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Kam Lan Tom
Born: November 11, 1877 in Heungshan, Kwangtung, Ngaihou Village, China Died: April 20, 1964 in Oahu, Hawaii Cause of Death: Stomach Cancer Kam Lan Tom was born in Ngai Hou, a neighboring village of On Ding, where her future husband, See Hin Chung was born. Kam Lan had bound feet and married See Hin Chung in On Ding on May 6, 1895. Shortly afterward, she immigrated to Hawaii. Her first born child, Koon Hoong, was born within the first year of her arrival to Hawaii, on June 6, 1896. Not much is known about Kam Lan's life in China. She had bound feet, as was the Chinese custom for women at that time. Kam Lan's bound feet were very painful and she often lamented about how horrible a thing it was to bind someone's feet. Family lore suggests that Kam Lan did not even know how to cook when she first came to Hawaii. She cleaned the house on her hands and knees because standing too long with her bound feet was terribly painful. Kam Lan gave birth to 10 children, but two died in infancy. Her surviving children in birth order were: Koon Hoong, Francis, Irene, Kam Lum, Henry, Harriet, John and Jimmy. Kam Lan's husband, See Hin Chung, died in 1931 after a prolonged illness (perhaps a stroke). After her husband's death, Kam Lan had to find work in order to support herself. She found employment at the pineapple factory. She had to walk to and from work every day to get there, which was very painful with her bound feet. Kam Lan passed away on April 20, 1964, succumbing to stomach cancer at the age of 86. Her granddaughter, Caroline Chung (9c) remembers attending Kam Lan's funeral. The family hired professional, female criers to attend the ceremony. The family burned paper money, rickshaw's and other essentials to accompany Kam Lan to the afterlife. After Kam Lan's funeral, the family slept in Kam Lan's house, keeping all of the doors and windows open, so that Kam Lan's spirit could come and retrieve all the additional items that she needed for her journey to the afterlife. Kam Lan is buried at the Manoa Chinese Cemetery located in Honolulu. |