Threads of Kinship is a study of Chinese families in 19th and early 20th-century New South Wales. Often thought of as a society of bachelors, the early NSW Chinese community in fact included many families made up of men and women of Chinese, white European, Aboriginal and mixed heritage. Threads of Kinship will document their number and location, providing a broad picture of early NSW Chinese families for the first time.
In many accounts of Chinese life in the Australian colonies, the predominantly male character of the Chinese population has been taken as evidence of an absence of family life. The work of many family historians and other researchers over the past two decades suggests, however, the large extent to which Chinese men in Australia did form intimate relationships, marry, father children and live as part of family units.
But there are still many unanswered questions. Exactly how many Chinese families were there? How many marriages? How many families included migrant Chinese women? How many Chinese and part-Chinese children were born? Where did these families live? And how did their numbers change over time?
Threads of Kinship sets out to provide data that could answer these and other questions, by initially collating personal information from NSW birth and marriage records. The project is being run by Dr Kate Bagnall.
How you can help
Threads of Kinship is in its very early stages. At the moment I am compiling an intial dataset of information extracted from the published birth, death and marriage indexes. In time this database will be published on this website. The next stage will then be to add further data collected from full birth and marriage registrations. The project is being undertaken in a very part-time capacity, but in the future I’ll be looking for help from genealogists, community historians and family members to transcribe information from records in their hands into the database.
At this point, I would welcome copies of any NSW birth and marriage certificates to help build up the intial data set. I am specifically interested in Chinese births and marriages in New South Wales up until 1918. All contributions will be acknowledged.
For the purposes of this study, a ‘Chinese birth’ is one where either parent is of Chinese or part-Chinese heritage. A ‘Chinese marriage’ is one where husband or wife is of Chinese or part-Chinese heritage.
Contact
Send transcriptions or scanned certificates (.jpg format preferred) to: threadsofkinship AT gmail DOT com.
Send hard copy certificates to: Dr Kate Bagnall, PO Box 7160, Watson ACT 2602, Australia
Or just drop me a line and let me know you’re interested.
Hi Kate
As you know, I’m interested. I will, asap, collect all my scanned (with transcsipts) ‘Chinese birth’ and ‘Chinese marriage’ certificates together (in .jpg format), and send them to your threads-of-kinship link. As well as Certificates for Pauline Ah Hee’s biological family, I also have some Certificates for two branches of the Choy family.
Kind regards, Howard Wilson
Hi Howard,
Thanks very much for your generosity. I look forward to further discussions at Dragon Tails 2011.
Cheers,
Kate
Hi Kate
I am writing a novel about my great grandmother Margaret Lawrence who married Yap John Hong at Pipeclay creek Mudgee around 1850 ( I lost the certificate in a recent move and am applying for a new one). John was one of the indentured Amoy labourers who must have left sheparding for gold digging, then moved on to other occupations afterwards. Although this is a novel, I want to ensure that it is based on historical fact so have been doing research for a short while. I joined the Chinese Museum in Melbourne and Sophie Couchman forwarded your name but the address at UNE was rejected. I would appreciate any direction you can give me for further research Many Thanks Kate McManus
Hi Kate! Thanks for getting in touch. If the year 1850 is right, your great grandmother’s marriage is one of the earliest Chinese-European marriages I have heard of in NSW. There are a few novels around dealing with Chinese-European relationships, mostly American though – but have you read Neridah Newton’s The Lambing Flat? I’d love to hear more about your project. My email is kate DOT bagnall AT gmail DOT com.
A quick check of the NSW BDM shows your ancestors were actually married in 1863 (not 1850)
Hi Kate,
I’ve just blogged about Jack Brook’s book, From Canton with Courage, at the Dictionary of Sydney’s blog, Looking Up. His biographical register section might help you with names and dates, and also to find family members, as a lot of Jack’s research was through descendant’s networks. A contact email for him is in the post, and he still has copies for sale.
Great project — all the best with it.
Hi Emma,
Thanks for the heads up. I’m coming up to Sydney in a couple of weeks and seeing the From Canton with Courage exhibition is on my list of things to do. I’ve heard it’s great.
Kate
dear kate my husband is descended from two chinese anglo marriages specifically charles wong kow and sarah jane kong and martha gibson and john ah tick would you be intewrested in anything to do with them rae
Hi Rae,
I sure would be interested. I’ll email you.
Thanks for being in touch,
Kate
Hi there,
I’m hoping someone can help me with my family tree research.
My great, great grandmother is Mary Ann Clara Gibson. I have her marriage certificate & it appears she married Ah Gick in 1875. My name is Michele Tick & I’m trying to understand why the surname change. Also Ah Gick seems to have become John Ah Tick & then John Tick. I would appreciate any information on this couple as I’m trying to help my elderly father find out the origins of our surname.
Thanks!
Dear Kate
I am descended through my mother from John Mann, Chinese immigrant, ‘bushman and shepherd’, from Amoy on his naturalisation certificate, who married Scotswoman Elizabeth Smith in the ‘Presbyterian Church’ , Maryborough Qld on 19/2/1863/000373 and had 8 children: John 1864, James (S5) 1866, Elizabeth 1868, Jessie 1871, Alexander 1874, William 1878, Henry 1883 and George 1885. John Mann died in 1888. (Maryborough cemetery index: MANN John, Gardener). I am descended from his son, James, (a maternal Great Grandfather). He probably arrived when Queensland was part of NSW (i.e. pre 1859).
