Celebrating Our Roots

Journey from China to Kauai: A Family's Heritage

Discover the inspiring story of Chock Chin’s journey to save his family in China and build a new kind of life in the lush island Kingdom of Hawaii in the early 19th century.

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Stories of Courage, Sacrifice, Vision, and Grace

The Dynasties of China

by Susan Chock Salgy | March 29, 2025 | Cultural Revolution, History, Political History | 0 Comments

Understand the world inhabited by our ancestors, who each took their place in the family in a China being shaped and controlled by the dynastic ruler of their day. Starting with the first emperor, Yu the Great -- founder of the Xia Dynasty in 2070 BC (pictured here)...

Noteworthy Tang Ancestors

by Susan Chock Salgy | March 27, 2025 | Tang Clan | 0 Comments

Another famous Tang: Tang Shao Yi The Tang clan of Tang Jia Village was well known in the area. As Louise Skyles told me, "While most of the villagers in the area just barely survived and went overseas to make a living, the Tang clan sent their members overseas to...

Chock Chin’s Historical World

by Susan Chock Salgy | March 24, 2025 | Cultural Norms & Traditions, Hanalei, History, Migration | 0 Comments

To really understand Chock Chin, we must come to understand the world he lived in. His historical context helps us interpret the way he organized his family, the way he interacted with his community, his business practices, his dreams and ambitions, and ultimately the...

History of the Gu of Nazhou

Sep 3, 2021 | Genealogy Research, Gu/Goo Clan, Migration

One of my distant cousins, Trevor Goo, contacted me via the private message feature in familysearch.org in March 2021, to inquire about where I had obtained the records for some of the Gu ancestors on the tree. We exchanged information, and I put him in contact with...

Migration from China to California in the 19th Century

Aug 25, 2021 | History, Migration

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8342tHnK4gg In the final part of this 2-part series, historian Brian Dillon details the experience of the Chinese immigrants who came to California in the 19th century. Unlike the supportive and welcoming experience Chock Chin and...

Migration from Guangdong to Hawaii in 19th Century

Aug 19, 2021 | History, Migration

This is an outstanding presentation by historian Brian Dillon, recorded on August 14, 2021. It offers the historical context for the Chinese migration from Guangdong to the Kingdom, and later the Territory, of Hawaii. This directly informs our understanding of Chock...

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