See Hin Chung
Born: June 20, 1860 in Guangdong Province, Zhongshan City, On Ting Village (On Dung), China Died: October 4, 1931 in Oahu, Hawaii Cause of Death: Health complications, years after a significant stroke. See Hin Chung was born in On Ting Village in the See Dai Doo district of the Pearl River Delta area of southeast China. Our family spoke Cantonese, and more specifically the Hakka dialect. According to family lore, See Hin was the youngest of three brothers who left China after their mother passed away. US Census records suggest that he immigrated to the Hawaiian Islands in 1875. Family lore, however, suggests that the brothers immigrated to Hawai'i (known to the Chinese as Tan Heong San) in 1878. The middle brother reportedly continued on to Brazil, where he was killed by robbers. The oldest brother stayed in Hawaii and was named Lai Chung. Upon arriving in Hawaii, See Hin settled on the windward side of the island, known as Kahalu'u. His first job was at Kahalu'u Fish Pond. He worked as a cook for the Fish Pond, sold the mullet from the pond to people in Honolulu, and was also the buyer for it. Whenever he had to go into the city to sell the fish, which was once a week, he had to leave very early in the morning. He had to travel by mule over the Pali to the Honolulu Harbor. While he was in town he bought pork for his employer. He would return to Kahalu'u with his mule after dark via the old Pali. Hawaiian legend suggests that spirits (menehunes) existed in that area. See Hin would humbly say, "Forgive me for trespassing," and offer the spirits some meat before passing through the Pali on his way back home. Hawaiians called See Hin "Ahina." This was his surname, as the Hawaiian language used capital "A" for the beginning and lower-case "a" at the end for a softer sound. See Hin was fluent in Chinese and Hawaiian, but did not speak much English. Like other Chinese male immigrants at that time, Ahina had a common-law Hawaiian wife. He had two children with her, a son and a daughter. Around 1888, See Hin moved to Honolulu, in Chinatown. He worked as a stable hand at a place located near Smith and Hotel streets. There are two stories about how See Hin came to marry Kam Lan Tom. The first story is that See Hin returned to China specifically to marry Kam Lan and then they travelled back to Hawaii together. During their journey back to Hawaii, Kam Lan was reportedly pregnant with their first child, Koon Hoong. The second story suggests that See Hin sent for a picture bride from China. The picture bride could not withstand the treacherous voyage from China to Hawaii, so Kam Lan came in her place. I think that there may be an element of truth in both stories. My best guess is that See Hin sent for a picture bride, and when she did not come, he travelled back to China to find a bride on his own. I found a passenger list from 1924, in which Kam Lan is listed as a passenger returning to Hawaii from a visit to China. This document states that she was married in On Ting, Heungshan, China on May 6, 1895. This suggests to me, that See Hin returned to China and married Kam Lan in his home village. When Kam Lan arrived in Hawaii with See Hin, they continued to live in Honolulu in Chinatown. Later the family moved to a farm near the Kalihi stream. Their house was on stilts. At this time, See Hin was making a living as a pig farmer. He also worked for the Alexander young Hotel, collecting garbage. His son Francis remembered going on runs with his dad to collect the garbage. The garbage was brought back to the farm where it was cooked in a pit. The Alexander Young Hotel often gave leftovers to the family in slop cans, since See Hin had eight children to feed at home. Sometimes, silver plated spoons and forks were found in the slop cans. Kam Lan's grandchildren remember seeing the silver plated silverware adorning her buffet. See Hin gave Kam Lan the choice of moving to Waikiki to raise ducks, or settling in Kalihi. Kam Lan chose Kalihi, and it was there, at 803 Gulick Avenue that See Hin bought their property for $250.00. See Hin's son, Kam Lum was an apprentice to some Chinese carpenters and built the family home with his own two hands. On this property, there were two star fruit trees, a scrumptious mango tree, fig trees, pigeon coops and an old cook house. Over time, See Hin and Kam Lan gave birth to 10 children, but two (the 2nd and 8th born children) died in infancy. His surviving children in birth order were: Koon Hoong, Francis Kam Wai, Irene Kam Yau, Kam Lum, Henry Kam Chow, Harriet Kam Mee, John Kam Chun and James Kam Kong Chung. See Hin's son, Kam Lum, remembered his father as being very intelligent and described him as having a lot of common sense. See Hin often recited Chinese sayings such as: "If you wander into the forest often enough, one of these days you are going to meet the tiger" and "The family fortune only lasts three generations." See Hin suffered a significant stroke circa 1924 and was bed-ridden for the following seven years. Kam Lan took care of him until he passed away on October 4, 1931. |