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How it was .....
How we remember it.
John Wong’s
Recollections of the Past
August 2002
John obtained some of the information on Wong Chong Yao from the State of Hawaii Archives and the 1910 and 1920 U. S. Census. The name Duck Hin is on Wong Chong Yao’s tombstone at Manoa Chinese Cemetery. John states, “I called him ghung ghung, but I never knew his name until I did this genealogy research.”
In reference to the data found in the 1920 Census, John remarks, “I remember ghung ghung making temple candles for sale. However, the census listed grandfather as working in a shoe factory. Grandfather was addicted to opium, and I remember him smoking his pipe in bed. He never did talk to us about his life. He died when I was seven.”
John also has memories of his grandmother, Ching Shee, “I called her popo She was a very kind lady. Popo talked to me about the hardships of the Chinese people who migrated to Hawaii to find work and a better life. Popo also told me that her brother paid for her boat fare so that she could come to Hawaii to live with her husband.”
John has fond memories of the accomplishments of his father, Bung Kwai Wong. “My father was listed as an office boy on the 1920 Census. In 1923, he was the first oriental postman working for the United States Postal Service. Dad only went to the fourth grade in public school, then he had to go to work to support the family.”
“My Uncle Bung Yew Wong, who was also known as B.Y. was a stockbroker. He and his son, Willard, started the B.Y. Wong Company. Uncle B.Y. was a tennis player and the best investor of the five brothers.”
“Third Uncle Bung Tim Wong, who was also known as B.T. worked as a clerk at Pearl Harbor. Uncle B.T. loved dancing and the outdoors. I remember him practicing his shorthand lessons for his job. Uncle B.T. retired from Pearl Harbor and began a new career running a grocery store for a short time.”
“My fourth Uncle Bung Yai Wong was called Duke Wong. He worked as a clerk on the island of Lanai. Uncle Duke bought me my first pair of shoes when I was in the sixth grade. Uncle Duke eventually became a stockbroker. He, also, was a tennis player and his good friend was Chinn Ho. Uncle Duke was a heavy smoker and died of lung cancer.”
“Uncle James was my fifth uncle, Bung Yin Wong. Uncle James was the first member of the family to travel to the mainland. He went to work for the Ford Motor Company for two years, around 1924-1925. Uncle Jimmy bought us our first Christmas tree, and he lit it with candles. When Uncle Jimmy was dating Aunty Violet, he would wake us up late at night to eat ice cream.”
