Canadian Genealogy · Chinese Genealogy · Family history stories

Finding the story behind the story: why is there a school room at Wing Sang?

From my research, it appears the famous school room at Wing Sang has a deeper history than first suspected. In this post, I've compiled building permits, family stories, immigration records, newspaper articles, original correspondence, and passenger manifests to create a richer picture of the past. Yip Sang did indeed build a school in his home that his family could enjoy, but he also founded a school for the community and used his influence to hire its first principal and teacher.

Canadian Genealogy · Canadian laws · Chinese Genealogy

True crime, the Wing Sang Co., and police records: A trip to the City of Vancouver Archives

Once you're on site, my best tip for getting the most out of an archives visit is asking for a quick tour. Most times the archivist will ask you what area, subject, or time frame you're researching. They will also show you how to fill out a record retrieval slip and while I am an experienced researcher, I always appreciate the reminders. Every archive follows archival best practises, which means...

Canadian Genealogy · Chinese Genealogy · Genealogy How Tos

The families of old Canada: Dukesang Wong, Chue Ah Louie and Yip Sang

Thanks to readers who recommended it, I picked up a copy of The Diary of Dukesang Wong at my favourite local book store, McNally Robinson. It's a slim volume and an easy read - no more than 115 pages not including bibliography. It is the only first-person account of the life of a Chinese railway… Continue reading The families of old Canada: Dukesang Wong, Chue Ah Louie and Yip Sang

Chinese Culture · Chinese Genealogy · Genealogy How Tos

Travels in China – the Overseas Chinese

One of the more startling revelations from the trip was learning about the Overseas Chinese - that's us. We folk of Chinese origin, we whose ancestors migrated from Sze Yup/Wuyi, China from about 1850-1949, we who are Chinese-something, be it Chinese Canadian, Chinese Hawaiian, Chinese Malay, Chinese South African, Chinese Thai, Chinese Singaporean and about 100… Continue reading Travels in China – the Overseas Chinese