Chinese date of 民國二十五年). Trust this helps. Al
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Post by Henry on Aug 30, 2015 13:56:18 GMT -5
Hi Al, Thank you for the clarification. This past Thursday, August 27, 2015 was the date of the Grand Re-Opening of the Oroville Chinese Temple and Museum [ www.cityoforoville.org/index.aspx?page=129 ]. There is also the Marysville Chinese Temple and Museum [ www.bokkaitemple.com/ ] These are two of the most important 19th century Chinese heritage sites in the Sacramento Delta region: asianartandvisualcultures.org/2013/02/04/nineteenth-century-chinese-temples-at-oroville-and-marysville-in-california/In Marysville, CA is also the site of the Chinese American Museum of Northern California [ www.chineseamericanmuseum.com/ ] Another important Chinese " Town " is Locke, CA [ www.locke-foundation.org/ ]. Documentary on Chinese during Gold Rush vids.kvie.org/video/2365472420/ The film by producer Bill George chronicles the contributions of Chinese immigrants in California during the mid 1800s. Gold Mountain is the name the Chinese gave California during the Gold Rush days. The film takes viewers to the places where the Chinese built levees, temples, tunnels, wine caves, stores and homes, tracing the path of the immigrants. It also explores cultural, legal and political issues, as well as tensions between the Chinese and Anglo communities. Filming was done in Oroville and Marysville, two of the most important towns for the Chinese in the 1850s and 1860s, as well as Sacramento, Auburn, Locke, Fiddletown, St. Helena, Monterey and Donner Summit. The film was produced by Nimbus Films of Granite Bay, and the showing is sponsored by ACC Community Services, formally The Asian Community Center of Sacramento Valley. It has shown on KVIE, Public Television for Northern California. Read more: siyigenealogy.proboards.com/thread/2192/chinese-genealogy-workshop?page=4#ixzz3kKELm09bHenry
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Post by Henry on Sept 10, 2015 17:58:53 GMT -5
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Post by douglaslam on Sept 12, 2015 6:42:12 GMT -5
Henry, this is a very recent news item. Al Cheng is very proficient in putonghua. He is truly multi-talented. Douglas
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Post by Henry on Sept 17, 2015 23:12:50 GMT -5
Dear Colleagues, Since our recent Chinese Genealogy Workshop during August in Chinatown San Francisco was so successful and people have been asking when the next one would be, I have made arrangements for the next Chinese Genealogy Workshop to be held in Las Vegas, January 10-14, 2016 at the California Hotel & Casino: www.thecal.com/I managed to get a terrific package for attendees: $165 per person for the entire 4 nights hotel (double occupancy) which also includes 3 meal coupons per day ( 4 days ) per person - there are 6 restaurants at the California Hotel and I believe you can also use the meal coupons in the restaurants in the Main Street Hotel, and Fremont Hotel. Single Supplement is $248 and additional nights after the four night package is $65 plus 12 % room tax. Unfortunately, the meeting room for workshop on Monday & Tuesday is not free - I'm asking all attendees to pay a $100 registration fee per person to defray the costs of the meeting room, associated fees & expenses. Sunday is for arrivals, Wednesday is a free day, and check out is Thursday. Draft agenda: Monday - morning - Basics of Chinese Genealogy presentations, afternoon - Presenters Helping Hands On Research for attendees Tuesday - morning - Chinese Surname History & Lineage presentations, afternoon - Presenters Helping Hands On Research for attendees Recently, according to Expedia, the airfare are: From San Francisco round trip to Las Vegas - non-stop $86 From Los Angeles round trip to Las Vegas - non-stop $83 I suggest booking & locking in your flights early. I think the airport shuttle to the hotel is $16 round trip: www.vegas.com/transportation/airport-shuttles/Please complete the attached registration form and include a check, made out to " Henry Tom " for $100 per person and mail to me. Once I receive your registration form I will email you the Group Name & Group Code needed to book your rooms. The deadline to book rooms is December 8, 2015 Looking forward to meeting old friends & making new friends, Henry
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Post by Henry on Oct 12, 2015 21:53:38 GMT -5
Dear Colleague, It is my honor and pleasure to inform you that Ms. Emma Woo Louie will be our Keynote Speaker at our Chinese Genealogy Workshop in Las Vegas January 11&12, 2016. Emma wrote the classic: Chinese American Names: Tradition and Transition" Overview The naming practices of Chinese Americans are the focus of this work. Since Chinese immigration began in the mid-19th century, names of immigrants and those of their descendants have been influenced by both Chinese and American name customs. The naming traditions of China are first presented. It is a base for understanding the numerous modifications that may happen to personal names in the interaction between cultures as diametrically opposed as Chinese culture can be from American culture, "itself part of another great tradition, Western civilization." One discovers that surnames are clues to Chinese dialect sounds, that many have been Americanized, that new surnames were created and that, in more recent decades as the Chinese American population has grown, new names practices developed and surnames have proliferated. Included are ideographs to surnames and an overview of their preservation by Americans of Chinese descent." trove.nla.gov.au/work/24135042?selectedversion=NBD13463745Henry
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Post by Henry on Nov 29, 2015 21:07:52 GMT -5
Dear Colleagues, This is a reminder that the cut off date of December 8, 2015 for booking rooms for the Chinese Genealogy Workshop January 10-14, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The hotel cost is $165 per person for the entire 4 nights hotel (double occupancy) which also includes 3 meal coupons per day ( 4 days ) per person - there are 6 restaurants at the California Hotel or you can also use the meal coupons in the restaurants in the Main Street, and Fremont Hotels. Single Supplement is $248 and additional nights after the four night package is $65 plus 12 % room tax. Regards, Henry PS - The registration form & workshop flyer are posted below
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Post by Henry on Dec 5, 2015 18:34:42 GMT -5
Dear Colleagues,
This is a final reminder that the cut off date of December 8, 2015 for booking rooms for the Chinese Genealogy Workshop January 10-14, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
See documents in previous post.
Henry
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Post by Henry on Dec 18, 2015 23:06:26 GMT -5
Dear Colleagues, Here is a CCTV New 10-Minute Episode. Last month, Friends of Roots led another Roots Plus (Roots+) cohort to China. Among the participants was Paul Cheng, former principal of Lowell High School in San Francisco. China's national television network CCTV shadowed us, like they did last July. Here's the link to yesterday's CCTV's wonderful powerful moving 10-1/2 minutes episode on Paul's "rooting" day. There's English sub-titles. Must-WATCH. tv.cntv.cn/vodplay/236d8eea19d4438a87d370581cb48ca4/860010-1116055100?from=groupmessage&isappinstalled=0Henry
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