The Chinese of Hawaii 檀山華僑 (Who’s Who)
Susan Chock Salgy Chock Lun - publisher of the Chinese of Hawaii While researching the Chock/Zhuo descendants from Guangdong who settled in Hawaii, our genealogist Louise Skyles discovered a little-known set of publications that proved to be extremely valuable at connecting families with their ancestral roots. The Chinese of Hawaii 檀山華僑 (Who's Who) was published by Honolulu: United Chinese Penman Club in three separate editions. Volume 1, 1929; Volume 2, 1936; and Volume 3, 1957. The publisher was Chock Lun of Guan Tang. ChineseOfHawaii_vol1 (1929) ChineseOfHawaii_vol2 (1936) ChineseOfHawaii_vol3 (1957) About the books The books feature prominent Chinese residents [...]
History of the Gu of Nazhou
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 Louise Skyles, who could answer the questions he had about his own direct ancestors in the Gu clan. One thing he shared with me was an old blog post about the Gu of Nazhou he had found earlier, when researching his genealogy on a Chinese website. Like me, he does not read or speak [...]
Migration from China to California in the 19th Century
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 other Chinese immigrants had in the Kingdom of Hawaii, those who came to the American west were the targets of extreme prejudice, physical brutality, legal discrimination, and unprecedented systematic abuse. After watching this, all I can say is: Thank goodness Chock Chin chose to come to Hawaii! Our family, and our entire history, would be entirely different had he gone to California, where a [...]
Migration from Guangdong to Hawaii in 19th Century
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn9fjgBSCDY 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 Chin's bold move to the Big Island at the young age of 18. It also provides insight into the warm welcome the Chinese received in Hawaii, as compared with the hostility and fear they encountered in California.
Migrant Chinese burials in California and Hawaii
Chinese Migration to America, historian Brian Dillon explained that only 10% of Chinese migrants to California who came in the 19th century to work on the railroad, search for gold, etc., can be found in California cemeteries. This is because Chinese who leave their hometowns and migrate to other countries usually want to be buried in their hometown. Many families arranged for their bodies to be shipped back to China after their death. Consequently, it is difficult to find Chinese headstones in California. (To learn more about the tradition of bone repatriation, visit the Tung Wah Coffin Home Archives. [English]) [...]
Zhuo Hua and the Origins of the Zhuo clan name
The Clan name: Zhuo Zhuo Bing Quan researched for Zhuo family records after he retired from his career as a school principal in Guan Tang Village. He felt a great desire to fill in the gap for Zhuo family Guan Tang jia pu. The gap came about in the Cultural Revolution, when Mao Tse Tung ordered the destruction of the family/clan temples and the burning of the ancestral records. (Eyewitnesses living in Guan Tang at the time of this great destruction recall that it took three full days and nights to fully destroy all of the records that were being [...]