I have copy of his naturalisation certificate, pictures of my great grandfather etc if you are interested. I live in Canberra! Greg
Hi Kate
I was interested in your research as I have been tracing my husbands family and like Kate McMannus his Great Grranfather was Yap John Hong, I have managed to find his naturlization papers and have just sent off for his marriage certificate. The Hongs are related on his mother’s father’s side of the family, but her mother’s father was also Chinese Charles Chong who married Caroline Sophia Batterby in 1862 in Mudgee NSW. So there family has strong Chinese connection on both sides
regards
Bronwyn O’Donnell
Hi Kate,
We have recently found a family member who had 6 illegitimate children to a Chinese man in Queensland between 1890 & 1900.We have also found in National Archives material that the father, Wong Fung, tried to return to Australia in 1903 but with only the male children listed to return with him. Is this something that would suit your project? I would be happy to send birth cetificates and Archive material. We would appreciate if you could offer any avenues we could check to try to find more on this.
Regards, Robyn
[...] Bagnall has another project called Threads of Kinship where she is developing a database of Chinese births, marriages and deaths in New South Wales prior [...]
Kate,
I am descendant from Yung Sing (William Young Sing) of Canton and Emma Mann of Parramatta who were married by the Rev James Fullerton at Elizabeth St, Sydney. You have commented about this marriage in your blog, ‘Another Fullerton Marriage’ on 29 July 2010.
I will send you my documents. The first two children were born at Sydney; the family relocated to Crocodile Ck Diggings near Rockhampton, Qld at the end of 1866. Four more children were born. Originally a merchant in the city of Sydney, they lived at Gloucester St, the Rocks. After relocating to Qld, Yung Sing became a licensed publican, with established hotels in the Copperfield, Clermont, Emerald, Bogantungan, Pine Hill and Jericho districts. He died 6th June, 1886.
Claire Faulkner
Hi Kate
Through family research I have Thomas Ang Wong (Interpreter) which married into my Welton Family. Marriage by Fullerton 11 Sept 1854.
Thomas Ang Wong lived in Sydney up till about 1866 when he moved to Bogantungan, Rockhampton. Whilst in Sydney had contact with John Juansing also a Interpreter and had a cousin A Kay which was killed at Braidwood 1861.
His daughter Francis Madeline Ang Wong married in Bogantungan 22 April 1883. Witness on marriage certificate was Adeline Yung Sing.
Thomas Ang Wong died Rockhampton 22 December 1905, occupation Jeweller aged 78years. I will send you my documents with pleasure.
Lorna Jacoby
Would you kindly provide information or direction regarding my great great grandparents. Married in ?1864 Rockampton Qld: Rose O’Connor to Charles Ah Mouk?
I am interested to know about their meeting and subsequent marriage, esp. with the taboo surrounding mixed marriages. Thank you.
Hi Kate,
To all who may read this, I am so happy to find this site. Yap John Hong was my Great Great Grandfather. I have photos of Mary Ellen Hong his daughter.
Jo-Anne
Hi Jo-Anne
I have photos of Roland Hong and my ancestry site and would love to swap with yours of Mary Ellen.
Browny
Hi,
I was extremely interested in the contact with Greg Johson of Canberra. I also am descended from John Mann, born in Amoy, China, shepherd and bushman, married Elizabeth Smith of Scotland. Their daughter Elizabeth was my great-grandmother. I have had email contact from one other descendant and have never been able to find any others.
Gary Porter gjporter@westnet.com.au
I LIVE JUST OUTSIDE TOOWOOMBA
Hi Kate,
Just wondering whether you received some of my documents sent for
Yung Sing and Emma Mann,
Kong Sing and Ellen Ann Mann,
Lowe Peng Ip and Mary Mann,
Chun Hoo Ley Kum and Rosina Mary Mann.
All four Mann daughters married wealthy Chinese merchants or storekeepers.
There are now divergent theories that the girls’ father John Mann, confectioner at Parramatta who died 19/01/1855, was also of Chinese origin. Their mother Ellen Lyons died 01/01/1853, it is unknown who reared the four daughters after their father’s death, or how all four daughters married Chinese merchants.
I have his marriage at Parramatta in 1842, same day as John Shying (Chinaman) and Bridget Gillorley which is probably just circumstantial.
Let me know and I can re-send.
Claire
Hi Kate, I have noticed all the information on this webpage is around Sydney and NSW generally. What about Victoria, for I am trying to find information about my Aunt’s Marriage to William CHUNG in 1942, they may have a son – Denis William Chung born Nov 1942 Armadale Vic, Married?, Died 10 Mar 2012 in Adelaide Sth Aust, for I have been seeking any information about this Family line for the last 3 years on and off and kept running into dead-ends, so now I am waiting on the BDM of Victoria, to send me the Death & Marriage certificate for William & Rita Chung nee Longstaff. Thank you for your time to read this message, and hope you can give me some advise as to where I could find more information please. Cheers Alan
Hi Alan, I’m afraid I can’t help you directly with information about William and Rita Chung. You’re right that my focus is NSW and mostly before 1930. If you haven’t already, you might get in contact with the local family history group in the area where they lived. Best of luck with your searching.