Ang Seah Im

Ang Seah Im

汪聲音

民國十六年六月十四日吉

孝男

福星

金水

水鼠

水發

水君

金獅

金生

石林

民國卅三年五月初一日吉
汪門鐘水心

IN LOVING MEMORY OF THE LATE

MR ANG SEAH IM

DIED 12-7-27

AGED 57

MRS ANG SEAH IM

NEE CHEONG CHWEE SIM

DIED 21-6-44 

AGED 66

THE DEARLY BELOVED FATHER & MOTHER OF

SONS

ANG HOCK SENG

ANG KIM SWEE

ANG CHWEE CHOO

ANG CHWEE HUAT

ANG CHWEE KOON

ANG KIM SYE

ANG KIM  SENG

ANG CHIOW LIM

GRANDSONS

ANG THIAM SENG

ANG THIAN TECK

ANG THIAN TIONG

ANG THIAM TEE

ANG THIAM ENG

ANG THIAM WAH

ANG THIAN YONG

ANG BOON SAN

ANG BOON KIAT

ANG BOON CHYE

ANG THIAN GEE

GRANDSONS

ANG THIAN SOO

ANG THIAN LAI

ANG THIAN SIONG

ANG AH TAI

DAUGHTERS

ANG CHENG KIM

ANG CHENG SUAN

ANG CHIEW BEE

ANG CHENG GIN

ANG CHENG POH

GRANDDAUGHTER

AH ENG

DEATH

The Straits Times, 14 July 1927, Page 7

Ang Seah Im died on July 12, 1927  at his residence 146-D Haig Road, a ged 57 years.

He leaves besides his wife many children and grandchildren to mourn his loss.

Funeral on Sunday July 17, at 10 am to Bukit Brown Cemetery

The Rise of the Sound

Ang Seah Im was from Tong Ann, Quanzhou Prefecture in Fujian.

 

His name Seah Im in Chinese and Hokkien means "Sound"

 

He owned properties in Malaysia and Singapore especially along Telok Blangah Road.

 

He also have business in mining,  rice, rubber, and trading.

 

In 17 Aug 1907, the Municipal  Commission agreed on the naming of the private road with entrance between Nos 196 and 180-4 Teluk Blangah Road to be Seah Im Road.

 

 

His land along Telok Blangah Road

 

MUNICIPAL COMMISSION.

The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (Weekly), 12 August 1909, Page 103

Lease of Markets

Ang Seah Im was given an extension for one year for the lease of Clyde Terrace and Rochore markets on condition that auction sales of fish shall be conducted properly

Additional Telephone Directory

Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884-1942), 7 Jan 1916, Pg 12

528 Ang Seah Im (Chop) Teck Chiang, 2 Seah Im Road

BANKRUPTCY COURT.

The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884-1942), 12 August 1922, Page 12

Public Examination.

The public examination of Ang Seah Im, a contractor was proceeded with. At the outset he stated that he had two wives and eleven children. He had been a member of the committee of the Poh Leung Kok.

He said he was previously bankrupt in 1914, and after two composition proposals had fallen through, in May, 1920 he paid a composition. Since the payment of the composition he had sold a house in Trengganu, of which he had said nothing to the Official Assignee, for $16,000. That house was built by the employees of a tin mine in Trengganu, of which his son was a partner. He and his son took turns in the management of the mine, and the house, which was built out of the partnership, was given to him, for services rendered. The bankrupt said that his son, when 16 years of age was a contractor in Muar, and when he was twenty he returned to Singapore with $20,000. On his return his son, Hock Seng entered into contracts with the Malays in Trengganu, and eventually became a partner. He was authorised to sell the mine to a company, the agreement was in bankrupt's name and 470,000 shares were distributed among the Malays. The bankrupt said he did not remember what he received. Chop Teck Seng, 25 China street, was his son's business but he had acted as manager. Hock Seng had bought several pieces of land in Singapore, but the bankrupt admitted that he had negotiated for the disposal of the land.

The Official Assignee (Mr. C. J. Saunders) suggested it would save a lot of time if the bankrupt admitted that since his former bankruptcy he had been doing everything in the name of Hock Seng.

The bankrupt admitted that this was so.

The public examination was adjourned.

