陳金殿 Tan Kim Tian (d. 1882)
Ancestral place 山仰 · Tomb dated 11th month, Guangxu 8, renwu year (1882) · Died 18 December 1882 · Namesake of Kim Tian Road
Tomb of Tan Kim Tian 陳金殿. Click to enlarge.
Tomb of Tan Kim Tian 陳金殿, inscription. Click to enlarge.
Tomb inscriptions:
光緒嵗次壬午年仲冬月吉旦 (1882, Lunar 11th moon)
皇淸誥贈奉政大夫諡純齋陳公之塋
孝男
明遠 Tan Beng Wan, born 1851
合隆 Tan Hap Leong, born 1870
合水 Tan Hap Swee, born around 1872
嗣男
合盛 Tan Hap Seng, born 25 July 1863
孝女
類娘 Tan Lui Neo
暹娘 Tan Siam Neo
那舌 Tan Nyachik (born 1865, Tan Tew Neo, Mrs Wee)
吉娘 Tan Kiat Neo
貫娘 Tan Kuan Neo
貝娘 Tan Puay Neo
罔思 Tan Bong Soo (born 1881, Mrs Quek Geok Lin)
孝孫
正祥 Tan Cheng Siang
正順 Tan Cheng Soon
仝立石
Tan Kim Tian died on 18 December 1882.
Summary: Tan Kim Tian 陳金殿 (1832 to 18 December 1882) was a Hokkien shipowner who came to Singapore from Malacca in 1847 at the age of 15. He rose from an office boy at the merchants Paterson Simons to found Tan Kim Tian & Sons Steamship Co. Ltd., the first Singapore Chinese shipping firm to concentrate on steamships. A deputy director of the Po Chiak Kung temple (the Tan Si Chong Su) in 1878, he left three sons, an adopted son, seven daughters and two grandsons named on his tomb. He is the namesake of Kim Tian Road and Kim Tian Place in Bukit Merah. His tomb, dated the 11th month of 1882, records the title Fengzheng Daifu, conferred by imperial edict, and the posthumous name 純齋. The family's land at Onraet Road was held by his estate until 1938.
Family 家族
| Relationship | Name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Wife | Wee Poh Kiok | Wikipedia |
| Son (孝男) | Tan Beng Wan 陳明遠, born 1851 (d. 1890) | Tomb inscription; Straits Times Annual, 1 Jan 1978 |
| Son (孝男) | Tan Hap Leong (Hup Leong) 陳合隆, born 1870 (d. 5 Aug 1926) | Tomb inscription; S.T.E.M. Tan Hap Leong |
| Son (孝男) | Tan Hap Swee 陳合水, born around 1872 | Tomb inscription |
| Adopted son (嗣男) | Tan Hap Seng (Hup Seng) 陳合盛, born 25 July 1863 (d. 24 Mar 1934) | Tomb inscription; S.T.E.M. Tan Hap Seng |
| Daughter | Tan Lui Neo 類娘 | Tomb inscription |
| Daughter | Tan Siam Neo 暹娘 | Tomb inscription |
| Daughter | Tan Nyachik 那舌, born 1865, also Tan Tew Neo, Mrs Wee | Tomb inscription; Malaya Tribune, 13 Nov 1931 |
| Daughter | Tan Kiat Neo 吉娘 | Tomb inscription |
| Daughter | Tan Kuan Neo 貫娘 | Tomb inscription |
| Daughter | Tan Puay Neo 貝娘 | Tomb inscription |
| Daughter | Tan Bong Soo 罔思, born 1881, Mrs Quek Geok Lin | Tomb inscription; S.T.E.M. Tan Bong Soo |
| Grandson (孝孫) | Tan Cheng Siang 正祥 (b. 9 Sep 1883, d. June 1977), son of Tan Beng Wan | Tomb inscription; Straits Times Annual, 1 Jan 1978 |
| Grandson (孝孫) | Tan Cheng Soon 正順 | Tomb inscription |
Tomb Inscription 墓碑銘文
| 碑文 | Transcription / Meaning |
|---|---|
| 光緒嵗次壬午年仲冬月吉旦 | Auspicious day, 11th (mid-winter) month, renwu year of Guangxu (1882). 18 December 1882 falls in the 11th lunar month of that year |
| 皇淸誥贈奉政大夫諡純齋陳公之塋 | Tomb of Mr Chen, of the great Qing, on whom the title Fengzheng Daifu was conferred by imperial edict (誥贈); posthumous name (諡) 純齋. Fengzheng Daifu is a fifth-rank civil title. 純齋 means pure and clean |
| 孝男 明遠 合隆 合水 | Filial sons Beng Wan 明遠, Hap Leong 合隆 and Hap Swee 合水 |
| 嗣男 合盛 | Heir son (adopted son) Hap Seng 合盛 |
| 孝女 類娘 暹娘 那舌 吉娘 貫娘 貝娘 罔思 | Filial daughters Lui Neo, Siam Neo, Nyachik, Kiat Neo, Kuan Neo, Puay Neo and Bong Soo |
| 孝孫 正祥 正順 | Filial grandsons Cheng Siang 正祥 and Cheng Soon 正順 |
| 仝立石 | Stone erected jointly by them |
Notes on the inscription:
- The stone lists Tan Beng Wan among the sons (孝男) and Tan Hap Seng as the adopted son (嗣男). Song Ong Siang's book and Wikipedia describe Beng Wan as the adopted son, and he was much older than the other children. The groupings on the stone therefore need review.
