楊珠娘 Yeo Choo Neo, Mrs Poh Tiang Siew (d. 1928)
Ancestral place 南安 Nan'an, 都橋 · Tomb dated Republic 17, 5th month, 18th day (5 July 1928) · Bukit Brown Blk 1 G, Plot 6
Tomb of Yeo Choo Neo 楊珠娘, Bukit Brown Blk 1 G, Plot 6. Photograph: Raymond Goh. Click to enlarge.
Portrait of Yeo Choo Neo, from History from the Hills, Episode 8: Finding An Ancestor's Tomb (2013).
南安
都橋
民囯十七年五月十八日吉
顯妣謚珠娘傅門楊氏之墓
男 查哩
女 宝娘 嗎哩 月娘 蓮氏 芽哩
English inscription:
IN LOVING MEMORY OF
YEO CHOO NEO
(BELOVED WIFE)
OF
POH TIANG SIEW
DIED 5TH JULY 1928
AGE 29
LEAVING 2 SONS & 5 DAUGHTERS
EDWARD
CHARLIE
POH NEO
MARY
CECILIA
NANCY
JENNY
Summary: Yeo Choo Neo 楊珠娘 was the wife of Poh Tiang Siew 傅, one of the leading Straits Chinese amateur billiards players of the 1920s and 1930s. She was the daughter of Yeo Chim Yan, who died in March 1920, and her family traced its origin to Nan'an 南安 in Quanzhou prefecture. According to the family, she was Poh Tiang Siew's third wife: his second wife was her elder sister, whose dying wish was that Choo Neo should marry him. She died on 5 July 1928 at the age of 29, after the birth of her youngest daughter, and was buried at Bukit Brown on 9 July 1928. The English inscription on her tomb records that she left two sons, Edward and Charlie, and five daughters, Poh Neo, Mary, Cecilia, Nancy and Jenny. Later that same year her husband reached the semi-final of the Singapore Billiards Championship at the Padmore Billiard Hall. Ten years after her death, the engagement notice of their third daughter, Poh Im Neo, still named her as "the late Mrs. Poh Tiang Siew (Madam Yeo Choo Neo)". Her tomb lay unvisited for some 85 years until her great-granddaughter Angeline Kong found it with Raymond Goh in 2013, a search filmed for episode 8 of History from the Hills.
Family 家族
| Relationship | Name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Husband | Poh Tiang Siew 傅 (she was his third wife) | Tomb inscriptions; 1938 engagement notice; family account (Angeline Kong) |
| Husband's brothers and sister | Poh Tiang Swee (d. 1 May 1937), Poh Tiang Hock; sister Madam Poh Peck Hay Neo | Death notice of Poh Tiang Swee, Malaya Tribune 3 May 1937 |
| Elder sister | Second wife of Poh Tiang Siew, died before Choo Neo's marriage (name not recorded) | Family account (Angeline Kong) |
| Father | Yeo Chim Yan (d. March 1920; funeral Saturday 27 March 1920) | Acknowledgments, Straits Times 29 Mar 1920 and Malaya Tribune 30 Mar 1920 |
| Brother-in-law (her sister's husband) | Lim Swee Choe, also a son-in-law of Yeo Chim Yan | Straits Times 29 Mar 1920 |
| Thanked for the same funeral | Yeo Kim Bock and Yeo Kim Teng | Malaya Tribune 30 Mar 1920 |
| Sons | Edward; 查哩 Charlie | English inscription; Chinese inscription names Charlie only |
| Daughters | 宝娘 Poh Neo, 嗎哩 Mary, 月娘 Guat Neo (Cecilia), 蓮氏 (Nancy), 芽哩 (Jenny) | Chinese and English inscriptions |
| Great-granddaughter | Angeline Kong, granddaughter of Choo Neo's youngest daughter | History from the Hills, Ep. 8 (2013); family account |
| Third daughter | Poh Im Neo (Chichik), engaged in 1938 to Koh Oon Kiong, second son of the late Koh Gim Sye and Madam Gan Geok Lian | Malaya Tribune 18 May 1938 |
Tomb Inscription 墓碑銘文
| 碑文 | Transcription / Meaning |
|---|---|
| 南安 | Nan'an, Quanzhou prefecture, Fujian: the ancestral place of the family |
| 都橋 | Village or locality within Nan'an |
| 民囯十七年五月十八日吉 | Auspicious day, Republic 17, 5th month, 18th day (5 July 1928) |
| 顯妣謚珠娘傅門楊氏之墓 | Tomb of the illustrious late mother, named Choo Neo 珠娘, née Yeo 楊, of the Poh 傅 family |
| 男 查哩 | Son: 查哩 (Cha-li), Charlie |
| 女 宝娘 嗎哩 月娘 蓮氏 芽哩 | Daughters: 宝娘 Poh Neo, 嗎哩 Mary, 月娘 Guat Neo (Cecilia), 蓮氏 (Nancy), 芽哩 (Jenny) |
| IN LOVING MEMORY OF YEO CHOO NEO (BELOVED WIFE) OF POH TIANG SIEW | English inscription naming her as the wife of Poh Tiang Siew |
| DIED 5TH JULY 1928 · AGE 29 | Date of death and age |
| LEAVING 2 SONS & 5 DAUGHTERS: EDWARD, CHARLIE, POH NEO, MARY, CECILIA, NANCY, JENNY | The children she left, by their English names |
Notes on the inscription:
- 傅 is the surname romanised Poh in Hokkien, and 楊 is Yeo. 傅門楊氏 reads "Madam Yeo, of the Poh family".