On 17 Jun 1914, he was one of the Chinese luminaries sending off the then Governor of Straits Settlement Sir Arthur Young:

 

 

Page 12 Advertisements Column 2

Malaya Tribune, 15 October 1936, Page 12

Engagement

The engagement is announced between Mr Ang Kim Sye of the Bankruptcy Office, Singapore, sixth son of the late Mr Ang  Seah Im and Mrs Ang Seah Im and Miss Cheong Keong Tee, second daughter of the late Mr Cheong Koon Seng and Mrs Cheong Koon Seng

 

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

 

It was the day after a newspapers report mentioned about the find of Seah Im's grave.

 

A young man in the United States was reading The Straits Times online when he spotted

the news.

Quickly he dialed his mother in Singapore.

"Mama, quick, take a look at the Sunday times. I think there is someone mentioned in the papers you need to know"

Thousand of miles away in Singapore, a middle aged woman looked at the news her son has informed her.

Yes, it was her grandfather' name all right. Many times, she have heard of his father mentioned about him.

But ever since she was a child, she was under the impression that her grandfather was already exhumed.

Is it true that her Ah Gong's grave has been found?

A call to us, and a quick arrangement for her to check on the grave. After all, it was still Qing Ming period.

She also went to the paper and joss stick shop to buy some offerings. Not very sure what to buy, she asked a friend to bring her to the shop and also tag along.

The hot afternoon turned downcast and just before we arrived, it started to rain.

But rain or no rain, nothing is going to stop her from finding out if really her grandfather is buried there.

So, all of us took out our umbrellas and walked to the grave.

 

 

The woman took one look at the tomb photograph which was still in good condition because of the special tombstone material imported from China, and there was no doubt in her mind who he is.

Yes, it was indeed Ah Gong, she had recognized him from an old family album.

 

'Ah Gong, I am here. "

And oh, that is Ah Mah also. But her photograph has been eroded with time.

"I will show you a better picture of Ah Mah than the picture here"

" Hello, Ah Gong, hello Ah Ma, I have come to see you" she said while touching the tombstones gently.

"How do you write his name in Chinese? 

Sorry, I don't know how to write in Chinese his name," she asked me.

Oh, the family name is Ang, written with a Chinese character "Wang" as in King, with a three stroke water.

And for his name, the character is written as in the Chinese characters for sound.

 

Sound, you know, like tong, tong, tong, sound

Oh..... you mean "Sound"

--------

Yes, the Sound was heard.

And indeed it was heart-warming to see he was still being honored and remembered,

more than 80 years after he had died.

 

Postcard pic of Ang Seah Im tomb with offerings just after burial in 1927

 

Raymond

Additional info on Alkaff Mansion (developed and sold by Ang Seah Im to the Alkaff family

(based on facebook posts discussion in Jan 16, 2015

Plan of a proposed dwelling house to be built on freehold land at Seah Im Road for Ang Seah Im, Esq

Signed by Municipal Engineer 17.10.11

This house  Ang Seah Im built in 1911 and Alkaff mansion in 1920 for comparison

Before it was named Mt Washington, the land with the original house was first owned a Ee Watt Neo.

It then went to the Yeos, namely Yeo Hock Cheng, Yeo Phee Teck and Yeo Phee Jin.

Later bought by Ang Seah Im 1907, Ang mortgaged the land with the house to a European called Rowland Allen (of Allen & Gledhill) in 1911, with full payment due Sep 1912 ($35k).

Ang in 1912 couldnt pay and further mortgaged more land around Mt Washington to the Alkaff's to raise more money ($25k)

When Ang further defaulted, Rowland as Mortgagee put the house for sale, naming it Mt Washington.

It was eventually sold to the Alkaff family in 1916.

Singapore Free Press 1915 Aug 9

The Straits Budget, 23 Jun 1916, Pg 14 Advertisement Column 1

Freehold Rubber Plantation and house known as "Mount Washington" Municipal No 426 Alexandra Rd, area according to the govt resurvey 89 acres, 2 roods and 20 poles bought by Syed Abdulrahman bin Abdullah Alkaff for $32,000

 Ang Seah Im has been described as a contractor, and he built a few houses along Telok Blangah Rd. One of the houses he built which you can see from the national archives show an uncanny resemblance to Alkaff mansion with its twin towers. He bought the land from the Yeos in 1907, so he  have built the house after that which was subsequently auctioned off in 1916. The Alkaffs later reconfigured the house increasing its built up area