In Finding Mr. Wong, Susan Crean (b. 1945; Toronto, Ontario, Canada) weaves together the histories of two significant men in her life: her grandfather Adam Gordon Campbell Crean, a second-generation Irishman from County Roscommon; and Gordon's cook-cum-consigliere (see below), Wong Dong Wong (黃宗旺) (pinyin: Huang Zong Wang) (1895-1970), a first-generation Chinese from Taishan County. Their… Continue reading The holiday read: “Finding Mr. Wong” by Susan Crean
Category: Family history stories
The Six: Interview with Grant Din
Have you seen "The Six" a documentary about the six surviving Chinese from the sinking of the Titanic? I watched it this weekend and was immediately inspired to learn more. Here's my interview with Grant Din, who worked on the project.
Connecting, capturing, conversing, creating, and learning: celebrating Asian History Month in genealogy
It's Asian History Month and Asian genealogy has never been hotter. In this post I celebrate connecting to elders, gathering stories, courses I've taken, and courses that are coming.
100,000 thank yous – Past Presence celebrates a milestone
I celebrate my 100K visitor with a retrospective on Past Presence, with a look behind the curtains, some stats, and lots of thank yous.
9 Reflections on 2020
I ask myself nine questions and reflect on 2020: the most memorable year of my life.
From China to Canada: a story of modern day migration
Not all genealogy migration stories are historic. Here is the story of Ran Ju, of Calgary, AB, a guest blog post by Taryn Kildare.
PSST: I’m going live on the radio on Canada Day!
Catch me LIVE on CBC Radio, July 1st
The Chrysalis: The Early Life of Susanne Gim Ling Yip Sang
Documents only tell a part of the story. Here's how I put them together.
An extraordinary, ordinary life: Dorothy Gibson
The story of Dorothy Gibson and her life as a journeyman printer, living through WWII and the Great Depression
Reader’s choice – the top 10 list for 2019
I look at my top 10 best read blog posts and reflect on what made them the best.