Madam Oei

This lady Mdm Oei has captivated many hearts. Many Brownies are included amongst those smitten.

A photo of Bukit Brown with an image inspired by Mdm Oei's reflection was drawn digitally and superimposed to highlight a presentation  "Ladies of the Straits Settlements" by Catherine Lim.

"To dramatize the effect of the image, I have added a lead actress to this new work. Titled it 'Madam Oei' as it reminded me of Mrs Wellington Koo.

Image taken at Bukit Brown Cemetery and the figure added using Procreate."

says the artistic director Ms Khoo Ee Hoon.

Hui-lan Oei was the daughter of Chinese businessman Oei Tiong Ham. Her marriage to Chinese diplomat and politician Vi Kyuin Wellington Khoo, was announced in November 1920 whilst Wellington Koo was Chinese Minister to the United States. In early 1921, Vi Kyuin Wellington Koo was appointed the Chinese Minister to Great Britain and they lived in London until June 1946, though they divorced shortly after the Second World War. In addition to posing for photographer Hoppé, Madame Wellington Koo was also painted by Slade graduate, Leon Underwood. She wrote two memoirs, Hui-Lan Koo (Mrs. Wellington Koo): An Autobiography (1945) and No Feast Lasts Forever (1975). 

This is haunting beauty!

How I captured that image at the talk on my graphic recording

LSM Ancestry Run V 10.0

Ode to my Great Great  Great Grand Father
My Great Great Great Grand Father's Tomb!
I stand before him, silent, in respect and awe.
His genes embedded in every cell of mine,
We are bonded though the course of time.

My Great Great Great Grand Father's Tomb!
I sit beside him, sunlight streaming through the trees.
I sense inner warmth and joy sublime:
Habitat Heritage History entwine.

My Great Great  Great Grand Father's Tomb!
The white stakes declare a restless future:
His eyeless sockets shedding copious tears-
That eight lane highway: unspoken fears!

My Great Great Great Grand Father's Tomb!
"Could you not beg them to let us rest in peace?"
His silenced tongue in eloquence loudly says :
His bony hands grasp me in one last fond embrace.


TAN- SEOW-LIM
Family Connection scattered over various blocks in Bukit Brown.
The tomb stops include :

Mdm Lim, GGGGM (Great Great  Great Grand Mother)) w/o Mr Ng, parents of Wuying Boon Huat whose daughter Wuying Zi Li married Tan Soon Toh and begat  Tan Boo Liat

(My great great grand mother I have only known as Wuying Yi Ho.

Now I learn Mrs Tan Soon Toh actually name would 織理 Zi Li (posthumous name : Yi Ho). 

織理 in cantonese would be jik leih.   Weave reasons..)

Tan Kim Ching, GGGGF (Great Great Great Great Grand Father)
(neighbour to Cheang Hong Lim )
Yeo Buay Neo (Mrs Seow Watt Chye) GGM
Tan Boo Liat GGF
Mr & Mrs Lim Mah Peng GGGGF/M Mr & Mrs Lim Thean Geow GGGF/M   


Tan Kim Ching (陳金鐘) (1829 -1892. ) Tan Tock Seng’s eldest son. Recommended Anna Leonowens, as teacher for children of King Mongkut of Siam ( King Rama IV).

Buried in Changi, transferred to Bukit Brown (1940). One of Singapore’s earliest “diplomats” and much respected in the Siam court.
Tan Boo Liat, (1875-1934) built his home Golden Bell Mansion, 10 Pender Road on Mount Faber, naming it after his grandfather. He was a strong supporter of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and member of the Singapore T'ung Meng Hui along with Lim Boon Keng. In 1920 he was awarded the title Phra Anukul Sayamkich by the Siam court. Note “Kuo-Ming-Tang” rays on  his tomb.
Tan Boo Liat’s daughter Polly was the template for Emily of Emerald Hill, written by my sister Stella Kon ( nee Lim). To know that Polly was the niece of Lilian Tan Luck Neo and that Polly eventually married her aunt’s husband (Tan Boo Liat) 12 years her senior, when the aunt passed away is to understand some of the complex forces at play in “Emily”

Polly Tan (my Grandmother) is pictured here, aged 10 years. Lady with right arm on armrest is Mdm Yeo Buay Neo, my Great Grand Mother (Mrs Seow Chye Watt), mother of Seow Poh Leng: 

Polly at the piano while her husband Seow Poh Leng serenades. An alumnus of the Anglo Chinese School, he instituted a medal Seow Poh Leng Gold Medal in 1936 to be awarded to the top ACS boy at the Senior Cambridge/GCE “O” Level Examinations.

