Saturday 19 May 2012

Chee Hoon Bong

CHEE HOON BONG, JP

Chee Hoon Bong was born in Malacca to Chee Yam Chuan. His family had lived in Malacca for up to four generations before him. Chee Hoon Bong was the owner of the City Saw Mills and Bukit Beruang Estate in Malacca, where he planted tapioca, and numerous fertile lands in Malacca. He was a director of his father’s owned firm, Leack Chin Seng & Co. and also a partner in the firm Lim Tiang Wah & Co. (Chop Swee Hong). Chee Hoon Bong was a headman for the Hokkien community in Malacca, and was appointed Justice of Peace for six years. In 1883, when the Legislative Council of the Straits Settlements passed the Ordinance X of 1883, in order to prevent encroachments upon the Crown Colony lands, he immediately called for a meeting among people of interest in their estates in Malacca for solving their problems of illegal lands. The Chee Hoon Bong Scholarship named after him was created and endowed to St Francis’ Institution, Malacca for the best-excelled students in term of academic achievements. He died on 28 September 1903, leaving four sons and three daughters. His sons were Chee Tye Cheng (1860 – 1921), Chee Swee Cheng (1866 – 1935) and Chee Sim Cheng (1873). His family residence was at Heeren Street.
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12 comments:

  1. limsoonhoe21 July 2012 at 21:53

    Hi Eugene,

    Thank you for this great resource!
    Can you share how did you find out that Chee Hoon Bong was a Director of Leack Chin Seng & Co?

    I am creating a genealogy table for Lim Leack, & any information would be extremely helpful!

    Thank you,
    soonhoe

    ReplyDelete
  2. limsoonhoe23 July 2012 at 10:53

    Hi Eugene,

    I have records of Chee Jin Siew who was a partner with Leack Chin Seng & Co's branch in Malacca between 1868-1872.

    I await your reply,

    Best regards,
    soonhoe

    ReplyDelete
  3. limsoonhoe21 August 2012 at 11:34

    Hi Eugene,

    I found more information from : Twentieth century impressions of British Malaya.

    I still look forward to hearing from you!

    Thank you,

    Lim soonhoe

    ReplyDelete
  4. Eugene Khoo22 August 2012 at 20:07

    Hi Lim. Thanks for visiting my blog. Please let me know in what way I can assist you?

    ReplyDelete
  5. limsoonhoe29 August 2012 at 11:50

    Hi Eugene,

    Glad to hear from you.

    I would like to find out about the main partners of Leack Chin Seng & Co, viz Lim Teck Ghee & Tan Hoon Chian. I read that Lim Teck Ghee was involved in financing the 1870s war & the Tan family were social contributors in Malacca as well.

    Thank you!
    soonhoe

    PS. BTW, I found from the Straits Directory that Chee Jin Siew was a partner in Tek Hee, Keng Hoon & Co (Chop Chin Ho Hin) which is Leack Chin Seng & Co's branch in Malacca between 1868-1872.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Eugene Khoo31 August 2012 at 21:15

    Messrs. Leack, Chin Seng & Co. was a firm based in Singapore. The company's early founders were Lim Leack and Tan Chin Seng son of Tan Oh Lee. It was later joined by Chee Yam Chuan.

    When Lim Leack died in 1875, his son Lim Tek Hee (also spelled as Lim Teck Ghee) took over his business interests.

    In 1851, the company opened a branch in Malacca. The company was initially a food provision store selling tin and tapioca, but later ventured into logistic and steamship.

    In Singapore, the firm was under the proprietorship of the Tan family led by Tan Chin Seng. And later passed down to Tan Hoon Chiang (1837 - 1914) and his son, Tan Cheng Tee (b. 1873).

    In Malacca, the firm was under the management of Chee Hoon Bong and his son Chee Swee Cheng.

    That's what I've with me now. I don't have any further records of the company's business.

    I'm now very busy. If you could give me more time, hopefully I could look for more information.

    ReplyDelete
  7. limsoonhoe2 September 2012 at 13:51

    Thank you for the info. These are very useful.

    From the 1880 Straits Directory , the company Tek Hee, Keng Hoon & Co (Chop Chin Ho Hin) apparently dissolved & Tan Hoon Guan & Co (also Chop Chin Ho Hin) took over the assets, viz the steamer Louisa III.

    I look forward to hearing & learning more from you.

    Best regards,

    soonhoe

    ReplyDelete
  8. Eugene Khoo5 September 2012 at 15:37

    Hi Lim.

    If you have any interesting topic about the Chee family or Leack, Chin Seng & Co. to share with us. I would be glad to have it publish in my blog. Or maybe we can form a collaborated research work.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Eugene Khoo24 October 2012 at 19:57

    Hi Lim.

    From what I've read. The firm Leack, Chin Seng & Co. was later monopolized by the Tan family in Singapore. There is no mention of the other members, neither the Lim or Chee in any written references.

    BTW, I found out that the firm had a branch in Rangoon, the then British Burma.

    ReplyDelete
  10. limsoonhoe7 November 2012 at 12:26

    Hi Eugene,
    The Rangoon branch wind down in 1892. The co donated to the Rangoon Dufferin Hospital. Major Richard temple was the Chief Commissioner in Burma. Choa Chuan Ghiok was the partner.
    http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=dailyadvertiser18920223-1.2.8&sessionid=8e0c9b9d6e0241eaa8c0eca18b27a8cf&keyword=leack+dufferin&token=dufferin%2cleack

    ReplyDelete
  11. limsoonhoe7 November 2012 at 12:35

    Tan Cheng Tee died 2 mths before his father "Hoon Chiang". The Co was taken over by the next son Tan Tiam Tee & he changed the name of the Co to Chop Hoe Chiang. That renamed Co later went bankrupt in 1929.

    http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19140205-1.2.21&sessionid=a189f4aa06584c2d93b8b59aa844fb74&keyword=%22tan+cheng+tee%22+%22hoon+chiang%22&token=chiang%2choon%2ctee%2ccheng%2ctan

    ReplyDelete
  12. Eugene Khoo7 November 2012 at 16:53

    Hi Lim. That's a good input. Thanks a lot.

    ReplyDelete

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