The wedding took place at St Andrews Church on Nathan Road in Kowloon, April 14, 1909. I think the wedding photos were done at their home, 4 Humphrey’s Ave, Kowloon. Most of the women in the photo are sisters of the bride.
The wedding took place at St Andrews Church on Nathan Road in Kowloon, April 14, 1909. I think the wedding photos were done at their home, 4 Humphrey’s Ave, Kowloon. Most of the women in the photo are sisters of the bride.
This photo is a match as far as the mat sheds, but the people are still a mystery. I believe the seated caucasian lady might be my grandmother Maud Wilhelmina Hunter but I’m not positive. Also I’d originally thought that maybe the man on the left was my grandfather Tobias Hunter but I’ve pretty much ruled that out. Allowing for gain or loss of weight, hairline changes etc I’ve made comparisons but finally it’s features like ear shape and pattern that rule him out.
A colorized version of one of the children’s outings. My mother and her sister are far right and fourth from right. The setting is very similar. The mat sheds look a little different but I think it’s just that the photos were taken from different vantage points. I would guess this photo is a year or two earlier that the others; maybe 1915.
When I posted the “family photo with a clue” I wasn’t sure if the photo was from Hong Kong ( Kowloon ) or a year later after the family moved to Shanghai. I’m now a little more convinced that it was the former. In this photo my mother is sitting in the stern or the rowboat. She appears to be about the same age in both photos and the there’s two more clues. The first is she’s wearing the same hat in both pictures. The second is there’s the same dog! Add to this, the terrain and vegetation are in keeping with the Hong Kong/Kowloon area and not Shanghai. My guess is that the location of these pictures is in the Kings Park area of Kowloon about 1917. My mother used tell stories of her parents taking them and sometimes children from the Diocesan school on picnic outings when they were young and living in Kowloon.
This photo is of my grandfather Tobias Hunter, his wife Maud (seated) holding one of their two children ( Nora ) My mother ( Iris ) is standing between them. The location is based on much research and comparing photos and maps, so I’m making an educated guess of Kowloon, possibly “Kings Park” area or maybe further out.
Another possibility is the Recreation Grounds across from the “Moreton Terrace” property as shown in the previous post. They have tennis rackets and there are lines on the grass that could mark off a court area.
The Asian women in the photo are still unknown and will probably remain so but it’s worth noting that one is also seated alongside my grandmother, something I would take as a sign of respect, and maybe indicating her position as something other than help? One other item of note in the picture, is the “dog” It shows up again in another photo.
The mat-sheds are another important aspect. I have another photo that shows there were more than one so they were obviously quite permanent and must have been available as either rentals or maybe were owned by families?
As more information became available I began to compare maps with land records and newspaper items and even real estate ads. I’ve also found a couple of old photos. The timespan is fairly long but the property is identifiable throughout.
The Moreton Terrace property was situated on IL 1580 adjacent to the Kennedy Stables across from the Recreation Grounds at Causeway Bay.
On the map below I’ve indicated the location of the property in red.
Map of Moreton Terrace |
Below is a photo that gives a fairly good view of the area and the location of Moreton Terrace ( marked in yellow ) can be seen quite clearly in relation to the recreation grounds. The picture is from 1920 so the buildings shown should accurately depict the property as it was under the Kot Choy ownership.
Lastly is an item from the South China Morning Post of 1938 that makes a reference to the Moreton Terrace property ( 1913 ). I use this clipping simply as an attestation to the validity of the property’s existence.
This is an early 1900s map of mid levels showing the properties held by Kot Choy in yellow. The family address of 11 Shelley Street which was occupied by Hunters until 1944, is not marked off as I believe it is located at I.L. 114 ( according to today’s street address )
Back in 2016 I was scanning Find-a-grave and came upon some photos that pertained to some of my family in Happy Valley Cemetery, Hong Kong. A I’d managed to locate my Anne Hunter/Kot Choy and had an actua grave plot number, I’d e-mail to the contact that was associated with the other pictures.
The contact was Chris Nelson who lives in Taipei, Taiwan but apparently he travels to Hong Kong on a regular basis. I thought he might have some photos of Anne Hunter’s grave at St Michael’s Catholic Cemetery. He answered me quickly but didn’t have what I needed. He did however say that he planned on going to Hong Kong in a few weeks and would and check it out then.
As he promised, he came through. He wrote me that the grave was very easy to find. He’d barely walked through the entryway and there she was, on the right. He took a few photos, one of which I’ll attach.
One more small add is a copy of and entry on a “Rev Carl Smith Collection” index card. It confirms the date of birth for Anne Hunter
How to get to the Cemetery List on Family Search.org
Note: You need to be a member but you can join for free.
At the main page on the right side you see:
Browse all published collections
On the left is:
Place:
Africa (26)
Asia and Middle East (58)
Click on Asia
On the right will be:
Historical Record Collections
China Cemetery Records 1820-1983
Browse Images in this Collection
Click on: Browse 72,747 images
Then: click on: China,
then: Xianggang 香港
then: Xianggangdao
This will bring up a list of all the cemeteries in Hong Kong and Kowloon
Note: Don’t let the Chinese characters throw you. There’s plenty that are in English. Just keep going.