Ing Wah On was the number 1 son of Ing Yip Ming (father) and Ing Lau Shee (mother). He had 3 brothers, Ing Wah Gun, the third brother died young and the fourth brother Ing Wah Koi (Henry)
Ing Wah On was born in 1881 in the village of Buck Toy in the Chung Shan District, Kwangtung (Canton) province (between Macao and Canton). The local dialect was Pun Di, which is different from Cantonese (spoken in Hong Kong and Shanghai) and Mandarin (which is the official dialect of the People’s Republic Of China)
Ing Wah On’s father, Ng Yip Ming became blind when Wah On was 12 years old. The responsibility of taking care of the family then came on to Wah On. It was the duty of the “first son” to take care of the family.
Finding it hard to make a living in the village, Wah On set forth to seek his fortune in the “Golden Moiuntain” (Chinese for Hawaii)
Wah On worked as a laborer for only 5-10 cents a day, but managed to save most of the money to send home to China for his family. During the days, he would work the fields, and at night he would light a candle under the mosquito net and tried to learn Chinese on himself. Whatever he did not know, he would ask his elders the next day.Gradually, as the years went by, he educated himself so well and his knowledge was so advanced and he was able to communicate in letters in both Chinese and English.
Ing Wah On
He was so well liked among the Chinese community and was offered opportunities to start business with some very prominent men – like Wing Coffee or Chung Chong.He had declined all these offers because he had no capital. But one day, Wo Chung, who is a distant cousin, approached him to be the manager for a company he wanted to start, he accepted the offer. The company did very very well and kept expanding till it took over half of the A’ala market.
Wah On did not go back to China untill 1910. Then when had saved enough money to get himself a wife (match maker). He married Lau Yee Moy (born May 24, 1891) from the village of Hu Chow Giuk.. After the wedding, he went back to Hawaii, and knowing he had to work harder. Soon he learned that his wife was pregnant and she gave him a son (Francis Cheong Kin – born 1911). There were 8 people living under one roof, plus the baby. It was six years later before Wah On had saved enough money to send for Yee Moy and Francis Cheong Kin. During that time, he also sent for two of his brothers and other relatives to work in th store.
On July 10, 1916, they were blessed with another daughter – Dolores/Meg – Yuk Quon. Next came Cheong Bew (Kenneth), born March 21, 1918, then Cheong Yew (Richard) born March 17, 1920 and finally Yook Yip (Pearl) born May 9, 1922. He bought a house in Kalihi – 1434 Gulick Ave.
1434 Gulick Avenue
The boys Cheong Kin, Cheong Bew and Cheong Yew attended St. Louis High School on River Street, and the girls went to Sacred Hearts Academy on Fort street in the morning. And every aftrnoon, they attended Mun Lum Chinese Language School.
On June 18. 1931, Wah On took his family back to China. Wah On left the business to his fourth brother, Henry. Their first stop was Shanghai, to make arrangement for Francis' college, then to Buck Toy, to pay homage to his mother, then they moved to Hong Kong and purchased property 51-53 Bonham Road
Francis & Daisy were married in Buck Toy in 1932. After the wedding, Francis went back to school in Ling Nan while Daisy stayed with the in laws in Hong Kong.
In 1937, Ken, Richard and Hook Mun returned to Hawaii. Wah On died in 1939 in Hong Kong. He had a carbuncle on his back, heart conditions and TB.
Ng Wah On's Funeral
Ng Yee Moy lived in the house in Hong Kong with Francis' Family & Dolores. They stayed during the war while Francis sent Daisy and her two daughters back to Hawaii. Yee Moy died of TB on November 11, 1942 during the war.
