My father's maternal grandparents originally came from Sah Tang Xiang(Village). And it was not know when his grandfather Chong Kim Swee left the village to migrate to Java, Indonesia. And it was also not know how long the couple stay there and how long they lived in Singapore.
(PHoto : My Great grandfather Chong Kim Swee)
My grandmother Chong was studying in Singapore when she was introduced by Rev James Hoover to my grandfather Tiong Kung Ping. So it was very possible that Rev James Hoover knew Chong Kim Swee and the family fairly well. Rev Hoover also engaged my grand uncle Chong Jin Bok as the English teacher of the Anglo Chinese Boys' school. He was later made Principal of the school, until he passed away in 1941. The Chong family cultivated quite a lot of rubber in Sungei Merah and Bintangor. A road, Jalan Chong Jin Bok, is named after my grand uncle, in Sg. Merah.
His tombstone in the Methodist Cemetery in Sg. Merah states that he came from Sha Tang Xiang/village. [ 沙塘鄉 ], Shā Táng Xiāng or Shatangxiang. It was administratively under [ 江陰 ], which was actually the township [ 江陰鎮 ], Jiāng Yīn Zhèn or Jiangyinzhen, which in turn was under the city of Fuqing, [ 福清市 ], Fú Qīng Shì or Fuqingshi.
For a long time the family only knew that our great grandparents came from Fuqing. And we also hope to find his connections with Java too if we can get help from Fuqing migrants' descendants in Java.
Now the whole jigsaw puzzle is finally and slowly coming together.
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