- The Chinese date, the 18th day of the 5th lunar month of Republic 17, falls on 5 July 1928 (that year had an intercalary 2nd month). This is the same day as "DIED 5TH JULY 1928" in the English inscription, so the Chinese date is her date of death. She was buried four days later, on 9 July 1928.
- The two inscriptions list the children in the same order. 查哩 (tsa-lí) and 嗎哩 (má-lí) render Charlie and Mary in Hokkien sound, and 宝娘 is Poh Neo in both. Set against the English list, 月娘 Guat Neo is Cecilia, 蓮氏 is Nancy and 芽哩 (gê-lí) is Jenny.
- The English inscription names two sons, Edward and Charlie, but the Chinese inscription names only 查哩 Charlie.
Burial Register 埋葬記錄
| Yeo Choo Neo | |
|---|---|
| Final Resting Place | Bukit Brown · Blk 1 G · Plot 6 |
| Name | Yeo Choo Neo 楊珠娘 |
| Age | 29 |
| Nationality | |
| Date of death | 5 Jul 1928 (English inscription) |
| Date of burial | 9 Jul 1928 |
Short Biography 生平簡介
Her family. Yeo Choo Neo was born about 1899, going by her age of 29 at burial. Her father was Yeo Chim Yan, whose funeral took place on Saturday, 27 March 1920. Two notices thanked those who attended. In The Straits Times of 29 March 1920, his two sons-in-law, Lim Swee Choe and Poh Tiang Siew, thanked relatives and friends for attending the funeral of "their late beloved father-in-law". A day later, in the Malaya Tribune, Yeo Kim Bock and Yeo Kim Teng placed a separate acknowledgment for the same funeral. Choo Neo therefore had at least one sister married to Lim Swee Choe, besides the elder sister who, the family recalls, had been Poh Tiang Siew's second wife (see Family Oral History below). Her tomb gives the family's ancestral place as Nan'an 南安, a county of Quanzhou prefecture in southern Fujian.Her husband, the billiards player. Poh Tiang Siew was a well-known figure in the clubs of 1920s Singapore. In 1918 and 1919 he played billiards for the Straits Chinese Literary Association in inter-club matches. In 1920 he was assistant honorary secretary of the Balestier Friendly Society, and in July 1922 he was elected assistant honorary secretary of the United Confederate Funeral Association (U.C.F.A.) at Joo Chiat Road. He played for the U.C.F.A. for the rest of his career. At the start of 1923 he was drawn against Chua Choon Leong in the final of the Chinese Association's billiards championship, and at the Association's social on 30 November 1923 he was presented with the winner's prize for the Billiards Championship, with Chua Choon Leong as runner-up.
1928: a year of loss and the Singapore championship. Choo Neo died on 5 July 1928, aged 29. Her great-granddaughter Angeline Kong was told by her mother that Choo Neo passed away after giving birth to Angeline's grandmother, her youngest daughter. She was buried at Bukit Brown on 9 July, leaving two sons and five daughters. That November, Poh Tiang Siew entered the Singapore Billiards Championship, organised by Frankel Bros, agents for Padmore billiard tables, and played at the Padmore Billiard Hall in Victoria Street. He beat G. E. Kraal of the Y.M.C.A. in a 300-up match on 29 November and then beat Tan Boon Poh of the Straits Chinese Recreation Club on 18 December to reach the semi-final. On 20 December, before a crowded hall, he lost the semi-final to H. K. Laou of the Aston Athletic Club, scoring 225 to Laou's 300. Laou then lost the final to Ang Chin Thian by a single point.
The 1930s. Poh Tiang Siew remained a regular entrant in the Malayan championships. He played in the Malayan Amateur (four-ball) Championship for the Frankel Shield in 1932, 1933 and 1937, and in the Malayan Championship for the Padmore Challenge Shield in 1933, 1934 and 1936. When the 1937 four-ball championship opened at the Clerical Union Pavilion, he played the first match against Tan Kim Song of Siong Boo, the 1932 champion. He was still listed among the office bearers of the U.C.F.A. in November 1950.