- The birth years on the stone give Beng Wan as born in 1851, when Kim Tian was 19, and Hap Seng as born on 25 July 1863. Hap Seng's own tomb gives 25 July 1868, and his burial register entry gives an age of 67.
- The daughter 罔思 (Bong Soo) is the Tan Bong Soo whose own tomb reads 望仕娘.
Burial Register 埋葬記錄
| Final Resting Place | |
| Name | Tan Kim Tian 陳金殿 |
| Age | 50 |
| Nationality | |
| Date of death | 18 Dec 1882 |
| Date of burial |
Short Biography 生平簡介
Portrait of Tan Kim Tian (1832 to 1882), signed "Drawn by Ong Kwee Huang, Coleman Street No. 22, Singapore, AD 1887". Collection of the National Heritage Board, Roots.gov.sg. Click to enlarge.
From Malacca to Singapore. Tan Kim Tian was born in 1832 and came to Singapore from Malacca in 1847, aged 15, with almost nothing. He began as an office boy at Paterson Simons, a firm of merchants then at Commercial Square (now Raffles Place). A partner, William Paterson, took a personal interest in him and arranged for him to attend evening school, where he learned English. He became a trusted storekeeper in the firm's produce department, handling gutta-percha, pepper, cloves and rattan from Dutch Borneo, and he also chartered coastal ships to bring in produce. After about fifteen years he left to go into shipping on his own, with the understanding that his old firm would give him cargo.
Tan Kim Tian & Sons. The Straits Times Annual dates the founding of Tan Kim Tian & Sons Steamship Co. Ltd. to 1865, with his elder son Tan Beng Wan as partner. The Roots.gov.sg portrait note and the Peranakan Museum's gallery guide date it to 1871. The firm was the first among Singapore Chinese shipowners to concentrate on steamships rather than sail, buying vessels second-hand or ordering them from builders in Britain. Among its early ships were the Rangoon, bought in 1871 and wrecked off Finisterre in 1873, and the Celestial and the Penang. An English gold watch inscribed by William Paterson was presented to him in 1865 and was handed down in the family: from Tan Kim Tian to Hup Leong in 1882, to Tan Cheng San on 6 March 1924, and to Tan Cheng Siang in 1940. Wikipedia adds that he owned Kim Tian's Pier on Havelock Road.
Temple and community. A tablet in the Tan Si Chong Su, also known as Po Chiak Kung, records him as an Assistant Director of the temple. Wikipedia and the Roots.gov.sg note call him its first president. The temple was built in 1876, and a stone dated Guangxu 4 (1878) records the donations of its leading businessmen. It names Kim Tian of the 山仰 firm as Deputy Director (副董事) and records a gift of $1,200.
大清光緒四年 保赤宮 山仰號金殿使為副董事 捐金一千二百元. Click to enlarge.
A Chinese website that lists donors recorded on temple steles under the heading 山仰社 names 陳金殿 in three entries and the 明遠山仰號 in a fourth, and states that 陳明遠 was his son (zhdate.com). They are summarised here.
| Year | Stele | Entry |
|---|---|---|
| Tongzhi 10 (1871) | 重修龍王廟碑記 | 陳金殿, donation of 200 dollars in English silver |
| Tongzhi 12 (1873) | 重興雲塔寺碑記 | 陳金殿, donation of 30 dollars |
| Guangxu 18 (1892) | 重修瑞青宮碑 | 陳金殿, donation of 20 dollars |
| Guangxu 22 (1896) | 重修慈濟祖宮碑記 | 明遠山仰號, donation of 200 dollars in English silver |
Botan House. The Roots.gov.sg note says that Botan House was built by Tan Kim Tian in 1883 at the corner of Neil Road and Craig Road, and it has since been demolished. The Annual describes it as the family home on about 34,000 square metres at Neil Road, where his grandson Tan Cheng Siang lived until his death.
Death and estate. Tan Kim Tian died on 18 December 1882, aged 50, and Beng Wan took sole charge of the firm until his own death in 1890. In the notices of 4 January 1883 he signs as one of the executors of the will and refers to Kim Tian as "my father", and announces that he would continue the business as Tan Kim Tian & Sons from 31 December 1882. The younger sons then ran into debt, and the fleet was sold at auction to Oei Tiong Ham (see Tan Hap Seng). His estate outlived the firm. A map and land deed, courtesy of Charles Goh, show that the estate owned land in Mukim 17, Lot 34-7, which bordered Onraet Road and the Hokkien Huay Kuan's land at Kopi Sua. On 12 April 1938 its trustees were Tan Kay Tiang and Ngeow Nian Chin. Tan Kay Tiang died on 10 June 1938, and on 11 June 1938 the estate was conveyed to Tan Choon Seng, son of Tan Cheng Siang. Tan Kay Tiang was born in 1881 and married Yeo Say Neo in 1923. His father was Tan Cheng Lian, who may be an earlier son of Tan Kim Tian or a close relative. Tan Kay Tiang's tomb is described at bukitbrown.com (LTA tag no. 2906).