Lim Quins: (Septuplets) 

Mr & Mrs Lim Mah Peng (Mdm Khoo),Mr & Mrs Lim Thean Gow (Mdm Su)
Md  Margaret Wong Tuan Keng (Mrs Lim Boon Keng V1.0) 

[Septuplet: plus two of LBK’s sisters, one who married "Elephant Man")
Margaret's cylindrical tombstone bears the Chinese names of her four sons.

Robert Kho Seng, Walter Kho Leng, Francis Kho Beng, John Kho Liao.

 

Dr Lim Boon Keng (GGF) with Stella (my sister) and Mrs Lim Boon Keng V2.0, Grace Yin Pek Ha (GGM) with me on her lap.
Impetus for studying medicine was death of his mother when he was 8 and his father Lim Thean Gow when LBK was 17, from blood poisoning after razor cut: a dozen doctors resulting from this fatal cut!
Dr Lim Boon Keng
Dr Robert Kho Seng Lim, Dr Lim Peng Thiam
Dr Lim Kok Ann, Dr Lim Kok Kian, Dr Lim Kok Lian
Dr Michael Palmer, Dr Suzanne Low, Dr Lim Su Min, Dr Lim Su Chong
Dr Lim Min Yu, Dr Mark Kon

THE SAGE OF SINGAPORE [The Straits Times 22 October 1948 Page 4 ]
Straits Times interview by Roy Ferroa.
Of his 80 years of living, Dr.Lim says that his “happiest memories” are those of his school days, in particular  of his old headmaster Mr Hullet.
“The thing that makes me ever -mindful of dear Mr. Hullett is his word of advice given to me when I left school and was on my way to study in England.
Mr Hullett said: You are a Chinese going to the West.
Remember to respect yourself and do right. Never mind what other people, the rich and influential, may think of you. As long as you do right and remain right you will always be happy.

Mr. Hullet also told me “I advise you to keep a Bible by your side and read it whenever you have the time. The Bible is the basis of the English language.
This, Dr. Lim explained was the advice given him when he was still making headway with English literature and grammar.
Today 65 years after those words were uttered by his teacher, the pupil follows their precept. His Bible, slightly tattered and well worn, is in his hands when he walks about in his garden.
  The Bible has 66 books and one of them is written by a doctor. It is from the book written by Dr. Luke that I have chosen a passage to be read at my funeral. All of you are invited to my funereal. I don't have the date yet and I hope it doesn't happen soon.

But just as a preview, let me give you glimpse. In Chapter 16 verse 19-31 of Luke's book, we read of a parable told by Jesus of an unnamed rich man who was enjoying a life of luxury and a poor man named Lazarus who was longing to eat the scraps of food that fell from the rich man's table.
Lazarus dies and is bought by angels up to heaven.
Lazarus has a relationship with God that began while on earth, and this continues  on in heaven.
The rich man, however, failed to share of his abundance while on earth thus demonstrating his lack of relationship with God The Rich man dies and is brought to a place of eternal torment:
For the rest of the story you will have to attend my funeral, but one take home message is this: We need to be accountable for the gifts that we are given from above, and we need an ongoing relationship with the Giver.


“He died that we might live” was a clear message I heard as I was cleaning tomb of Great Great Grand Father Lim Thean Gow.  At first I thought the message was talking about Lim Thean Gow, but it did not quite make sense.

Only later, when we discovered the adjacent tomb of Great Grand Mother Margaret Huang, did I understand that voice I had heard must have came from her father (my Great Great Grand Father Pastor Huang Nai Shiong refering to no less than Jesus Christ.

Plan for 8 March 2014

From Bukit Brown we head to Outram Road, Outram Hill
Visit Tan Tock Seng, his daughter in law Mdm Chua, w/o Tan Kim Ching and her daughter in law Mdm Wuying Zi Li, w/o Tan Soon Toh.

Nearby Tiong Bahru to see Chay Yan Road and Kim Ching Road
at SGH Tan Teck Guan building

Thence to Tan Tiam Hock Temple

Thence to Pender Road, Golden Bell Mansion

Thence to Joo Chiat: Sea Breeze mansion

And Tan Tock Seng Hospital with its museum

And Peranakan Museum

Anne Plummer Siri link

The overall chart although already simplified is a bit overwhelming.

So first : Who is Arjan Siri?

She is wife of Woody who is grandson of Grandma Choon; grandma chun is daughter of TKC and Puen Khunyin Anakulsiamkit.

Next: Who is Sopha? 

Sopha is daughter of Kenney:

Polly, Charlie, Jubilee, Lily , Kenney were children of Tan Boo Liat

TBL was grandson of TCK

Next: who is Anne?

