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Post by geoff on Mar 9, 2009 15:08:41 GMT -5
Hello Harc3, We are fellow Zengchengers. Your village isn't far from ours & we're nearly neighbours. I haven't been there yet but Henry found our villages on the maps. Well done again Henry. My suspicion that "Could "Chang Shing" be "Jungseng or Jungsing" (cantonese) or Zengcheng (mandarin), a county north east of Guangzhou in Guangdong province of China?" turns out to be correct. If you'd have posed this question a year earlier, I might have been able to give you more details from another Henry who was born & raised in Zengcheng county. Unfortunately, he died suddenly. Contact the Tungjung Association of New Zealand which is comprised of descendants from Zengcheng County, now living in New Zealand, web address www.tungjung.org.nz They may have a member from your village. I found members from 3 of our villages.
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Post by helen on Mar 10, 2009 1:06:15 GMT -5
Actually we have some Shums in my husband's family - his father's sister married into that village and her grandchildren are here. I'll make some enquiries - but happy searching - it's all satisfying.
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Post by helen on Mar 10, 2009 3:50:36 GMT -5
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Post by harc3 on Mar 13, 2009 9:36:53 GMT -5
GRRRRR thanks to some recent snowfalls and very low temperatures I won't be going to the cemetery. All snow covered and frozen and the mountain passes are also getting snow. That will have to wait for a while.
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Post by harc3 on Mar 17, 2009 12:06:33 GMT -5
So I have now found another registration of death that my father, George Chong, signed Oct 26 1945 on which he is listed as cousin. The deceased was Shum Kung Ching. Also on the document it states he arrived in 1911. Fathers name Hing Shum mothers name Loo Sing, wifes name Eng Shee. Items I have posted here s79.photobucket.com/albums/j158/cheftaz/family%20history/I then found the passenger list of the ship he was on which arrived Nov 1, 1911. On there he was 18 and travelling with his uncle Shum Pun Lam (later to be known as Shin Bon Lum) both of Jung Dai, ZengCheng. Through all I have found and with all the help from these boards I now strongly believe that we are from Jung Dai, ZengCheng. Now also, as my father went back to China in 1931 as George Chong, I found the passenger list of his return to Canada. On the list his passport number matches the doc. he went over with. His return name is his Chinese name Sum Wa Chiu (Sum Wah Ju when he went over at 3) Father is listed as Lee Chong (they mispelled it Cheng) Also listed is nearest relative in China as Aunt Sim She of Chung San China. I am assuming that is either a county or city as a few on the list had the same Chung San China Getting quite a collection of documents. Finding the relatives all paid the $500 head tax....too bad I cant get copies of the certificates
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Post by laohuaqiao on Mar 17, 2009 13:58:17 GMT -5
harc3, For the aunt Sim She, Sim is a variation of translation of the the surname Shum/Sum and She is probably the same as Shee, referring to the maiden surname of a married woman.
How big a town is Vernon BC now and was it in the early 1900s? There are probably lots of public record on the Shum families in Vernon, applications for business licenses, children's school records, etc. Have you look into that?
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Post by harc3 on Mar 17, 2009 14:19:50 GMT -5
Thanks for the 'Sim' info
Its a fair size town but back in the late 1800s and early 1900s quite a large number of Chinese settled in the area as the farming was good and the railroad was finished. I have done a lot of research from there. Got a lot of info from directories etc. and the last remaining Chinese person from way back that was still living there died not long before my last visit there. Looking into businesses and land title records now. It is soooo hard because of the name changes i.e Shun Pun Lam becomes Shin Bon Lum Sum Chong Kee becomes Chin Lee Chong (my grandfather) etc etc....but I am getting there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a whole slew of other death records to check too now
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Post by Henry on Mar 17, 2009 14:57:32 GMT -5
harc3,
Have you checked to see if they have any Sanborn atlases for Vernon? If they do, these are usually in color with lots of amazing details for stores , etc. They were used for insurance purposes.
Henry
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Post by helen on Mar 18, 2009 1:33:03 GMT -5
Chung San China - This may be the area now called Zhongsan - still in the south of China. I had a lot of help with a database collected by a presbyterian Minister in the Otago area. Did other countries also have Church affiliations? Maybe missionaries working in the area where the goldminers/railway workers were?
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Post by Henry on Mar 18, 2009 9:30:41 GMT -5
Dear Colleagues,
In 1925, in honor of Dr. Sun Yat Sen ( 孫中山 ), first provisional President, Republic of China, the city & county of Xiangshan ( 香山 ) was changed to Zhongshan ( 中山 ) city & county. Zhongshan was formerly romanized as "Chungshan".
Henry
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Post by harc3 on Mar 19, 2009 9:52:45 GMT -5
Thanks for that Henry. So thru more searching I have found 3 more registrations of death signed by my father. On 2 he is listed as nephew bringing that total to 3 so far. Another one he is listed as friend but I believe that is the Uncle of the cousin's death registration my dad signed. Still digging and finding more and more family members.
Also thru my searching yesterday I found a record of a male Chinese born in New Zealand approx 1885/86. Name on document is Kam Chun Wong. Emmigrated to Vernon BC Canada in 1912 where he died Jan 16 1937 at 52 and is buried in the Vernon Cemetery. I know there are New Zealanders on here so I printed the document. If anyone thinks this may be their family member let me know and I will email it to you. I will also post this in a new thread
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Post by Henry on Mar 19, 2009 10:53:15 GMT -5
Harc3,
Thanks for sharing - there may be a Chinese "Kiwi" out there that would find this information useful.
How is the weather? I was wondering if you have been able to get out and take digital photos of the two gravestones that you previously mentioned.
Henry
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Post by harc3 on Mar 19, 2009 11:10:30 GMT -5
the weather hasn't been good. the mountain passes to get there have been getting hammered with snow and the snow in the cemetery is just beginning to thaw
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Post by helen on Mar 20, 2009 4:13:45 GMT -5
Hi harc3 - the name does not ring a bell - are there any other names on there? I have looked at our birth records for that time and can not find any combination. Where was he born? maybe the last name is Wong Kam - there are some of that name in Auckland - are you able to forward it to me?
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Post by harc3 on Mar 20, 2009 7:52:23 GMT -5
Hele I will email it to you
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