Strange 11 Shelley Street Coincidences!

The Hunter family residence was 11 Shelley Street, Hong Kong. The location was first registered about 1897. Over the years, deaths in the family have all been listed with this address. The lady we believe is my great grandmother, Anne Hunter alias Kot Choy, died there Jan 31, 1937. Prior to this, my grandfather’s brother’s wife Emma Hunter died there June 14, 1933, followed by James Hunter August 8, 1937 and lastly his daughter Ellen, Nov 18, 1944.

When Emma Hunter died, I looked up her funeral attendees to see if I could come up with any new leads. Besides a lot of Choa family members, there was a J. D. Bush. Looking into him I found that James Daniel Bush lived at 9 Shelley Street which was next door. He was an American born in Shanghai. His father was Frederick Bush of New York, so he claimed American status by parentage. JD Bush had two brothers, Edred Drummond Bush, a merchant of groceries and metals in Shanghai and William Bush. All were born in Shanghai.

Looking further into James Daniel Bush, I found that like his neighbor ( my great uncle James Hunter ) he was also a school teacher. J.D. Bush was married to Victoria Ho, who survived him until 1974. I’m still trying to find out where they taught school.

I came across a photo of William Bush ( the Bush brothers were much alike in looks ) and the resemblance to my grandfather was noticeable. That’s Bush on the right and my grandfather and my aunt Nora on the left. Of course clothing styles of the era and habitat had an influence, but it’s still quite a likeness.