The Poh brothers. Poh Tiang Siew had two brothers, Poh Tiang Swee and Poh Tiang Hock, and a sister, Madam Peck Hay Neo. Poh Tiang Swee was secretary of A. Flinter Ltd and lived at 139 Joo Chiat Place, close to the U.C.F.A.'s club premises on Joo Chiat Road. He died at the General Hospital on 1 May 1937, leaving his wife, two sons, a daughter, a son-in-law, Mr Lim Kim Teck, and three grandchildren. His death notice names his brothers Tiang Hock and Tiang Siew among the mourners. The funeral cortege left the house on 3 May for cremation at the Japanese Crematorium on Yio Chu Kang Road.
Her children. In May 1938 the Malaya Tribune announced the engagement of Miss Poh Im Neo (Chichik), third daughter of Poh Tiang Siew and "the late Mrs. Poh Tiang Siew (Madam Yeo Choo Neo)", to Koh Oon Kiong, second son of the late Koh Gim Sye and Madam Gan Geok Lian. The notice asked Malacca and Kuala Lumpur papers to copy it, which suggests the family had relatives in both places. Koh Oon Kiong was an active badminton player with the Henderson, Spartan and Great World parties in the 1930s.
The search for her tomb, 2013. Choo Neo's great-granddaughter, Angeline Kong, had tried once to find her tomb at Bukit Brown and came close without finding it. She said she had dreamt of an ancestor's tomb and had felt ever since that she must find it. In 2013 she returned with Raymond Goh, and the search was filmed for episode 8 of History from the Hills, "Finding An Ancestor's Tomb". Working from the burial register, which gives the date of death, the division and the plot number, Raymond explained that the old division markers were mostly gone and the position had to be estimated: Division G lies along the lower slope, and the plot numbers on the tombs, running about twelve to a row, showed that plot 6 lay further down the hill. A tomb dated 1928 confirmed they were in the right sector. Through dense undergrowth they found the small granite headstone, moss-covered and set in red brick. "It's meant for me to find her," Angeline said. As far as the family knew, no one had visited the grave in 85 years.
| Year | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| c. 1899 | Yeo Choo Neo born (calculated from age 29 at burial) | Burial register |
| 27 Mar 1920 | Funeral of her father, Yeo Chim Yan | Straits Times 29 Mar 1920; Malaya Tribune 30 Mar 1920 |
| 30 Nov 1923 | Poh Tiang Siew receives the Chinese Association billiards championship prize | Straits Times 4 Dec 1923 |
| 5 Jul 1928 | Yeo Choo Neo dies, aged 29, after the birth of her youngest daughter | Tomb inscriptions; Angeline Kong |
| 9 Jul 1928 | Buried at Bukit Brown, Blk 1 G, Plot 6 | Burial register |
| Dec 1928 | Poh Tiang Siew reaches the semi-final of the Singapore Billiards Championship | Malaya Tribune 21 Dec 1928 |
| 1 May 1937 | Death of Poh Tiang Siew's brother, Poh Tiang Swee | Malaya Tribune 3 May 1937 |
| May 1938 | Engagement of third daughter, Poh Im Neo, to Koh Oon Kiong | Malaya Tribune 18 May 1938 |
| 2013 | Great-granddaughter Angeline Kong finds the tomb with Raymond Goh | History from the Hills, Ep. 8 |
Newspaper Record 報章紀錄
| Date / Paper | Summary and link |
|---|---|
| 14 May 1918, The Straits Times | Billiards: the Straits Chinese Literary Association meets the Moslem Institute at billiards; Poh Tiang Siew among the S.C.L.A. players. |
| 9 Mar 1920, The Straits Times | Balestier Friendly Society AGM: Poh Tiang Siew elected assistant honorary secretary. |
| 29 Mar 1920, The Straits Times | Acknowledgment: Lim Swee Choe, Poh Tiang Siew and family thank those who attended the funeral of their father-in-law, Mr Yeo Chim Yan. |
| 30 Mar 1920, Malaya Tribune | Acknowledgment: Yeo Kim Bock and Yeo Kim Teng thank those who attended the funeral of the late Mr Yeo Chim Yan on Saturday. |
| 12 Jul 1922, The Straits Times | United Confederate Funeral Association: Poh Tiang Siew elected assistant honorary secretary for the second half of 1922. |
| 30 Jan 1923, The Straits Times | Billiards: final of the Chinese Association championship to be played between Poh Tiang Siew and Chua Choon Leong. |