Land of the Tan Kim Tian estate, Mukim 17 Lot 34-7. Courtesy of Charles Goh. Click to enlarge.
Map and land deed. Courtesy of Charles Goh. Click to enlarge.
The Giang Seng. In June 1896 the firm, then led by his sons Hap Seng, Hap Leong and Hap Swee, gave a picnic aboard its new steamer Giang Seng. In the toast, Arnot Reid recalled Tan Kim Tian as one of the first Straits-born Chinese to go into steam shipping (see A Trip on the Giang Seng, 1896).
Kim Tian Road. Kim Tian Road and Kim Tian Place, in the Bukit Merah area near Tiong Bahru, are named after him, according to Wikipedia, which cites the National Heritage Board.
Newspaper Record 報章紀錄
| Date / Paper | Summary and link |
|---|---|
| 13 Jan 1883, The Straits Times, page 3, Notices | Two notices dated 4 January 1883, both signed by Tan Beng Wan. The first, "In the Goods of Tan Kim Tian, Deceased", is an executor's notice under the Trustees' and Mortgagees' Powers Act 1866. It states that Tan Kim Tian died at Singapore on 18 December 1882 and asks creditors and claimants to send in their claims to Beng Wan, "one of the Executors of the last Will and Testament", on or before 5 July 1883, and debtors to settle their accounts by the same date. The second notice, in Beng Wan's own name, announces that from 31 December 1882 "the business of my father the late Mr. Tan Kim Tian" would be continued by him under the style of Tan Kim Tian & Sons. Both were to run until 4 February. |
| 22 Jun 1896, The Straits Times, page 3 | "A Trip on the 'Giang Seng'". The firm gave a picnic on Sunday 21 June 1896 for over 140 guests aboard its new steamer Giang Seng, newly arrived from England. She steamed from the Roads past Changi to Johore and back. Tan Hap Seng is named as Managing Owner, with Tan Hap Leong and Tan Hap Swee. Arnot Reid's toast recalled Tan Kim Tian as one of the first Straits-born Chinese to go into steam shipping. Read the full account in A Trip on the Giang Seng, 1896. |
| 24 Oct 1929, Malaya Tribune, page 8, "Domestic Occurrence" | Death of Mrs Tan Cheng Lian née Lim Chye Liang, aged 77 (born 1852). Names her son Tan Kay Tiang (born 1881, married Yeo Say Neo in 1923) and her granddaughter Tan Guek Neo. |
| 13 Nov 1931, Malaya Tribune, page 8, Death | Tan Tew Neo alias Tan Nyachik (the daughter 那舌, Mrs Wee), of 775 North Bridge Road. Names her son Wee Keng Hoe, daughter Wee Seow Neo, and Ngeow Nian Chin as her son-in-law, with grandchildren Ngeow Ser Lim, Ngeow Ser Sin, Ngeow Choo Neo (Mrs Wee Cheng Woo) and Ngeow Ngim Neo, great-grandson Ngeow Yoong Kee and nephew Cheang Keam Kiong. |
| 1 Jan 1978, The Straits Times Annual, pages 22 to 23 | "Tales of a Singapore Entrepreneur". His career, his firm and his descendants. |
Sources 資料來源
- Tomb inscription and photographs; Portrait of Tan Kim Tian, National Heritage Board, Roots.gov.sg.
- "Tales of a Singapore Entrepreneur", The Straits Times Annual, 1 January 1978, pages 22 to 23.
- Tan Kim Tian and Sons, Tan Hap Seng, Tan Hap Leong and Tan Bong Soo, S.T.E.M.
- The Straits Times, 13 January 1883, page 3, and 22 June 1896, page 3; Malaya Tribune, 24 October 1929, page 8, and 13 November 1931, page 8.
- 山仰社 donors listed on temple steles, zhdate.com.
- Tomb of Tan Kay Tiang, LTA tag no. 2906, bukitbrown.com.
- Map and land deed, courtesy of Charles Goh.
- Tan Kim Tian and Tan Beng Wan, Wikipedia.
- Gallery guide, Peranakan Museum, National Heritage Board.
Cite this entry as:
Raymond Goh. "Tan Kim Tian 陳金殿." Singapore Tombstones Epigraphic Materials (S.T.E.M.), tombs.bukitbrown.org, [post URL]. Accessed [date].
Keywords: Tan Kim Tian, 陳金殿, Kim Tian Road, Kim Tian Place, 山仰, Tan Kim Tian and Sons Steamship Company, Tan Beng Wan, Tan Hap Seng, Tan Hup Leong, Tan Cheng Siang, Tan Si Chong Su, Po Chiak Kung, 保赤宮, Paterson Simons, Botan House, Straits Chinese shipowners, Chinese tomb inscriptions Singapore, Singapore Tombstones Epigraphic Materials, S.T.E.M.
Family - Tan Kim Tian Name - Tan 陳 Region - 山仰
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