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Post by Dennis on Jul 15, 2020 15:07:57 GMT -5
Hello Evelyn, it is nice to hear from you. My sister Hilarie does remember you and sends her greetings. We do not know much about our Seto family, except that they came from Kaiping, China. I have found a picture of my grandfather’s gravestone which I will try to upload to see if anyone could decipher the Chinese writings that is on the gravestone. Regard, Dennis
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Post by Henry on Jul 24, 2020 14:48:09 GMT -5
Dennis,
The sooner you post the photo of your grandfather's gravestone - the sooner we can help you.
Henry
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Post by Dennis on Jul 26, 2020 12:59:02 GMT -5
Can anyone tell me what the Chinese writing on my grandfathers gravestone says?
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Post by lachinatown on Jul 26, 2020 15:24:24 GMT -5
His Chinese name. Photo not that clear. Top two characters are the surname Seto 司徒. 3rd character could be 建, meaning build; construct; erect; establish; set up; found; propose; advocate. Fourth character looks like longevity 壽.
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Post by Henry on Jul 26, 2020 15:33:06 GMT -5
Dennis,
The Chinese writing is your grandfather's Chinese name.
If you have the Chinese characters for the name of your ancestral village - this is where you can find a copy of the village genealogy that contains the male pedigree of your ancestors.
If you do not have this information, you may want to try and get a copy of the case file for your grandfather if he entered the US thru San Francisco. I have a database of the approximate 136,000 Chinese that entered the US through Honolulu & San Francisco between 1881 - 1955. If you find the record for your grandfather, the first two fields of the record provide the Case ID # and Bin location. Then the people at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) facility in San Bruno can pull the case file for your review or make a copy for you.
If you contact me at : " Tomclan@Gmail.com ", I will provide this database to you.
Once we know the name of your ancestral village, I will try to find it on a map for you, so you will know where it is located for a personal visit by you and/or a researcher.
Also, there are people on this SiYi Forum that have personal copies of the recently published 6 volume Seto genealogy book-set from the Seto Libray in Chikan, Kaiping ( Hoiping ) that can try to help you look up your pedigree by your grandfather's name or by his ancestral village - I'm sorry, i do not remember how the book-set is organized.
Henry
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Post by Dennis on Jul 30, 2020 16:10:43 GMT -5
Hi Roy, I subscribe to MyHeritage.com, it’s similar to Ancestry.com, anyways I was looking at my dad’s side of the family tree and noticed a Mon Chong Seto that is a great uncle to my dad. It didn’t dawn on me until now that I have cousins with the last name of Chang from my dad’s side of the family. Regards,
Dennis
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Post by szetoxu on Aug 17, 2020 22:20:21 GMT -5
Hello all, I'm new here and am a Szeto. Living in LA, born and raised. My father's family is from Hoiping, though I don't know too much beyond that. I'm hoping to pick his brain some more, but it's been challenging because my Canto is lacking and he is not much of a talker about our family history. Also, I wanted to share this fun little tidbit I picked up recently: avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Szeto There's a character named after us in Avatar, and it seems like there is some historical reference as the character is a diplomat/accountant. I don't watch the series, but I might start now! Also, my cousins and I were joking how perfect Fire Nation is for the character as our parents and the older generation are quite fiery. 😂
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Post by gckimm on Aug 18, 2020 11:00:57 GMT -5
Hi Dennis:
This is a bit late, so I hope you see this. I believe the second character in your grandfather's name is 逢, pronounced "foong" in Cantonese and meaning "to meet" or "encounter."
Greg
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Post by FayChee on Sept 26, 2020 18:05:11 GMT -5
Hi Friends, Just want to let you know that I am still here and currently trying to help Roy find his Seto relatives in the Zupu/Jiapu for Xuan LongLi.....I found more information on Ancestry about the four brothers (Doi King, Mon Chong, Mon Kee aka Chong Sing, and York Seto), thought I hit the Jackpot when I found Chong Sing (Mon Kee) Seto in the Hawaii Chinese Exclusion Case Index. Unfortunately, I received an email from SanBruno.Archives at NARA, saying the facility closed March 16 and staff is remote and do not have access to records. Below is a newspaper obituary on Chong Sing (Mon Kee) Seto that is interesting reading....Stay well everyone! Fay Chee
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Post by FayChee on Sept 29, 2020 18:52:08 GMT -5
Good hint follow-up!
We got a good lead in this obituary!! I noticed that the obituary said Chung Sing Seto had been the President of the See Yup Benevolent Society, so I searched Facebook and found it has an active group. I suggested to Roy that he should try and contact the Society, as they may have a biography on Chung Sing and possibly family information back in China. Roy was able to contact them and found that Chung Sing was the President in 1931, in addition, the Chinese characters for his name was there. Roy then searched through the 17 pages for Xuan Long and found the one family tree with the same character. But one wasn't enough to confirm this was his family tree....... I had also found the obituary for Chung Sing's brother, York Seto, and it mentioned that he had been the Secretary of the See Yup Benevolent Society, so I am hoping that Roy can get his Chinese name and see if it matches the another brother in the family tree....... Fay Chee
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Post by FayChee on Oct 1, 2020 19:36:34 GMT -5
Hi Dennis, I have been helping Roy Chang on his family tree and found information on the 4 Seto brothers that include your Grandfather, Ah Doi Seto (aka Doi King, King Mun, Ah Toy Chai, Ming man and Koi King Mun), his grandfather Mon Chung Seto, a brother Chung Sing Seto (aka Wen ji on tombstone, Mon Kee, Mun Gee, Man ki, Mohn ki, Mon ki, Chong Sing)and a brother York Seto. The tombstone of Chung Sing (Mon Kee) Seto, says his Village is Xuan Long Lay/Cun, Chikan Town, Kaiping city, Guangdong, China, so I assume all the brothers are from Xuan Long Lay. I also found the tombstones of Ah Doi and Mrs Ah Doi Seto in Nuuanu Memorial Park Cemetery, Honolulu, but there is another much older tombstone (same datees) for Ah Doi in a different cemetery called Uluhaimalama Cemetery, so perhaps his remains were moved or one is just a memorial. His obituary says that burial will be in the Manoa Chinese cemetery. There is also a birth certificate of one of the son's named Sam Choi Seto (Sam is in obituary), which gives his mother's full Hawaiian name, Emalie Napua, but she and Ah Doi were not married (line 6 of the Birth Certificate). I hope this helps in your research. Fay Chee
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Post by FayChee on Oct 1, 2020 21:59:24 GMT -5
I am trying to match Ah Doi Seto to a person in the Seto Zupu.....his brother Chung Sing had the name Wen ji on his tombstone.....the character for 'Wen' is also on Ah Doi's tombstone, but it is difficult to make out the second name on both the old and new tombstone. I magnified and tweaked the picture of the old tombstone name and think that maybe it could be the character that I have pointed to with the arrow .......does anyone think it may be the same name?
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Post by FayChee on Oct 1, 2020 22:30:53 GMT -5
The newer tombstone for Ah Doi has a character that may be in the same name.....
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Post by jasonwu on Oct 1, 2020 22:48:20 GMT -5
Hi Fay Chee,
I believe Ah Doi's Chinese name is 敬文 Jingwen. Does this name show up anywhere in the relevant pages?
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, by the way!
Jason
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Post by FayChee on Oct 1, 2020 23:30:00 GMT -5
Hi Jason,
Yes, I found one on pg 417.....haven't finished looking yet
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