Anne married John Linn

John Linn's father was Francis, one of LBK four sons with Margaret Huang.

They had Robert, Walter, Francis, John.

Margaret's tombstone

Where do I fit in?

Walter is my dad's father and Polly my mum 's mother

Great1 Great2 Great3 Great4 Grand Mother Mdm Lim

Tomb at Bukit Brown just identified : January 2014
Mdm Lim who maried into Huang/ Ng family  : Hokkien pronunciation :Wee or Wuying
She gave birth to Wuying Boon Whatt aka Boon Watt aka Boon Fah
Boon What's daughter Wuying Yi Ho married Tan Soon Toh (son of Tan Kim Ching)
Yi Ho had a son Boo Liat, my great grandfather.
Great1 Great2 Great3 Great4 Grand Mother Mdm Lim

Raymond Goh found the tomb and posted to facebook:

It was from a tip off from a tombkeeper who has seen this big tomb in Blk 3 Pauper Division for the past 50 years since he was a young boy, and has not seen anyone praying there. Now we have always been intrigued by the map of Bukit Brown showing two big tombs in that area, and we decided to follow the tip and check the tomb.

To our surprise, it was a 1862 big tomb among a row of small tombs. How can such a big tomb exists there among the pauper division? And why was there a tomb marked on the map there? the other tombs marked on the Bukit Brown map issue by NEA was that of Ong Sam Leong and his mother. Now we have two other tombs in the pauper division.

We decide to examine the tombs further.

It is a 1862 tomb, erected in the first year of the Tongzhi, the middle month of the winter season (11th month). The deceased was a Mdm Lim with a posthumous name married into the Ng family.

She has two sons:
Boon Fah (aka Boon Whatt)
Boon Heng

two daughters:
Choon Neo
Boey Neo

3 grandsons:
Hum Bong
Hum Soon
Hum Pin

--------------------

According to the Law Gazette, The first Chinese law agent was Wuing Boon Whatt. He was examined as a candidate for admission to practise as a general agent in 1864 and was the first Chinese to practise law in Singapore.

From a ST notice about his estate, we learnt that his wife was Teo Cheok Neo, and his 2 sons were Hum Bong and Hum Pin.

According to Song Ong Siang, Boon Whatt has a daughter Yi Ho who was married to Tan Soon Toh (son of Tan Kim Ching), and gave birth to 5 children
Tan Boo Liat
Tan Cheow Pin
Tan Kwee Liang
Tan Kwee Swee
Tan Kwee Wah.

Yes, the Brownies has found the Great Great Great Grand Mother of Lim Su Min. Did I get the no of greats correct?

林 德𡽪 - 德𡽪 is posthumous name 德 is Teck （meaning of virtue), 𡽪 is more difficult to pronounce as it is not in dictionary, I take it as Wei, perhaps others can help to give meaning to this character

Alternative trek up to LBK septuplets

U

Start at this sign 

Look down the road

Follow road till you come to this tomb quite near by ?100 metre

LBK septuplets are up the hill from here

Behind this tomb with sloping altar slab you can see marker tomb 2 with red writing. 

Marker tomb2

Just behind marker tomb 2 is marker tomb3 which looks to me it was excavated?

Marker tomb3

A bit higher up the hill is this: Marker tomb4

The small tree was blocking the way to marker tomb5: now cleared

Marker tomb5

Marker tomb6 has a rectangular shape

A young lady Lim Geok Koon

Next to it is marker tomb7

And marker tomb8

These three form a triangle

6,7&8

This is marker tomb8

Just above it and to the left is a trek that is about 16-18 paces long about a metre wide

Then you come to a clearing with one overgrown tomb to your right. 

Turn left and you will be facing the Lim Septuplets. once you pass the next tomb you come to Lim Thean Gow.

Then Lim Mah Peng

This is hero tending to Lim Mah Peng (and Mdm Khoo)

Family Trail with Trish

Scary Guardians on Eternal Virgil!

Fred, Trish, Amelia, Kaitlyn & Su Min

Khoo Ee Hoon, Fred, Trish, Amelia & Kaitlyn

Chew Keng Kiat introduces Bukit Brown

Two PHD students studying

This is the wayto go!

At Tan Kim Ching's with a reminder of the Qi-Lins

At the LBK septuplets

Great GrandMa Margaret Huang's cylinder well floured

Examining the QiLin at National Museum Singapore

Concentration and Consultation

At the two ladies

At the forecourt of the two ladies

At Tan Tock Seng's Tomb

At Tiong Bahru Cafe

Yummy!