| 4 Dec 1923, The Straits Times | The Chinese Association: at the Association's social, Poh Tiang Siew receives the prize as winner of the Billiards Championship; runner-up Chua Choon Leong. |
| 30 Nov 1928, Malaya Tribune | Poh Tiang Siew beats Kraal in the Singapore championship at the Padmore Billiard Hall. |
| 19 Dec 1928, Malaya Tribune | S'pore Championship: Poh Tiang Siew beats Tan Boon Poh to reach the semi-final. |
| 21 Dec 1928, Malaya Tribune | Singapore Championship: H. K. Laou beats Poh Tiang Siew in the semi-final, 300 to 225. |
| 27 Dec 1928, The Straits Budget | Singapore Billiards: A Win by One Point: Ang Chin Thian beats H. K. Laou in the final. |
| 30 Jun 1932, The Straits Times | Billiards: Poh Tiang Siew (U.C.F.A.) wins his tie in the Malayan amateur four-ball championship for the Frankel Shield. |
| 23 Apr 1934, Malaya Tribune | Local Billiards: Poh Tiang Siew beats Salleh bin Kassim 300 to 274 in the Malayan championship for the Padmore Challenge Shield. |
| 5 Jan 1937, Malaya Tribune | Billiards: the Malayan Amateur four-ball championship opens with Poh Tiang Siew against Tan Kim Song, the 1932 champion. |
| 3 May 1937, Malaya Tribune | Death: Poh Tiang Swee, secretary of A. Flinter Ltd, of 139 Joo Chiat Place, dies on 1 May 1937, leaving among others his brothers Tiang Hock and Tiang Siew and his sister Madam Peck Hay Neo. |
| 18 May 1938, Malaya Tribune | Engagement: Miss Poh Im Neo (Chichik), third daughter of Poh Tiang Siew and the late Mrs Poh Tiang Siew (Madam Yeo Choo Neo), to Koh Oon Kiong. |
| 18 Nov 1950, Malaya Tribune | United Funeral Association: Poh Tiang Siew among the office bearers elected with Dr Chia Keng Hoe as president. |
Family Oral History 家族口述
According to Angeline Kong, a descendant, Poh Tiang Siew had lost his first two wives before he married Yeo Choo Neo. His second wife was Choo Neo's elder sister. As the family tells it, her dying wish was that her younger sister should marry him. Yeo Choo Neo honoured that wish and became his third wife. Angeline Kong was told by her mother that Choo Neo passed away after giving birth to Angeline's grandmother, the youngest daughter.Sources 資料來源
- Tomb inscription and photograph by Raymond Goh, Bukit Brown Blk 1 G, Plot 6.
- Bukit Brown burial register entry for Yeo Choo Neo, age 29, buried 9 July 1928.
- History from the Hills, Episode 8: Finding An Ancestor's Tomb, YouTube, uploaded 9 December 2013 (source of the portrait).
- Family account of Angeline Kong, a descendant, shared with Raymond Goh, 2026.
- NewspaperSG, National Library Board, Singapore: The Straits Times, Malaya Tribune, The Straits Budget, Singapore Free Press, 1918 to 1950 (articles linked above).
About this record. This entry is part of Singapore Tombstones Epigraphic Materials (S.T.E.M.) 新加坡墓碑銘集录, a specialised digital documentation project and archive recording historical tomb inscriptions in Singapore, with a focus on Bukit Brown Cemetery 武吉布朗坟场 and other early Chinese burial grounds. Each record transcribes the original Chinese inscription, gives an English translation, cross-checks it against the burial register, and adds a short biography drawn from contemporary newspapers and archival sources.
Cite this entry as:
Raymond Goh. "Yeo Choo Neo, Mrs Poh Tiang Siew." Singapore Tombstones Epigraphic Materials (S.T.E.M.), tombs.bukitbrown.org, https://tombs.bukitbrown.org/2026/11/mrs-poh-tiang-siew-nee-yeo-choo-neo.html. Accessed [date].
Keywords: Yeo Choo Neo, 楊珠娘, 傅門楊氏, Mrs Poh Tiang Siew, Poh Tiang Siew, 傅, Yeo Chim Yan, Lim Swee Choe, Edward Poh, Charlie Poh, Poh Tiang Swee, Poh Tiang Hock, Poh Im Neo, Angeline Kong, History from the Hills, Koh Oon Kiong, billiards, Singapore Billiards Championship 1928, Padmore Billiard Hall, Chinese Association, United Confederate Funeral Association, Straits Chinese Literary Association, Nan'an, 南安, 都橋, Bukit Brown Cemetery, Chinese tomb inscriptions Singapore, Singapore Tombstones Epigraphic Materials, S.T.E.M.
Bukit Brown Name - Poh 傅 Name - Yeo 楊 Region - 南安 1928
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