On the identity of Aunty Koh Tengah

With the discovery of tomb GGM Yeo Boey Neo, I shared the info with my relatives plus the "facts " as I had on my scanty scrambled data base...


My Cousin Gordon respoded with clarifications/ questioms...
PS 1:  There would appear to be some discrepancy in the number of descendants left behind by Mdm, Yeo Boey Neo as stated in the Death Notice published in the press and that which appears on her tomb stone, which need to be reconciled.


        Death Notice:
        3  Sons
        3 Daughters
        3 Sons-in-law
        4 Daughters-in-law
        26 Grandchildren


        Tomb Stone
        Mdm Yeo (杨梅娘) had
         3 sons: Bao Ling (保龄Bao Ling), Bao Gui (宝贵Bao Gui) & Bao Heng (宝兴Bao Xing); Dialent (Hanyu Pinyin)
         3 daughters: Kim Neo (金娘Jin Niang), Keng Neo (根娘Gen Niang) & Qui Neo (月娘Yue Niang);
         6 grand-sons: (秀金Xiu Jin), (顺仁Shun Ren), (秀仁Xiu Ren), (清仁Qing Ren), (友仁You Ren) & (思仁Si Ren); and
          3 grand-daughters: (月桂Yue Gui), (月清Yue Qing) & (月明Yue Ming).


   
    PS 2:  You make reference to certain names mentioned below which are familiar to me and here's my take on what they mean.


    Yee Soh :   Could mean Chia Yee Soh  founder of United Motor Works who lived at 4 Cairnhill Circle  [Could also mean 2nd Aunt]
   
    Koh Tengah :  was the wife of Chia Yee Soh their children were named Phyllis, Mary, Charlie, Nellie, Robert, Alice, Elsie, Winnie, Ronnie, Harold, and Lionel.    Winnie & Lionel were adopted by Dr. Lee Choon Neo (Singapore's first lady Physician) & Teo Koon Lim and took the surname Teo.
   


    Poh Leng;  Poh Kwee;  Poh Seng : Three of the surviving 4 sons born to Seow Chye Watt & Yeo Boey Neo as at 26 Feb 1929




    Yee Soh had Lionel :


    Koh Tengah had Charlie & Phyllis:




I responded, aiming to elucidate the identity of Koh Tengah...


Look at this posting
http://peranakan.org.sg/forums/discussion/214/how-we-used-to-address-or-call-our-elders-and-relatives/p1
Song
August 2008 Permalink
Posts: 1
HI All
I am a baba melaka, born and brought up in Melaka but now making a living in Singapore as a PR.
My peranakan parents came from a very big family and there for I had to remember so many names to address them all.
     Just to list a few of them here:-
Ee Cik = youngest aunty (mom side)
Tua Ee = oldest aunty (mom side)
Ji EE / Ee Neo / Ee etc = other aunty (mom side)
Engku = Uncle (mom side)
En Teo = aunty's husband (mom's brother in law)
Engkim = Uncle's wife (mom's sister in law)
Eng Cek = Uncle (father's side)
Mak Eemm = Uncle's wife (father's sister in law)
Ko ko = Aunty (father's side)
Ko Poh = Grandmother's sister
Ee Poh = Parent's aunty
Ma Ma = Grandmother
Ah Khong = Grandfather


And consider my theory that "Koh" as in "Koh Tengah" was not a surname, but an honourific title, addressing her as Aunty, father's side, and Tengah because she was the middle (second) of three Aunties!
And my cousin Gordon concurs!


Its recorded on the tomb-stone that Seow Chye Watt  &  Yeo Boey Neo had 3 daughters
Kim Neo (金娘Jin Niang) , Keng Neo (根娘Gen Niang) & Qui Neo (月娘Yue Niang);


Question is which of the above three Kim Neo,  Keng Neo or Qui Neo  is  Seow Guat Eng ....If she is indeed Koh Tengah (the middle one) shouldn't it be Keng Neo. 

In response I say 

Thinking about it...

Guek and Guat are alternative pronunciation in  (Hokkien) which is moon = Yue in Mandarin = 月

So 月娘 must refer to Koh Tengah.

The Qiu is an obvious mistake in translation as the moon is Yue Qiu and Alex copied the wrong character in giving me the tomb reading.

This raises two questions to which I have the answers:

A) Why is Guat Neo listed on the side and not in the middle?

b) Why is she  listed as Guat Neo not Guat Eng?

Combing Bukit Brown with Raymond has allowed me to learn something's about tomb inscriptions

For A) I suggest, and has been seen on other tombs, that the first person or important person is listed in the middle of the listings while the second and third siblings (of the same gender) listed on either side of the first name.

For B) Neo is an honorific added to each females name, and thus the three sisters are "Neo"ed:

Kim, Keng, Guat: perhaps all three were Engs? Kim Eng , Keng  Eng, Guat Eng

So Koh Tengah =I think 萧月英 = Seow Guat Eng = Xiao Yue Ying

Mrs Chia Yee Soh aka Koh Tengah aka Seow Guat Eng died  18 August 1960 and was buried at Bibadari.

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