S. Couchman (ed), Journeys into Chinese Australian Family History, Chinese Australian Family Historians of Victoria: Melbourne, Victoria, 2019.
Commendation, Victorian Community History Awards, 2020
Despite improvements in our understanding of Australia’s Chinese history and heritage, there remain many aspects of the lives, culture, and community of Chinese immigrants and their descendants about which we know frustratingly little. This can be daunting for those researching their Chinese ancestry. What members of the Chinese Australian Family Historians of Victoria (CAFHOV) seek to demonstrate through our work is that these challenges are not insurmountable, and you don’t have to face them alone. The first half of this book illustrates the diverse paths CAFHOV members have travelled in order to understand more about their families. Each journey starts with a different set of circumstances and challenges. The second half of the book focusses on historical sources and skills which might prove valuable to those researching their Chinese ancestry.
Table of Contents
- Introduction (Sophie Couchman)
- Family history and pioneering project in academia (Mei-fen Kuo)
Part I: Family History Journeys
- Harm Goong and Leung Mang Yee (Sally Keam)
- Finding Dong Low and our ancestral village (Alan To and Terry Young)
- Who is Chin Loong? A Chinese grandfather discovered (Mei-Ling and John Griffiths)
- Henry Lamson (Lim Son) of Cheshunt, King Valley (Wayne Brown)
- We are all connected… (Irene Poon)
Part II: Journeys into the Archives
- Working with Chinese language when you don’t speak Chinese (Sophie Couchman)
- Researching Chinese Australian ancestry in Hong Kong (Pauline Rule)
- How to use Certificates of Title to track down your family history (Brian Tseng)
- Understanding Sands & McDougall directories and local government rate books (Sophie Couchman and Barbara Nichol)
- Using DNA in your search for Chinese ancestors (Sally Keam)
- DNA for beginners: What’s in it for me? (Wayne Brown)
There are two options to purchase this publication.
1. Order through Blurb Print-on-Demand and pay via Paypal; or
2. Order directly through CAFHOV and pay via Bank Transfer. Download the Order Form and mail or email to CAFHOV (instructions on the form).
S. Couchman (ed), Secrets, Silences and Sources: Five Chinese-Australian Family Histories, Chinese Australian Family Historians of Victoria: Melbourne, Victoria, Reprint 2019.
Secrets, Silences and Sources tells the stories of a range of Chinese immigrants who established families and made homes in nineteenth-century Australia. Chapters touch on notions of identity, family secrets, and the pain of exclusion. These personal histories are told by members of the Chinese Australian Family Historians of Victoria (CAFHOV). Contributors also share the resources they drew on to construct these stories in the hope that this will inspire others in their research.
Table of Contents
- Dedication
- Introduction (Sophie Couchman)
- Chinese-Australian history vs huaqiao history: Chinese in north Queensland (Kevin Wong Hoy)
- Unfolding the silence: James Lee Wah (1832 – 1909): Chinese goldfields miner and Anglican missionary (Chris Lee)
- The wives of Hin Yung and Ah Whay: A goldfields story in the making (Robyn Ansell)
- History, heritage and identity (James Twycross)
- Chinese-Australian family photographs: Tong family networks revealed through the camera’s lens (Sophie Couchman)
There are two options to purchase this publication.
1. Order through Blurb Print-on-Demand and pay via Paypal; or
2. Order directly through CAFHOV and pay via Bank Transfer. Download the Order Form and mail or email to CAFHOV (instructions on the form).